Sheet Pan Pesto Chicken Meal Prep Bowls

Name: Sheet Pan Pesto Chicken Meal Prep Bowls
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 1 tbsp olive oil; 1/4 cup store bought pesto; salt and pepper (to taste); 1 lb chicken breasts, diced; 1 cup mushrooms, cut in half; 1 red pepper (or 1 cup cherry tomatoes); 1 head broccoli, cut into florets; 1 zucchini, cut thickly

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These Sheet Pan Pesto Chicken Meal Prep Bowls are a delicious low carb lunch idea that comes together in 30 minutes!

Ingredients and substitutions

Olive oil – or another neutral cooking oil like avocado or canola oil.
Store-bought pesto – I like the Classico version. You can also make your own using basil, olive oil, parmesan, garlic, pine nuts and salt and pepper.
Salt & pepper – to taste.
Chicken breasts – chicken thighs would also be good but would increase the calorie count.
Veggies – swap out the veggies for any veggie of your choice like parsnips, potatoes, broccoli, zucchini, etc.

How to make this recipe

Toss the chicken and mushrooms in olive oil and pesto.
Season with salt and pepper.
Bake for 8 minutes.
Add the veggies and more pesto.
Bake for another 8 minutes.
Divide amongst meal prep bowls or serve fresh.

What type of pesto to use

You can use store-bought pesto from your local grocery store if you don't want to make it fresh yourself. Take a look in the pasta aisle of your local grocery store with all the spaghetti sauces – I like the jarred Classico pesto as an easy substitute for homemade pesto.

However, if you are going with homemade pesto, it's super easy to make!

Most classic pesto recipes are a combo of fresh basil, olive oil, parmesan cheese, garlic, pine nuts, and salt and pepper. I usually leave out the nuts since they are so expensive and add extra fat, plus I find you don't really miss them when it comes to the flavour. Blend up the rest of the ingredients in a small blender, Magic Bullet or food processor and you're good to go!

Leftover homemade pesto will last in the fridge for up to 5 days, whereas store-bought pesto should last a couple weeks. Just make sure you don't contaminate your pesto with raw chicken if you have some left-over that you'd like to re-use.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is pesto?

Pesto is a green sauce typically made of basil, pine nuts, garlic, parmesan cheese and olive oil. It originated in Italy and is commonly served with pasta, although it also tastes delicious with chicken!

Can you make this recipe on the stovetop?

If you don’t want to turn on the oven, you can definitely make it on the stovetop. Simply sauté the chicken and mushrooms (and/or any other hearty vegetables) for 5-6 minutes with olive oil in a large pan over med-high heat, then sauté the rest of your vegetables for another 10 minutes along with the pesto.

What goes well with pesto chicken?

You can serve this pesto chicken alone to make it a low-carb meal, or add on some sides like pasta, rice, quinoa or roasted potatoes. You can even repurpose the leftovers and turn them into pita pizza.

Storing and reheating

You can store this recipe in meal prep bowls in the fridge for up to 5 days. To reheat, simply sprinkle a tiny bit of water over top to keep the chicken from drying out, then microwave for 1-2 minutes. You can also mix in some extra fresh/jarred pesto for more flavour!

Freezing this recipe

I haven't tried freezing this recipe but you can give it a try – the texture of the veggies may end up being very different, but chicken on its own does freeze well so it's worth a shot if you have too many leftovers. This recipe only serves 4 though, so this shouldn't be an issue. I would recommend enjoying fresh in this case.

More easy sheet pan recipes

Meal prep tools for this recipe

Grab some glass meal prep bowls for your leftovers.
I get all my free-range chicken breasts from Butcher Box.
You can also buy store bought pesto instead of making your own (I like Classico).