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.
Natasha,
I made this tonight even though I really wasn’t in the mood to cook. It was so easy and SO Good!!!! Everything I’ve tried so far has been excellent!!! Natasha’s kitchen is my go to. Thank you!!!
That’s just awesome!! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Charlene!
Absolutely delicious! thank you Natasha=)
Since I found your site, I have been cooking your recipes for a month so far and they are all incredible!!!
P.S
I told my husband: “Wow, her recipes are the best. Why so?Probably because she is Ukrainian=)”
I’m so glad you discovered our site, Natalia! Thank you for that great feedback.
I just made these tonight…..delicious! My only question is is there a trick to rolling them together? I did the best I could, but they were kind of falling apart on me. Thank you
Hi Tammy, the toothpick definitely helps to hold them together. That’s what I do.
I used toothpicks, but they still seemed to fall apart somewhat. Yours just look so perfect.
You might also try sauteeing with the toothpick side down first to seal that edge better before turning them over.
I think this may be the first time I have ever commented on a recipe but I had to!! This meal was amazing! It really was like going to a restaurant, my hubby said it was a new favorite. I can’t wait to make it for my kids when they come over for our once a month dinner! This is the third recipe I have made of yours – I made the Spatchcock chicken a few days ago and it was also incredible and I have the banana bread in the oven right now. Can’t wait to try more. Thank you Natasha!!
Your home must smell so good right now with that banana bread in the oven. Thank you so much for sharing that awesome review with me.
Made this for dinner tonight, stuffed with your Pesto recipe that I made yesterday. OMG! This is soooo good! So easy to prepare. Another winner, Natasha! But then again, all of your recipes are the best.
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite!
Made this recipe last night and my husband and I just loved it. Very easy to put together and fast to cook. I don’t have a pan to put in the oven so I did them on the stove and covered the chicken for a while. Thank you for a great recipe and a wonderful dinner. Will for sure be sharing this recipe and also making it often.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Chicken pesto roll ups were freakishly amazing….definitely a keeper….thanks Natasha 😘
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite!
I have frozen them successfully several times.
Thank you so much for sharing that!
Can I freeze and reheat leftovers? It’s only my hubby and I. I’d like to make the full recipe and reheat leftovers later in the week or the following week. Sounds yummy and simple! Also, love all the tweak ideas in the reviews.
Hi! I haven’t tried freezing them so I’m not 100% sure how they would work after thawing and reheating. It will have to be an experiment :-). Let me know if you test that out! It sounds like a good idea!
Substituted sun dried tomatoes for the sliced tomatoes inside the roll ups, and I used a TBS of the sun dried tomato oil with the butter. Used shredded Italian 6 cheese blend, and also topped with the multi variety (heirloom like) cherry tomatoes. YUM! It’s a keeper!
That’s just awesome!! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review with us Cathy!
I made this recipe tonight for my father’s 72nd birthday dinner. Oh my goodness, it was absolutely amazing! My mom and dad loved it and my tongue actually did flips! It was juicy and tender, and the flavor was just over the top. I used great quality mozzarella cheese and pesto and the cheesy outcome was well worth the extra dollar! Thank you Natasha… You continue to grace our dinner table with your amazing recipes!
That’s just awesome, Shawnee!! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review
Used yellow tomatoes inside the chicken, used homemade (I had frozen it) pesto, and served it with garlic spaghetti, this was so delicious! Sent leftovers to my son-in-law who said a definite top three from me but he was struggling to figure out what the other two were!!
That’s just awesome, Janice! I’m so happy you all enjoyed this recipe!
Made for company dinner of 16. Everyone loved the flavour, tenderness, and visual appeal.
Awww that’s the best! I’m so happy you all enjoyed this recipe! Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
Hi Natasha,
Can I do all this on the stove or do I have to use an oven, cause I don’t have one at the moment.
Hi Fafa, you could do it on the stove-top, but I would suggest cooking over lower heat and check the internal temperature of the chicken for doneness to make sure it is fully cooked through. You might cover with the lid for the last couple of minutes to melt the cheese nicely, and it would probably cook faster on the stovetop.
I’ve also made your recipe and it become one of my favorites!
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us!
Absolutely delish !!! Please tell me the name of the pan you used for this recipe. Thank you so much. Your recipes are excellent and quick to throw together. All the best !
Hi Nancy, this was the Staub braiser and we LOVE it! It’s very versatile
Made this tonight it was delicious- will be makingbit again! Great recipe – shared with my newly married daughter. Follow you on Facebook and instagram!!
Awww that’s the best! Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Karen :). I’m all smiles!
I prepared this dish a few days ago and it was absolutely delicious! I did season the chicken with Italian seasoning and added baby spinach to the roll-up. I will be making this dish regularly. Thank you for sharing, Natasha!
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite, Leyla!
Absolutely! I’ve shared it with my co-workers and on my Facebook page. Excited to try many more of your delicious recipes! 🙂
Thank you for sharing that with your co-workers, Leyla!!
Hi Natasha. Another delicious recipe! If I want to make this for a big crowd how can I do that? Can I fry them on the stove top and then transfer to a large baking sheet and put in the oven? Cover with foil?
Hi Raya, that’s exactly how we do that! I look forward to your feedback & hope you love this recipe!
Came out a bit salty, which may have been from the brand of pesto I was using.
Hi Jenn, that is the likely culprit since there isn’t much added salt in this recipe besides seasoning the chicken pieces early on – also be sure not to over-season the chicken pieces. I have found that it’s easiest to tell how much salt I am adding by pinching and sprinkling the salt by hand. Hope that helps! 🙂