Kitchen notes · a little help before you start
Spinach Pesto Baked Chicken
Pesto chicken is an inviting dinner on its own, and this bake gives it plenty of company. Tomatoes and artichokes sit beneath a blanket of mozzarella, with spinach tucked in between. Each serving has a little of the creamy cheese and those bright, savory vegetables.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 35 min
- Total
- 45 min
- Original yield
- Serves 4
- Ingredients
- 6 listed
Make it part of your week
Recipe categories & planning details
- Meal type
- Dinner
- Primary protein
- Chicken
- Cuisine
- American
- Cooking method
- Baking · Baked & roasted
- Preparation & total time
- Prep: 15 minutes or less · Total: 31–60 minutes
A few quick notes
1. Keep the chicken thin
Thin pieces cook more evenly under all those toppings. Slice or pound the chicken before it goes in the dish, then lay it flat so every piece gets pesto, vegetables, and cheese.
2. Use the lower middle rack
Use the lower middle rack, which helps the chicken cook through while the cheese melts on top. Start checking for doneness toward the earlier end of the bake time.
3. Check the center, not the cheese
Melted cheese can make the dish look ready before the chicken is done. The chicken should reach 165˚F inside before you serve it warm.
Get to know the ingredients
Prepared pesto is the flavor base
Spread the pesto right on the chicken before anything else goes on. It sits underneath the vegetables, so each piece gets seasoned from the start.
Fresh spinach goes on raw
Use the baby spinach as a layer over the pesto. There's no separate cooking step for it, and the tomatoes, artichokes, and cheese go right on top.
Drain the artichokes first
The artichoke hearts are canned and drained before they go into the dish. That keeps the topping from turning watery while the chicken bakes.
Let’s make it
Choose your servings, then check things off as you go.
Original recipe: Serves 4. Original quantities shown.
Check ingredients as you prepare them. These checks stay on this page.
How to make it
0 of 4 steps completeMake room for Spinach Pesto Baked Chicken
Review ingredients in your pantry before anything is added. Meal plans use your household size; grocery-only additions use the servings selected above.
The last little job
The last little job
Once the chicken has baked through to 165˚F, serve it warm while the cheese is still soft and the vegetables are tucked into the pesto layer.
A little more help as you go
Build it in clear layers
The order matters here: chicken, pesto, spinach, tomatoes and artichokes, then cheese. Keeping the pesto against the chicken and the cheese on top gives you the best baked-together finish.
Give it the full bake window if needed
The bake time has a range because chicken pieces can vary. Thin pieces may finish sooner, but the real cue is the 165˚F internal temperature.
A few questions you might have
Do I need to cook the spinach before layering it on?
No. The fresh baby spinach goes on top of the pesto, then the tomatoes and artichokes go over it before baking.
Should the pesto go over the whole dish or just the chicken?
Spread it directly on each chicken breast first. The spinach and other toppings are layered over the pesto after that.
Can I use an Italian cheese blend instead of mozzarella?
Yes. You can use shredded mozzarella or an Italian cheese blend, and either one goes over the top before baking.
How do I know the chicken is fully cooked under the toppings?
Check the chicken itself. It should be cooked through and reach 165˚F internally, even if the cheese already looks melted.
Where do the tomatoes and artichokes go?
They sit on top of the spinach, before the cheese. Roughly chopped roma tomatoes and drained quartered artichoke hearts make that middle layer.
Storage & reheating safety
For cooked, perishable leftovers, refrigerate within 2 hours (1 hour above 90°F), using shallow containers for prompt cooling. Keep the refrigerator at 40°F or below, use refrigerated leftovers within 3–4 days, and reheat hot leftovers to 165°F, checked with a food thermometer. Follow any shorter package limit.
These are general safety limits, not a tested storage or freezing recommendation for this particular dish. USDA leftovers guidance · Safe cooking temperatures
Recipe source: easyfamilyrecipes.com. Ingredient names and quantities may be adapted for the pantry.
Preparation notes follow the recipe shown here.