Keto Pesto Chicken
Published November 10, 2019 • Updated June 2, 2025
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An easy keto chicken dinner recipe that takes less than 30 minutes to prepare. Keto Pesto Chicken is a low-carb dinner you can enjoy on a busy weeknight.
4
Servings
485
Calories
33g
Fat
47g
Protein
0g
Net Carb
1.5g
Total Carbs
Disclaimer: The nutrition information provided is an estimate and is for informational purposes only. I am a Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.); however, this content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your physician or other qualified health provider before making any lifestyle changes or beginning a new nutrition program.
Keto Pesto Chicken Recipe Video
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Keto Pesto Chicken Ingredients
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
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1 (6.25 oz) jar of pesto sauce
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1/4 cup rice vinegar, sugar free
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1 teaspoon salt
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1 teaspoon monk fruit
Keto Pesto Chicken Directions
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Marinade chicken
Place the chicken thighs, pesto, rice vinegar, salt and monk fruit in a large bowl or ziploc bag. Mix or shake until the marinade is combined and chicken is evenly coated. Refrigerate for 2 to 24 hours.
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Add to casserole dish
When ready to cook, remove chicken from the refrigerate. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Align chicken in a 8 x 12 casserole dish. Pour remaining marinade over the chicken thighs.
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Bake
Bake chicken at 425 degrees for 18 to 20 minutes or until the chicken has reached an internal temperature of 165 degrees.
This recipe is one of the easiest keto dinner recipes. As long as you remember to marinade the chicken a few hours or even the night before, the rest takes 2 minutes of your time and you let your oven do the rest. But I have even forgotten to marinade the chicken before and just threw everything in a pan. It was STILL delicious! Definitely, give the flavors time to meld together if you have the time though.
Keto pesto chicken only requires four ingredients and it’s prepared in one dish (if you are using a plastic bag or marinade the chicken in the baking dish), so clean up is easy too! This easy keto dinner recipe is one I often turn to on week day nights.
The chicken is juicy and a balanced flavor between the pesto and the vinegar.
On the keto diet, the best cuts of chicken are the darker meats like chicken thighs and drumsticks since they have a higher fat content compared to white cuts of chicken meat, like the breast. I prefer chicken thighs to chicken breast since the thighs tend to have more flavor than the breast meat. Remember fat = flavor! However, if chicken breast is all you have, you can use them in this recipe. You may have to adjust the cooking time as chicken breast meat tends to be thicker. Chicken breast needs to be cooked to an internal temperature of 165 degrees fahrenheit as well.
Most pesto is considered keto friendly since it is mostly made up of basil, garlic, parmesan cheese, salt and olive oil. I do recommend looking at the ingredient list and carbohydrate count since some manufacturers like to sneak in sugar in their pesto. My favorite brand of 
I made this for dinner last night and it turned out great. The chicken was tender and full of flavor. I used bone-in thighs since I didn’t have the boneless ones and just added a few extra minutes to the bake time.
Hi Annie!
We love your recipes – especially since we can make them ahead of time and pull them out as needed. It’s a lifesaver for our family of 6! Can I make this pesto chicken with bone-in/skin on chicken thighs (they were out of boneless/skinless at the store)? Do I need to adjust the cooking time? Also, can I prep the marinade and put the chicken in the marinade in the freezer? Or would it be better to prep the marinade, store it in the fridge and dump it in the bag the night before/the morning of? Thank you so much!!!