Air Fryer Pesto Chicken

Air Fryer Pesto Chicken

Top air fryer pesto chicken recipe for a great dinner, try this with chicken thighs or breasts with your favourite homemade or store-bought pesto sauce. The pesto chicken in the air fryer is delicious. I prefer skinless, boneless chicken since the sauce crisps up nicely on the outside. An easy, healthful weeknight supper that even your kids will enjoy from the air fryer.

Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American, Italian 
Fifteen minutes for preparation
Cooking Time: 14 minutes
4 Servings; 343 Calories

Ingredients For Air Fryer Pesto Chicken:

1. One pound of tenderloins, thighs, or sliced chicken breast
2. Two bunches of basil
3. 2 tablespoons pine nuts
4. 3 tablespoons minced garlic
5. 1/4 cup olive oil
6. 4 tbsp grated parmesan
7. Salt & pepper to taste

Instructions For Air Fryer Pesto Chicken:

• Add minced garlic cloves, pine nuts, grated parmesan, a dash of salt, and pepper to a blender with basil leaves. Whisk in olive oil and keep going until you have a thick, smooth pesto. To make pesto, grind in a blender until smooth or use from a jar.
• Using paper towels, pat dry the chicken, then cut it into strips and place it in a bowl. Sprinkle in some salt. Stir in the pesto sauce and combine everything. For deeper flavours, you can keep the bowl covered for 30 minutes. You can save aside some of the sauce for serving.
• For five minutes, preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Apply a non-stick spray to the basket. Place the chicken pieces in the basket of the air fryer. For ten minutes, air fried
• After 4 more minutes, or until the middle of the thickest piece reaches a safe temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit, turn the pieces over. After transferring the chicken to a platter, drizzle the leftover sauce over it.

Chicken with Pesto Without Nuts:

It is likely that nut allergies in your home need you to use a nut-free sauce. You can substitute carrot greens for the nuts, but the consistency won’t be as thick as the “regular” version. If the recipe calls for pine nuts specifically, you could substitute other kinds. Ideally, you want something softer, like sunflower seeds, pistachios, or walnuts.

How to serve this chicken:

This chicken tastes great served by itself or as a full dinner with a simple side salad or vegetables. For a low-carb supper, it tastes fantastic over your preferred pasta or even zucchini noodles. It can also be used to make a flatbread with chicken pesto or as a topping for pizza. For the ideal simple pizza, I prefer to add some fresh cherry tomatoes and fresh mozzarella cheese!

Facts about Nutrition:

Amount per Serving of Air Fryer Pesto Chicken (2 oz)
343 calories Daily Value*: Calories from Fat 23 4% Saturated Fat 4 g 25% Trans Fat 0.01 g 4 g of polyunsaturated fat 15 g of monounsaturated fat 76 mg of cholesterol 25% sodium (212 mg)9% and 466 mg of potassium 13% Carbohydrates 1 g 0% Fibre (0.3 g 1%) Sugar 0.2 g 0% Protein 27 g 54% Vitamin A 286 IU 6% Vitamin C 2 mg 2% Calcium 73 mg 7% Iron 1 mg 6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Recipe By: The Typical Mom