You will want to have this creamy pesto chicken wrapped in prosciutto recipe in your back pocket for those times when things should be fancy but you don’t want to spend hours in the kitchen!
Pair this chicken dish with a side like this Traditional Colcannon potato recipe!
As much as I love fresh summer recipes, there is something special about rich and savoury meals. This prosciutto wrapped creamy pesto chicken is the perfect treat for when you want to make something with a little extra style!
This chicken recipe is actually pretty lean and healthy on the outside. Look a bit closer, though, and you’ll see a bit of naughty cream cheese with a hint of pesto hiding in a little pocket and a promise of bliss at the first bite!
Although they aren’t often combined, prosciutto is a beautiful match for chicken. It adds a lovely smokiness to the recipe and complexity to the classic taste of chicken breast.
Cherry tomatoes balance out the savoury flavours in this dish and add a satisfying pop of sweetness. Together with the creamy cheese and basil pesto, the dish has lots of complementary flavours and textures.
How to Make Pesto Chicken
If you are even a little worried about pulling this pesto chicken recipe off, let me assure you that it is in fact really simple.
Start by cutting a pocket into your chicken breast. Fill the pocket with a bit of flavoured cream cheese and wrap it up like a bandage with prosciutto slices.
What is so incredibly cool about this recipe that it’s easy and quick enough to make on a weeknight. At the same time it tastes so indulgent that it will not look out of place at a dinner party!
I have used smoked prosciutto slices to wrap those babies up for extra flavour but feel free to use bacon if you wish like this recipe.
If you would like to try making your own pesto we have a recipe for homemade basil pesto as well as for spinach pesto. Both are easy to make yet full of fresh, zesty flavour and packed with nutrients!
I know that some recipes I post require a grownup tastes like Coq au Vin. But this creamy pesto chicken is going to be a favourite with kids and adults alike. Mine scarfed it down within minutes and asked for more!
Recipe tips
- If prosciutto is unavailable, smoked bacon or speck can be used as substitutes.
- Mascarpone or ricotta cheese can be used in place of cream cheese.
- Using a different type of pesto will bring a different twist to this recipe. Sun-dried tomato or red pepper pesto would be good options.
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts
- salt and pepper to taste
- 3 tbsp cream cheese
- 2 tbsp basil pesto
- 4-8 prosciutto slices depending on the size on chicken breast
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- cherry tomatoes on the vine
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375F/190C
- In a small bowl combine cream cheese with basil pesto and set aside.
- With a sharp knife cut a pocket into the thickest part of a chicken breast, season with salt and pepper, then fill each pocket with approximately 1 tbsp of cream cheese and pesto mixture.
- Wrap one or two prosciutto slices around each chicken breast making sure the area filled with cream cheese is thoroughly covered. Put the chicken parcels onto a medium baking tray and arrange tomatoes on the vine between them.
- Drizzle with olive oil and bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes.
