Air Fryer CHeesy Pesto Chicken
For sure one of my new favorite air fryer recipes! This Cheesy Pesto Chicken is packed with flavor and so simple to make, you’ll love it!
Creator: Leslie Stokes
You can have this meal prepared and on the table in less that 25 minutes!
There is just something about the comination of pesto + mozzarella that i really love- I mean, you just can’t go wrong! This meal is truly so simple that even a begginer cook can nail this and impress the whole fam
All you need to do is pick up a few simple ingredients from the store and let the air fryer do the rest!
Ingredients:
- chicken breast
- store bought pesto
- mozzarella cheese
- tomato
- cherry tomatoes
- zucchini
- garlic powder
- paprika
- parsley
- salt + pepper
- your favorite noodles
- olive oil
***see full recipe below
The seasoning blend-
you can really season the chicken with whatever you like, but I really did love the combination of the garlic, paprika + parsley. The paprika gave it a little bit of smoke and the more garlic the better, but that’s just my opinon! haha
How to Slice the Chicken-
This kind of cut is called hasselback- it’s basically fileting the chicken breast without cutting all the way through so that the chicken breast is still hole. Think of it as creating a little pouch for the pesto, cheese + tomato!
You can make this in the oven if you don’t have an air fryer or if your air fryer is a basket style!
I really can’t live without an air fryer, I cook so much in it! I’ve had both a basket stlye and the oven style and I have to say, I love the oven style so much better! There are more cooking functions and its capable of cooking on a sheet pan which is great for a quick dinner or anything with liquid/juice- which this chicken gets so juicy and kinda makes a sauce for the noodles!
If you are using the oven- you can cook this the same way on a sheet pan at 425 for about 20ish minutes!
Air Fryer Cheesy Pesto Chicken
Equipment
- Air Fryer (or the oven at 425°)
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breast
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp paprika
- ½ tsp parsley
- ¼ tsp pepper
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 small tomato cut in half and then into slices
- 1½ cups cherry tomatoes
- 1 zuccuni sliced in half and then into ⅛ inch slices
- ¼ cup store bought pesto
- mozzarella cheese (8 slices) I like using the fresh mozzarella in the large block
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- your favorite noodles I used the brown rice ones from trader joes- about 1/2 cup per serving
Let's Make It
- Preheat the air fryer to 400° or 425° for a larger air fryer like the one I use.*** 425° if using an oven
- Using a sharp knife, make 4 slices in each chicken breast (like in the picture above), but don't cut all the way through the chicken breast. This is pretty much creating a little nest for the pesto, cheese and tomato.
- Mix together the garlic, paprika, salt, pepper + parsley.
- Lay the chicken breast on the air fryer tray (flat tray/no holes)- surround the chicken with the tomatoes + zucchini.***If you have a basket style air fryer, I would line the basket with parchement paper and skip adding the veggies, cook them seperately.
- Spread the cherry tomatoes + zucchini all around the chicken- season both the chicken + the veggies with the seasonings.
- Stuff each slot in the chicken with pesto (about 1 tsp each slot), cheese + tomato.
- Drizzle the chicken + the veggies with about 1 tbsp of olive oil and place the tray into the air fryer to cook for about 10-15 minutes.*** if using a larger air fryer or the oven- it may take a bit longer
- While the chicken is cooking boil the noodles.
- Once the chicken has reached an internal temperature of 165° and the cheese has started to brown, remove it from the air fryer and let it cool for 5 minutes before serving over noodles.
