My family adores this Whole30 Pesto Bacon Chicken because it combines several things we love (pesto. bacon.) in an easy delicious bundle. Looks so fancy, taste is on point, but I didn’t have to slave in the kitchen forever for it! We have it on our regular rotation and my boys are excited when it shows up on the dinner table.
Why We Love This Whole30 Pesto Bacon Chicken
- It’s easy! Yes, you do have to wrap the bacon around the chicken pieces, but that’s as hard as it gets. We use my Homemade Whole30 Pesto as the simple pesto sauce. But, you can buy your own dairy-free pesto sauce (make sure it’s Whole30 compatible if doing a Whole30) or make my pesto ahead of time and turn this into a 3-ingredient dinner! This vegan pesto from Trader Joe’s is Whole30 compatible and an easy option.
- So many different ways to cook this chicken. Works great in the oven, on the grill, or in the air fryer.
- Also, this dish is allergen-friendly! It is gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, Paleo and Keto. A delicious dish that can meet a variety of allergy needs.
- Bacon. Need I say more? Having this chicken wrapped in bacon makes the chicken very moist and juicy. Additionally, it has big kid appeal and made my boys want to try it.
Make it a Meal
Looking for ideas on what to pair this Whole30 Pesto Bacon Chicken with to make it a meal? Here are some sides we love that pair well with this dish. All of these are Whole30 compatible as well as Paleo, gluten-free, and dairy-free!
- Creamy Whole30 Mashed Potatoes
- Whole30 Garlic Fries or Curly Fries
- Whole30 Kale Salad Kit
- Whole30 Zucchini Wedges
- Whole30 Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients
Again, with a store-bought or pre-made pesto, this dish becomes a 3-ingredient meal. Hooray for easy weekday dinner options!
- Boneless skinless chicken breast – Choose the best quality you can afford.
- Bacon – If you are on a Whole30, use sugar-free compatible bacon. My favorite Whole30 compatible bacon is the Low-Sodium Kirkland Bacon from Costco. THE most affordable Whole30 bacon! Or, Walmart has also started carrying Applegate Bacon, which is Whole30 Approved and a great brand.
- Pesto – We use my Homemade Whole30 Pesto as the simple pesto sauce. But, you can buy your own dairy-free pesto sauce (make sure it’s Whole30 compatible if doing a Whole30) or make my pesto ahead of time and turn this into a 3-ingredient dinner! This vegan pesto from Trader Joe’s is Whole30 compatible and an easy option.
Pesto Bacon Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken breast cut into strips
- 1 package bacon sugar-free if doing a Whole30
- 1 batch pesto*
Instructions
- Marinate sliced chicken breast in pesto for at least 30 minutes (up to overnight).
- 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.
- Wrap in your favorite bacon, tucking ends of bacon inside of itself or under the chicken as you place on baking sheet.
- 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!)
- 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!
- That's it. Could this recipe get any easier?!
Notes
Find my dairy-free Whole30 Compliant pesto recipe here.
Simply to make and delicious! Made a batch for my work lunches, and my husband was stealing some before I could pack them up. Needless to say we both like them!
I’m so happy they were one your husband couldn’t keep his hands off of! ; ) Thank you!
Super easy. Threw it on the traeger on a sheet pan for 10 minutes per side at 375. Last 5 minutes transferred off the pan directly to the grill. Smokey pesto chicken goodness. This is going into the rotation.
Mmmm, I love that you did it on the traeger, that sounds amazing! Happy this is going on the rotation, thank you!
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!