Pesto Bacon Chicken for our anniversary dinner tonight because it combines several things I love (pesto. bacon.) in an easy delicious bundle. Whole30, Paleo, Keto, gluten-free, dairy-free. Looks so fancy, taste is on point, but I didn’t have to slave in the kitchen forever for it! #winwin.
Works great in the oven, on the grill, or in the airfryer. If you have pesto on hand, it becomes a 3-ingredient recipe!
Pesto Bacon Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken breast cut into strips
- 1 package bacon sugar-free if doing a Whole30
- 1 batch pesto*
Instructions
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Marinate sliced chicken breast in pesto for at least 30 minutes (up to overnight).
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Preheat oven to 400 degrees. If you have a cooling rack, place inside a rimmed baking sheet - cooking the chicking on the cooking rack will allow the grease to drip underneath and the chicken to get crispy. Don't have a cooling rack? Just use parchment paper and flip halfway through.
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Wrap in your favorite bacon, tucking ends of bacon inside of itself or under the chicken as you place on baking sheet.
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Bake for 20-25 minutes (depending on how big the chicken strips are, until cooked through), broiling on high for 5 minutes at the end if you love crispy bacon (I do!)
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AIRFRYER modification - prepare in same way, but cook in an air fryer (bacon seam down, single layer) at 350 degrees for 16-18 minutes, flipping once as needed, until chicken is cooked and bacon is desired level of crispy. Chicken can also be cooked on the grill!
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That's it. Could this recipe get any easier?!
Recipe Notes
Find my dairy-free Whole30 Compliant pesto recipe here.
Love this air fryer recipe! It so easy to make, delicious and just “extra” enough that it feels like a special meal, my husband and I use it for our Friday date night ins at least once a month!
It makes my heart happy this one comes to your date nights, thank you!