Have you discovered Pesto Chicken?! These chicken pesto roll ups are stuffed with cheese, juicy tomatoes and pesto sauce! This pesto chicken tastes like fine dining with Tuscan flavors but they are so easy to make.
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This is my sister, Svetlana’s pesto chicken recipe. She sent me a photo of her dinner last week and I set out to recreate it right away. My Mother (who was trained in the culinary arts), was particularly smitten with this recipe. Mom’s rave reviews are especially valuable to me. 🙂
Chicken Pesto Roll Ups Recipe:
These chicken roll ups are simple enough for weeknight cooking but are also special occasion worthy!
Ingredients for Pesto Chicken Roll Ups:
The list of ingredients in this pesto chicken is short and uncomplicated: Chicken, simple seasoning, shredded mozzarella and tomatoes. P.S. We fell in love with homemade pesto sauce but the one from Costco also works really well.
How to Make Chicken Pesto Roll-Ups:
1. Preheat oven to 425˚F. Cut each chicken breast in half lengthwise so you have 8 thin chicken cutlets. Pound each cutlet in a quart sized ziploc bag or between 2 sheets of plastic wrap to 1/8″ thick. Season both sides of your thin cutlets with garlic salt and black pepper.
2. Spoon and spread 1 Tbsp pesto in the center of each cutlet, top with 2 thin slices of tomato and sprinkle with 2-3 Tbsp shredded mozzarella cheese. Roll the chicken up as tightly as you can and seal ends with a toothpick.
3. Preheat a large oven-safe skillet over medium/high heat with 1 Tbsp oil and 1 Tbsp butter. Add chicken roll-ups and sear on both sides until golden (4 min per side for a total of 8 minutes on the stove).
4. Sprinkle tops with remaining cheese and scatter 1 cup of baby tomatoes over the top. Place the oven-safe skillet on the center rack of your preheated oven and bake 425˚F for 13-15 minutes (13 minutes for these medium chicken breasts and 15 minutes for larger chicken breasts, or until internal temperature of chicken reaches 160˚F on an instant-read thermometer.
To serve, remove toothpicks then plate chicken pesto roll ups, spooning pan juices and roasted tomatoes over the top and garnish with freshly chopped basil. Serve with mashed potatoes and roasted asparagus for a fancy (but simple) dinner!
Watch How to Make Chicken Pesto Roll Ups:
Is your mouth watering yet??
⬇Print-Friendly Chicken Pesto Roll-Ups Recipe:
Chicken Pesto Roll-Ups (VIDEO)

Ingredients
- 2 lbs chicken breasts, (4 medium/large chicken breasts)
- 1 tsp Garlic Salt, (or to taste)
- 1/4 tsp Black Pepper, (or to taste)
- 1/2 cup Pesto sauce, (about 8 Tbsp total)
- 8 oz Mozzarella cheese, shredded,, (reserve 2 oz for topping)
- 2 tomatoes (medium), thinly sliced into 16 rings
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, optional
- 1 Tbsp Fresh basil leaves, shredded, optional garnish
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425˚F. Cut chicken breast in half lengthwise so you have 8 thin chicken cutlets. Pound each cutlet in a quart sized ziploc bag or between 2 sheets of plastic wrap into 1/8" thick cutlets. Season both sides of chicken with garlic salt and black pepper.
- Spoon and spread 1 Tbsp pesto in the center of each cutlet, top with 2 thin tomato slices and sprinkle with 2-3 Tbsp mozzarella cheese. Roll the chicken up tightly and seal ends with a toothpick.
- Preheat large oven-safe skillet over medium/high heat with 1 Tbsp oil and 1 Tbsp butter. Add chicken roll-ups and sear on both sides until golden (4 min per side or 8 minutes total on the stove).
- Sprinkle tops with remaining cheese and 1 cup of cherry tomatoes. Place the skillet on the center rack of oven and bake 425˚F for 13-15 minutes (13 min for these these medium chicken breasts and 15 min for larger chicken breasts, or until internal temp of chicken reaches 160˚F on instant-read thermometer.
Notes
Nutrition Per Serving
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen
Q: Have you tried Pesto Chicken?
P.S. These chicken pesto roll ups reheat really well if you’re lucky enough to have leftovers! I hope you and your family love these easy, excellent chicken pesto roll-ups.
If you love chicken, check out this popular one-pan Chicken Madeira and all of our favorite chicken recipes HERE.
Hi Natasha, last night I made this chicken roll ups, my family loved it, this meal was DELICIOUS!!!!! My husband know about you and your recipes, he asked me “Is a recipe from Natasha?”, he knows all your recipes are perfect and sooo tasty!! I used the Pesto from Costco, is the best!!
Hugs and Blessings!!
LOL! Hi there Cristina! I’m glad to hear how much the family is enjoying the recipes! Thanks for following and sharing your great review!
Hi, what department of Costco Can I find the pesto?
Can’t wait to try this. I love Pesto sauce and if I can buy it already prepared, that’s even better!
Hi Kathi, it is in the refrigerator section (in the center of our Costco by the meats in our Costco) I believe it’s next to the ravioli 🙂
Thank you!
Blessings…..
My pleasure Kathi! 🙂
Hi Natasha! I made this last night and they taste great!
I had trouble rolling up the chicken though. Any tips?
Hi Jing, pounding the chicken to a 1/8″ thickness helps to roll the chicken up. If the chicken is too thick, you won’t be able to contain the filling and it will be difficult to roll. Also, securing with a toothpick helps to hold it together while sautéing and rolling the rest of the chicken.
Anybody know what the calories, fat, carbs and protein is per serving??
Thinking would be ok if didn’t fry with oil and butter but baked or fried with spray?
I looked into it and got the information.
Calories-277 Fat-18.6 Sat Fat 6.4
Carbs- 5.8 Fiber- 1 Sugar- 2.6
Protein-22.6
Weight Watcher Points is 8
Hope this will help you.
Connie
Thank you so much Connie! That is so amazing of you! What tool do you use to get the information?
Thanks so much Connie. Wish all the recipes showed this info.
It was one of the easiest meals I’ve made and yet so perfect!!! Thank you!!!
My pleasure Julie! I’m glad you love the recipe! Thanks for sharing your great review!
I made it over the weekend with chicken thighs because we don’t like chicken breast, did it all according to directions but less pesto just a thin layer maybe 1tsp. It was delicious, husband loved it, it was very delicious and i think I have to make it again this week! Thank you for great and delicious recipes Natasha!
My pleasure Inna! I’m glad to hear you both enjoy the recipe! Thanks for sharing your great review!
very good.
here is my photo
https://i.redd.it/zu5vy6i6ruuz.jpg
My attempt. it tasted very good although one did not wrap correctly
here is a photo.
https://i.redd.it/zu5vy6i6ruuz.jpg
I’m glad you enjoy the recipe! Thanks for sharing your delicious photo!
Hey Natasha,
Just Fan of this Recipe! I love anything with made Chicken but it is different from Other Chicken Recipe. when I see this video I Just amazed that it’s Easy to Make. Can’t wait to Make this home! Thanks for gives us this Recipe. Really Love this Recipe🥘🥘
You’re welcome! I hope you love the recipe! Please let me know what you think!
I made this tonight however I used roasted red peppers as I had no tomatoes. Easy and yummy! Definitely saving this recipe!
I’m glad you enjoy the recipe Sheila! Thanks so much for sharing!
Making this tonight! Looks great! Can I prepare ahead of time?
Hi Joan, yes, you can prepare it until just before putting it in the oven then let it come to room temperature and refrigerate until ready to use. Bake before serving until hot and cooked through. You may need to add a few minutes of baking time if you are starting with chilled chicken roll ups.
I have not made this yet but am planning on making it. I was just wondering what the nutrition values are. I am on Weight Watchers so would love to figure out how many point I would use on this.
Due to time constraints, I don’t typically include nutritional info, but check out this nutrition analyzer – you can plug in the ingredients from any recipe, select the serving size and it will give you nutritional info, calories, etc. I hope that is helpful to you Connie!
Natasha
Thank you so much for the information on the nutrition analyzer it will give me all the information on need. Can’t wait to make this now that I know it will only use 8 of my 30 points. Again Thank You
Connie Campbell
You’re welcome Connie! I’m glad it helps!
Made this and it was so so tasty and very easy to make. My husband can’t wait until I make it again. Thank you for sharing your wonderful recipes. X
You’re welcome! I’m glad to hear you both enjoy the recipe! Thanks for sharing your great review Margaret!
This chicken dish was just ok. My kids ate it but didn’t really like it. I just don’t think the flavor is very kid friendly. It really does have a bold pesto flavor and I guess not every child would like pesto. It was also a bit dry. I don’t think I will be making it again.
Hi Larissa, thank you for sharing your feedback. This has been a very popular with readers and I am always happy to help troubleshoot. The amount of pesto in this should be pretty mild in flavor and not overpowering. I wonder if it may be the brand of pesto used? Did you try a different brand? Also, overbaking or overcooking on the stove would cause chicken to be more dry, or an oven that runs hotter than usual. I hope that helps!
All you need to do is follow the directions. I felt like a master chef when I pulled it out of the oven. It should also be noted, my 7, and 9 year old LOVED IT!
I’m glad to hear the recipe is a HIT! Thanks for sharing your fantastic review!
Made this for company tonight. . Tasted great. I love how specific all your recipes are. I have yet to make one that doesn’t turn out well. Thanks 🙂 I didn’t have cherry tomatoes, so I just used seeded and diced Romas.
You’re welcome Katie! I’m glad the recipe was a HIT! Thanks for sharing!
Hi Natasha,
I’m Andrea! We just used your recipe but we tweaked it a little.
We used pineapple in the recipe inside the chicken and we cut the rings of tomato into strips instead.
We also used an air fryer to cook it after searing it instead of an oven.
Thanks for this awesome recipe!!!
I love it!!!!👍👍👍
Hello Andrea! You’re welcome! That sounds AMAZING! Thanks for sharing your great review with other readers!
What an incredible recipe! I definitely have to try it. It looks so scrumptious. You do a phenomenal job with videos. Everything always looks so mouthwatering and perfect. I haven’t had a lot of time to read blogs lately, but I like watching Youtube videos while I am cooking or folding laundry:), so I love to see your new content that way. You are amazing and so inspirational.
This recipe went viral super fast, I hope you love it! Thanks for following and sharing your encouraging, thoughtful comments! 🙂
This recipe was easy to follow, enjoyable to make, and delicious!! I did add a piece of pancetta to each roll. Thank you!!!
You’re welcome Suzanne! I’m glad you enjoy the recipe! Thanks for sharing your great review!
My family loved this chicken dish. Thanks for the recipe! We will make it again.
You’re welcome Patti! I’m glad to hear the recipe was a HIT! Thanks for sharing your great review!