Chicken Pesto with Tomatoes

I stole this recipe for Chicken Pesto with Tomatoes from a cookbook called Campbell’s Busy Family Recipes. This is an easy weeknight meal that starts with browning chicken in a skillet. After setting the chicken aside, a sauce is made with cream of chicken soup, prepared pesto and canned tomatoes. The sauce is boiled and the chicken finishes cooking in the sauce. Clear and easy to follow prep instructions with only measuring water and pesto make this recipe an easy meal to make for people intimidated by cooking.

Spray a 10-inch skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium-high heat for 1 minute. Add 4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts that are either halved or cut up.

Cook the chicken for 10 minutes or until it’s well browned on both sides. Remove the chicken from the skillet.

Add 1 can (10 ¾ oz) Campbell’s cream of chicken soup, ½ cup water, ⅓ cup prepared pesto and 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes in the skillet. I like to use a can of tomatoes that have seasonings added like garlic, basil and parsley. These seasonings add more flavor to the finished dish.

Stir sauce ingredients together and heat to a boil.

Return the chicken to the skillet. Reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook for 5 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.

Serve the chicken pesto with tomatoes with the sauce poured over the chicken.

Chicken Pesto with Tomatoes

This easy weeknight meal starts with browning chicken in a skillet. A sauce is made with cream of chicken soup, pesto and canned tomatoes. The sauce is boiled and the chicken finishes cooking in the sauce. Clear and easy to follow prep instructions with only measuring water and pesto makes this recipe an easy meal to make for people intimidated by cooking.
Course Chicken, Entree
Cuisine Italian
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings 4 people

Ingredients

  • 4 chicken breast halves, skinless, boneless
  • 1 can (10 ¾ oz) Campbell’s cream of chicken soup
  • ½ cup water
  • cup prepared pesto sauce
  • 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
  • Hot cooked pasta optional

Instructions

  1. Spray 10-inch skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium-high heat for 1 minute. Add the chicken and cook for 10 minutes or until it’s well browned on both sides. Remove the chicken from the skillet.
  2. Stir the soup, water, pesto and tomatoes in the skillet and heat to a boil. Return the chicken to the skillet. Reduce heat to low. Cover and cook for 5 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Serve with pasta, if desired.

Recipe Notes

I cut the chicken into smaller pieces; I purchased larger chicken portions that were on sale so I did not have 4 equal portions. Marinate the chicken pieces in Italian dressing prior to cooking for more flavor. You can also use a can of diced tomatoes that have garlic, basil and parsley in the can for more flavor.