Crispy Pesto Chicken Recipe: A Quick 20-Minute Chicken Dinner Poultry Dinner

As a big fan of pesto, I'm always looking for new ways to use it. Pesto has inspired dishes like pesto pasta chicken and pesto pasta salad. This crispy pesto chicken recipe was a successful way to incorporate pesto into other dishes besides ones using pasta.

Boneless, skinless chicken breasts are coated in pesto, dusted with flour, dipped in an egg wash and then coated in Italian breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese before being fried in a skillet until crispy and golden brown. The pesto adds flavor and brightness to the fried chicken.

You can use homemade pesto or jarred pesto for this chicken recipe. Serve this easy chicken dinner with a fresh vegetable. I had some sundried tomato pesto pasta leftover from dinner, so that become the side dish along with roasted broccoli. This fried pesto chicken breast recipe will be put in my dinner recipe rotation.

Cuisine: American / Italian
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/3 cup pesto 
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon water
• 2/3 cup Italian breadcrumbs
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

Here's how to make it:

1. Create a dredging station: Put the pesto in one bowl, the flour in another bowl, whisk the egg and water in another bowl, and stir together the breadcrumbs and Parmesan on a plate.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cover the chicken in the pesto, then coat with a little flour, then dip into the egg then coat completely with the breadcrumbs. Fry in the hot oil until golden on both sides and cooked through, about 3 to 4 minutes per side, depending on how thick the chicken breasts are. Sprinkle with more Parmesan when serving, if desired.

Note: 30Seconds is a participant in the Amazon affiliate advertising program and this post contains affiliate links, which means we may earn a commission or fees if you make a purchase via those links.

Recipe cooking times and servings are approximate. Need to convert cooking and baking measurements? Here are some kitchen conversion charts. Here's how to submit your recipes to 30Seconds.

Take 30 seconds and join the 30Seconds community, and follow us on Facebook to get recipes in your newsfeed daily.