This Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Chicken recipe includes juicy chicken breasts that are pan-seared to perfection and stuffed with melted mozzarella cheese, flavorful pesto, and tangy sun-dried tomatoes. Whether you're looking for a quick weeknight dinner or a dish to serve at a dinner party, this one-pan stuffed chicken is the perfect choice.

sun dried tomato and pesto stuffed chicken with a side of pasta with pesto

Jump to:

Key Ingredients
How to make this chicken
Expert Tips
📖 Recipe
Comments

Key Ingredients

Chicken breasts- slice the chicken lengthwise about 80% of the way (be sure to keep in connected on one side! You want to use chicken breasts (not cutlets) so that they are thick enough to slice horizontally.
Mozzarella cheese- I use low-moisture pre-shredded mozzarella to keep extra water from being added.
Sun-dried tomatoes- if you use the kind that is in oil, be sure to pat it dry first.
Pesto- I recommend my homemade lemon basil pesto, but your favorite store-bought pesto will also work! Drain some of the oil when scooping it out of the container.

How to make this chicken

In a medium bowl, combine the sun-dried tomatoes, pesto, and mozzarella.

pesto, sun-dried tomatoes, and mozzarella mixed together

chicken sliced horizontally 80% of the way through

2. Slice the chicken horizontally (be sure to leave about 20% connected!) and stuff with the filling. Season the chicken all over.

uncooked stuffed chicken in a cast iron skillet

seared golden brown chicken in a cast iron skillet

3. Sear the chicken in a cast iron or nonstick skillet to get a beautiful golden brown sear. The chicken is done when it has reached an internal temperature of 165, is golden brown, and the cheese is melty.

Expert Tips

I recommend using a cast-iron or nonstick skillet, if you have it, for easy cleanup of any cooked melted cheese.
If your chicken begins to brown before the cheese has started to melt or the chicken has started to cook on the inside, reduce the heat.
Adding the chicken to a hot pan with cold oil will help prevent the chicken from sticking to the pan.
If your cheese is not melting after about 8 minutes, you can cover your pan with a lid to help it melt.

Want to save this recipe to come back to it?

I'll email this recipe to you, so you can come back to it later!

Can I bake the stuffed chicken instead?

You are welcome to bake this chicken at 400 degrees instead of pan-searing it. I have made this chicken that way and it is delicious, however it does not get that beautiful and delicious golden brown crust on the outside. It still tastes good but looks a little pale and would not be my first pick for serving to company. If you bake the chicken, I recommend drizzling the chicken with a little olive oil to try to get some color on it.

How can I prep this in advance?

The chicken can be stuffed with sun-dried tomatoes, pesto, and mozzarella the morning of. Seasoning the chicken shortly before you sear it.

To prevent the chicken from drying out, I recommend serving it right off the stove and not reheating it.

What to serve these stuffed chicken breasts with

This sun-dried pesto chicken would be delicious with:

If you make this Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Chicken, I'd love to know what you think in the comments below! I hope you love it!

two plates of sun-dried tomato and pesto stuffed chicken with sides of pasta with pesto

📖 Recipe