Happy Monday, friends! This is the first week in my many weeks that involve travel so I’m thrilled that at least I’ll have lunches sorted as I get ready to head to Texas on Friday. I’m going to see a friend who I haven’t seen in years and I cannot wait. Until then, I’ve made some delicious Pesto Chicken and Veggies to use up what was hanging out in my fridge.
THE RECIPE
This is one of those recipes that you can throw whatever veggies you’ve got in your fridge in and you’ll end up with a delicious meal.
- chicken breast – I had some in the freezer so I thawed it and cut it into pieces before cooking it with salt and pepper, more flavor was coming by way of pesto soon!
- veggies – I used red pepper, zucchini, yellow squash, red onion, and green beans, all of my favs
- pesto – I had some hanging out in the freezer so I threw that in and it’s perfect with all those veggies
- bread – I wanted some kind of carb involved, so I grabbed some cheese bread from the store to eat with this and it’s so good
VARIATIONS
You can switch up any element of this recipe! Use whatever meat you’ve got, your favorite veg, and whatever sauce suits your fancy. With the veg, just keep in mind what order you put them in the pan. The ones that take the longest to cook go in first, with the quickest cooking ones going in last so they’re all done at the same time. Finally, you could totally serve this with rice or quinoa instead of the bread, or skip that bit completely. Whatever you want!
I often freeze bits of sauce that I didn’t use all of, like the pesto I had, and this is a great way to use it up! Or, if you buy a jar of pesto for this, consider freezing the rest of it in an ice cube tray so you can defrost as much or as little as you need.
That’s it! I love this one, so fresh and tasty.
Pesto Chicken and Veggies
Fresh, bright, and so simple, this Pesto Chicken and Veggies is so good and so easy to make! Just a few ingredients, with so many variation options, it's a perfect meal prep or weeknight dinner.
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts
- 1 zucchini
- 1 yellow squash
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1/2 red onion
- 1 cup green beans
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp salt, divided
- 1 tsp pepper, divided
- 1/3 cup pesto
- parmesan cheese, for serving, optional
- cheese bread, for serving, optional
Instructions
- prep: cut all of the veggies and the chicken into 1/2" pieces. heat a large skillet over medium high heat
- cook the chicken: add the oil to the pan and let it heat up. add the chicken and half of the salt and pepper. cook, stirring often, for 5-8 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. remove from the pan and place in a large bowl
- cook the veggies: add the red onion and bell pepper to the pan and cook until slightly softened, about 3-5 minutes. add the remaining veggies and salt and pepper and cook until the veggies are fully cooked, an additional 5-7 minutes depending on how cooked you'd like your veggies
- bring it all together: remove the veggies from the pan and add to the bowl with the chicken. add the pesto and mix to combine
- enjoy! serve topped with parmesan along side cheese bread, if using. enjoy!
This looks like a delicious and satisfying little bowl!