Skip to Content
Menu

Pesto Hasselback Chicken

  • Jump to Recipe
  • Save
by: Macheesmo
Updated Sep 20, 2016
  • Save
  • Share
  • Jump to Recipe
A fun way to make delicious baked chicken!

More About This Recipe

  • Never have a boring chicken breast again!

    I find chicken breasts to be pretty boring, if I’m being honest. They don’t have a lot of flavor or texture, so I’m always trying to find fun ways to make them more interesting.

    This method, hasselback chicken, is way up there in my methods of jazzing up chicken. By making slits down the chicken breast and stuffing them with pesto and mozzarella, you turn a normal dish into something pretty darn special.

    While the finished hasselback chicken looks pretty awesome, it’s surprisingly easy to make. Just use a sharp paring knife to cut some slits down each chicken breast. Make them pretty deep, but be careful not to cut all the way through the chicken.

    Then use a small spoon to stuff each slit with some pesto! You can go heavy on the pesto here. It adds a lot of flavor.

    You didn’t think I’d forget the cheese, did you? Use a low-moisture mozzarella for this recipe. Slice the cheese very thin and stuff a small strip into each slit.

    Bake these masterpieces for 30 minutes at 350ºF. That should be plenty of time to finish the chicken, but I always recommend using a meat thermometer to test meat. It should hit 165ºF in the thickest part of the chicken.

    Serve it up and happy hasselbacking!

    Nick wants to change his last name to Hasselback! Check out his blog, Macheesmo, and follow him on his Tablespoon profile.

Pesto Hasselback Chicken

  • Prep Time 10 min
  • Total 45 min
  • Servings 2
  • Ingredients 4
  • Save
  • Share
  • Print
  • Keep Screen On

Ingredients

  • 2 medium chicken breasts
  • 2 tablespoons pesto
  • 3-4 oz. low-moisture mozzarella
  • Salt and pepper

Instructions

  • Step 
    1
    Preheat oven to 350° F.
  • Step 
    2
    Using a sharp paring knife, make slits in the chicken breast, being careful not to cut all the way through. Make a cut about every 1/4 inch all the way down each chicken breast.
  • Step 
    3
    Using a small spoon, spread some pesto down each cut and insert a small, thin slice of mozzarella cheese.
  • Step 
    4
    When both chicken breasts are done, bake them at 350° F for 30 minutes. The chicken should register 165° F when it’s cooked through.
  • Step 
    5
    Serve hasselback chicken with salad or a side of your choice!

Nutrition

410 Calories
22g Total Fat
48g Protein
4g Total Carbohydrate
1g Sugars

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size: 1 Serving
Calories
410
Calories from Fat
200
Total Fat
22g
34%
Saturated Fat
8g
40%
Trans Fat
0g
Cholesterol
130mg
44%
Sodium
510mg
21%
Potassium
380mg
11%
Total Carbohydrate
4g
1%
Dietary Fiber
0g
0%
Sugars
1g
Protein
48g
% Daily Value*:
Vitamin A
8%
8%
Vitamin C
0%
0%
Calcium
35%
35%
Iron
10%
10%
Exchanges:
0 Starch; 0 Fruit; 1/2 Other Carbohydrate; 0 Skim Milk; 0 Low-Fat Milk; 0 Milk; 0 Vegetable; 5 Very Lean Meat; 0 Lean Meat; 0 High-Fat Meat; 2 1/2 Fat;
Carbohydrate Choice
0
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Expert Tips

© 2024 ®/TM General Mills All Rights Reserved