Chicken · Italian · 20 min
Cheesy Broiled Chicken with Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto over Italian Salad
- 20 min
- 2–6 servings
- 567 kcal / serving
A bright, quick weeknight plate with tender chicken tucked under melted cheese and sun-dried tomato pesto, served over a crisp Italian salad. It comes together fast and uses pantry staples for a meal that stays comforting and light.
Free on iPhone · servings scaled, grocery list written for you.
Ingredients
- ¼ cupbalsamic vinaigrette
- 1 headbutter (Boston) lettuce
- ¾ lbchicken breasts, boneless skinless
- ½English cucumber
- ½ small pkgfresh basil
- ½ cupshredded cheese, Italian blend
- ¼ cupsun-dried tomato pesto
- 2tomatoes
- English cucumbers
From the pantry: black pepper, extra virgin olive oil, salt
Cookware
baking sheet pan · chef's knife · colander · cutting board · measuring cups · measuring spoons · mixing bowls · oven mitts · tongs
Kitchen help: cups to grams · tablespoons to cups · oven temperatures · butter conversions · what each cooking tool is for · ingredient substitutes
More recipes with: chicken breast
Shopping list by aisle
Produce
- 1 headbutter (Boston) lettuce
- ½English cucumber
- ½ small pkgfresh basil
- 2tomatoes
- English cucumbers
Meat & seafood
- ¾ lbchicken breasts, boneless skinless
Dairy, eggs & chilled
- ½ cupshredded cheese, Italian blend
- ¼ cupsun-dried tomato pesto
Sauces, oils & condiments
- ¼ cupbalsamic vinaigrette
4 aisles for this recipe. Plan a week in MealPot and it merges every dinner into one list in this order, scaled to your household.
Ingredients for 2, 4 and 6 servings
| Ingredient | 2 servings | 4 servings | 6 servings |
|---|---|---|---|
| balsamic vinaigrette | ¼ cup | ½ cup | ¾ cup |
| butter (Boston) lettuce | 1 head | 2 heads | 3 heads |
| chicken breasts, boneless skinless | ¾ lb | 1 ½ lb | 2 ¼ lb |
| English cucumber | ½ | 1 | 1 ½ |
| fresh basil | ½ small pkg | 1 small pkg | 1 small pkg |
| shredded cheese, Italian blend | ½ cup | 1 cup | 1 ½ cups |
| sun-dried tomato pesto | ¼ cup | ½ cup | ¾ cup |
| tomatoes | 2 | 4 | 6 |
Quantities in US units. Any other household size: MealPot scales the recipe and the grocery list for you.
Directions
- Preheat the oven to broil on high and position the rack in the upper third of the oven.
- Pat the chicken dry, then split it lengthwise to form thin cutlets and place them on a baking sheet.
- Lightly oil the chicken and season with salt and pepper.
- Put the sheet in the oven and broil, turning once, until the chicken is nearly cooked through, about 8 minutes.
- While the chicken cooks, rinse and dry the lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, and basil.
- Chop or tear the lettuce into bite-sized pieces and place in a large bowl; dice the tomatoes and add them in.
- Trim the cucumber, slice it into thin half-moons, and add to the bowl along with torn basil leaves.
- When the chicken is nearly done, remove it from the oven, spread each cutlet with pesto, and top with the shredded Italian cheese; return to the oven and broil until the cheese melts and the chicken is cooked through, 2–3 minutes more.
- Transfer the chicken to a cutting board, slice into strips, and set aside.
- Dress the salad with the balsamic vinaigrette, toss to combine, then divide onto plates and top with the sliced chicken.
Two tips
- Leftovers can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 2 days; store the chicken and salad separately for best texture.
- If basil is unavailable, swap in any fresh herb you have and keep the pesto and cheese as the finishing toppings.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 567 kcal
- Protein
- 50 g
- Carbs
- 16 g
- Fat
- 34 g
- Fiber
- 3 g
- Sodium
- 723 mg
Estimates from the recipe's published nutrition data; they change with the version you pick above.
More like this
Balsamic Chicken Drumsticks with Garlic & Parsley Sautéed Carrots40 min · 2–6 servings
Honey Mustard Chicken Tenders with Broccoli Orange Slaw35 min · 2–6 servings
Thai Coconut Chicken Soup with Mushrooms & Bell Pepper40 min · 2–6 servings
Honey Garlic Chicken Drumsticks with Spinach, Avocado & Orange Salad35 min · 2–6 servingsPLAN THE WEEK
One of 1,676 recipes in MealPot.
Pick five dinners, MealPot writes one grocery list sorted by aisle and scales every recipe to your household.
Ingredient quantities, timing and nutrition follow the original Mealime recipe ↗ (captured 2026-09-12). The photo is MealPot's AI-rendered illustration of the finished dish; the description, directions, aisle list and serving table are MealPot's.