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Baked Chicken Stuffed with Pesto and Cheese is a perfect dish when you need a special low-carb meal that feels like a treat! And this pesto stuffed chicken dinner you’ll make over and over has only 4 net carbs per serving, but no one will think about this being a low-carb dish.
PIN Baked Chicken Stuffed with Pesto to make it later!
I know how hard it is to stick with a strictly low-carb eating plan, and that’s why having a collection of favorite low-carb recipes that are really a treat can help! I always aim for recipes that have that “wow” factor, and this Baked Chicken Stuffed with Pesto and Cheese certainly fits that description. And I think the photos show what an amazing idea this is for a low-carb dinner that’s really special.
This isn’t a quick after-work type of recipe, but the steps to making it are worth it for a low-carb meal that you’ll really look forward to eating. And this is also a recipe that’s perfect to make for dinner guests or for a special dinner for two.
You can make this pesto stuffed chicken for absolutely anyone, even people who don’t care about carbs. And absolutely no one will ever think about this delicious stuffed chicken being a low-carb dish if you make it for them, I promise you that!
What ingredients do you need for this recipe?
(This is ONLY a list of ingredients for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)
- boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- Basil Pesto (affiliate link)
- sour cream
- finely grated Mozzarella
- eggs
- finely grated Parmesan cheese
- Almond Flour (affiliate link)
- fresh-ground black pepper to taste
What type of pesto can you use for the pesto stuffed chicken?
I’d make this with my Basil Pesto with Lemon if I had some, but you can certainly use my favorite purchased pesto if you wanted it to be quicker. And any pesto that has good flavor will work for this recipe.
Trimming the chicken for pesto stuffed chicken:
This preparation of pounding the chicken breasts and then rolling them around a stuff might seem daunting to some people. But if you trim the underneath side of the chicken breasts so you’re starting with chicken pieces that are close to the same thickness, that will make it easier.
How low in carbs is the Baked Chicken Stuffed with Pesto?
Not only is this pesto stuffed chicken absolutely delicious, it only has 4 net carbs per serving!
Want more tasty recipes with Pesto?
If you’re also a fan of basil pesto, check out Low-Carb and Keto Recipes with Pesto for more fun ideas for using basil pesto!
How to Make Baked Chicken Stuffed with Pesto and Cheese:
(This is ONLY a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)
- This is a recipe with four servings, but you can easily cut the recipe in half if you only want to make two.
- Preheat the oven to 375F/190C while you trim the chicken breasts well, cutting off all the undesirable parts on the bottom side.
- Then one at a time put them inside a thick plastic freezer bag and pound with a meat mallet (affiliate link) or something heavy until the chicken breasts are as thin as you can get them.
- Mix the Basil Pesto (affiliate link), sour cream, and grated mozzarella.
- Prepare two dishes, one with beaten eggs and one with a mixture of Parmesan and Almond Flour (affiliate link).
- Here’s a shot of the pounded chicken breasts. Don’t worry if they look a bit messy; you can tuck any ragged pieces in when you roll them up.
- Spread one-fourth of the pesto mixture over each chicken breast. (Don’t go too close to the edge or it will leak out.)
- Use toothpicks to hold the pieces together.
- One at a time, dip the chicken pieces in the beaten egg and then in the Parmesan/almond flour mixture.
- Arrange in a baking dish, season with fresh-ground black pepper, and bake at 375F/190C until the chicken is cooked through and nicely browned. Enjoy!
Make it a Low-Carb Meal:
For a low-carb meal, this baked pesto stuffed chicken would be great with a salad with my friend Mary’s Easy Dressing, Kalyn’s Favorite Baby Arugula Salad, Roasted Broccoli with Garlic, or Roasted Asparagus and Peppers
More Low-Carb Chicken Dinners to Enjoy.
Ingredients
- 4 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 4 T Basil Pesto (see notes)
- 4 T sour cream
- 4 T finely grated Mozzarella
- 2 eggs, beaten well
- 4 T finely grated Parmesan cheese
- 4 T almond flour
- fresh-ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F/190C. Spray a small casserole dish with non-stick spray or oil.
- Trim any visible fat from chicken breasts, then put them one at a time inside a heavy plastic bag and pound with meat mallet (affiliate link), or something heavy, until the chicken is as thin as you can get it. Don’t worry too much about the shape or whether there are some loose pieces, you can tuck them in when you roll up the chicken.
- In a small bowl mix together the basil pesto, sour cream, and grated mozzarella.
- Prepare two bowls, one with the two beaten eggs and one with a mixture of the finely-grated Parmesan and the Almond Flour (affiliate link).
- Use a rubber scraper to spread a thin layer of the pesto mixture over each chicken breast, stopping about 1/2 inch from the edge of the chicken. (This will help prevent too much of the pesto mixture from running out when it cooks.
- Roll up the chicken breasts lengthwise and secure them with a couple of toothpicks. (I roll them so the finished piece is as thin as I can get it so they will cook quickly.)
- Dip each chicken breast roll first into the egg mixture and then into the Parmesan-almond flour mixture, patting it on so each chicken breast roll is well-coated with the mixture.
- Put chicken breasts into the casserole dish, season with fresh ground black pepper, and bake until the chicken is firm and lightly browned. (Start checking after about 25 minutes. If it seems like the chicken is not browning quickly enough, you can turn up the heat for the last 5-10 minutes of cooking time, but don’t overcook or the chicken will be dry. Total baking time will be about 30-35 minutes unless your chicken breasts are really large.)
- Some chicken breasts sold in U.S. stores have added water. If there is some water in the bottom of the baking dish after the chicken has baked for a while, just spoon it out and discard.)
- Serve hot.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4
Serving Size:
1
Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 425Total Fat: 24gSaturated Fat: 7gUnsaturated Fat: 15gCholesterol: 216mgSodium: 344mgCarbohydrates: 5gFiber: 1gSugar: 1gProtein: 47g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.
Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
This pesto stuffed chicken recipe is perfect for low-carb and Keto diets and it’s also gluten-free. With lower-fat dairy products it could work for any phase of the original South Beach Diet, although you might want to make it a once in a while treat for South Beach due to the amount of fat.
Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Oven Dinners to find more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find more recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.
Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This Baked Chicken Stuffed with Pesto and Cheese is a long-time favorite recipe that was first posted in 2006. It was updated with better photos in 2018 and last updated with more information in 2024.
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