Pesto Chicken Bake Recipe – Easy Low Carb, Keto, AIP Diet & Paleo Friendly Dinner Idea with chicken thighs, broccoli, zucchini and homemade pesto sauce. 

Pesto Chicken Bake Recipe

This is a big green pesto chicken bake recipe that’s compliant with a range of healing diets. It’s also easily adaptable depending on your personal tastes and it’s just a tasty family meal on a budget! 

How To Make Pesto Chicken

In this instance I’m making my own, quick pesto sauce from scratch. You could make the recipe even simpler by using a jar of basil pesto. (If your diet allows it – on AIP we can’t have nuts or dairy, both of which are usually in jarred pesto.) 

To make the pesto, combine fresh basil, extra virgin olive oil, lemon zest and juice, salt and garlic cloves in a blender until you have a smooth sauce. If you’re not on AIP, you could add in a handful of pine nuts or cashews and a couple of tablespoons of parmesan too. 

Next, it’s just a matter of combining everything together in a large baking dish. I went for a pack of chicken thighs, with their skin on and bones in. You can use chicken breasts if you’d prefer and use more or less chicken. 

What Side Dishes Go With Pesto Chicken? 

You can serve your pesto chicken bake with a range of vegetables. I like to bake them in the dish along with the chicken. That way the veggies are infused with pesto flavour and there’s less washing up! 

I wanted a green colour coded chicken bake, so went for chopped broccoli and zucchini to complete the dish. You could also add in chopped onion, more garlic, pumpkin or mushrooms. If you’re not following a low carb/keto diet you could also add in chopped sweet potato, carrot or parsnip. 

Then, it’s just a matter of baking the chicken and vegetables for 25 minutes at 200C/400F. Then take the baking dish out of the oven, flip the chicken and vegetables and pop it all back into the oven for a final 20 minutes or until done to your liking. 

Pesto Chicken Bake Recipe

• 1 Handful of Fresh Basil
• 2-3 Garlic Cloves, Peeled
• 3-4 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Pinch of Salt 
• Zest of 1 Lemon
• Juice of 1/2 Lemon 
• 700g/1.5lbs Chicken Thighs
• 1 Small Head of Broccoli, chopped
• 1 Zucchini, chopped

1. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F and get out a large baking dish. 
2. To make the pesto, combine the basil, garlic, extra virgin olive oil, salt and lemon together in a blender and blend until smooth. 
3. Place the chicken into the baking dish and pour over the pesto. Toss the chicken to coat it well in the pesto sauce. 
4. Fill the rest of the baking dish with the chopped broccoli and zucchini. 
5. Place the baking dish into the preheated oven for 25 minutes. 
6. Remove from the oven, flip the chicken and vegetables over and return to the oven for 20 minutes or until done to your liking. 

I love the combination of chicken, pesto and green vegetables. It feels like you’re healing just by enjoying a plate full! 

Yield: 4

Pesto Chicken Bake Recipe

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Pesto Chicken Bake Recipe - Easy Low Carb, Keto, AIP Diet & Paleo Friendly Dinner Idea

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Total Time 55 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 Handful of Fresh Basil
• 2-3 Garlic Cloves, Peeled
• 3-4 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Pinch of Salt 
• Zest of 1 Lemon
• Juice of 1/2 Lemon 
• 700g/1.5lbs Chicken Thighs
• 1 Small Head of Broccoli, chopped
• 1 Zucchini, chopped

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F and get out a large baking dish. 
2. To make the pesto, combine the basil, garlic, extra virgin olive oil, salt and lemon together in a blender and blend until smooth. 
3. Place the chicken into the baking dish and pour over the pesto. Toss the chicken to coat it well in the pesto sauce. 
4. Fill the rest of the baking dish with the chopped broccoli and zucchini. 
5. Place the baking dish into the preheated oven for 25 minutes. 
6. Remove from the oven, flip the chicken and vegetables over and return to the oven for 20 minutes or until done to your liking.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 441Total Fat: 23.7gSaturated Fat: 5.1gCarbohydrates: 3.7gFiber: 1.2gSugar: 1.3gProtein: 52g

More AIP & Keto Friendly Recipes: 

Coconut Milk Whipped Cream

Egg Roll In A Bowl 

Mushroom Risotto

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Disclaimer – this post is meant for informational post only and should not be construed as medical advice. Please consult with your health professional before making any dietary changes.

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