These Keto Pesto Stuffed Chicken Thighs are super easy to make and loaded with flavor – they also keep well for lunches all week long! A delicious low carb chicken recipe that the entire family will love!
One of my favorite things about chicken is that it’s like a blank canvas. Neutral in flavor, you can do almost anything to it and it will taste amazing.
Since Summer is almost over and I’m super sad about it, I’m obsessed with squeezing every last bit of fresh produce out of the season before it’s time to “pumpkin flavor all of the things!”
My garden is currently loaded with basil and tomatoes, so making these Keto Pesto Stuffed Chicken Thighs with a Caprese salad on the side seemed appropriate. You can use store-bought pesto with great results, but if you are overrun with basil like I am, why not make your own? Here’s one of my favorite basil pesto recipes – and it’s got a hint of lemon added, which gives it a nice lift.
If you aren’t a fan of basil, you could also try this recipe with my cilantro, walnut, and jalapeno pesto for a more Mexican flair.
This recipe is incredibly easy (I know you love that as much as I do) but loaded with flavor – perfect for a weeknight dinner now that the kids are getting ready to go back to school! Even if cooking isn’t usually your thing, I’m pretty sure you can handle this recipe.
Still worried? Here, I’ll even lay out the steps for you in photos.
Step 1 – Place your chicken thighs in an ovenproof dish and jam some pesto under the skin. Then rub the extra pesto all over the top of the skin. It should take 2 minutes and look like this.
Step 2 – Bake chicken for 40 minutes at 400 degrees (F). Remove and serve.
The end.
See? You got this.
Now I realize that not everyone loves chicken on the bone – and if that’s the case, you can use boneless, skinless chicken thighs – just reduce the cooking time by about 10 minutes.
These Keto Pesto Stuffed Chicken Thighs also taste great cold – for an easy low carb lunch during the week you can make a double batch, and then take the extra meat off the bone and chop it up. Then just stir in some mayo and a little extra pesto if you have it. Viola! Pesto chicken salad – eat it plain or wrap it in some romaine leaves for extra crunch!
Keto Pesto-stuffed Chicken Thighs
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Keto Dinner Recipes
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian
Description
A simple, but delicious Keto Pest Stuffed Chicken Thigh recipe that will make the most of your summer produce! Low carb and gluten free too!
Ingredients
For the chicken:
- 4 chicken thighs
- 3 Tbsp pesto
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
For the Caprese salad:
- 1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes
- 1/2 cup fresh mozzarella, sliced or chopped
- 1 Tbsp fresh basil, chopped
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- kosher salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
For the chicken:
- Trim the thighs of any extra skin and place in an ovenproof dish.
- Stuff about 1 tsp of pesto under the skin of each chicken thigh, then rub the rest of the pesto over the tops of the chicken.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Drizzle with olive oil.
- Bake in a preheated 400 degree (F) oven for about 40 minutes.
- Remove and serve with Caprese salad.
For the Caprese salad:
- Combine all of the salad ingredients in a small bowl. Stir gently until fully combined.
Notes
Approximate nutrition information per serving:
1 Chicken thigh: 401 calories, 27g fat, 1g net carbs, 37g protein
1/2 cup Caprese salad: 100 calories, 9g fat, 1.5g net carbs, 4g protein
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 chicken thigh
- Calories: 401
- Fat: 27g
- Carbohydrates: 1g net
- Protein: 37g
Note: Chicken must be cooked to an internal temperature of 170 degrees for boneless products and 180 degrees for bone in chicken products. 
Calvin says
Pesto is a great idea to marinate chicken with
Susan says
Made this for my MIL so she doesn’t have to cook for several nights.
This freezes amazing!
Undercook the chichen by about 10 min, chill in the refrigerator overnight, the next day take your portion(s) place in freezer bags remove as much air as you can and freeze.
When your ready to cook defrost in the fridge for a day and reheat in the oven at about 350 for about 30 min.
pam coakley says
I loved the chicken thighs served with Caprese salad and cauliflower puree…yummy!
Gina says
Melissa, just got done eating 1 of these thighs along with the salad! They are so good and EASY but a little messy altho my hands are soft from the olive oil treatment, Lol! I used the boneless, skinless thighs…I was missing your crispy skin tho. I also stuck a little shredded mozzarella cheese inside each one. This is a keeper! I am going to add to my freezer meal list, too.
I also cooked the other half of the thighs using a spicey, honey glazed chic thighs recipe. It is also on my regular meal list. Now I have 2 recipes to make with the 14 piece package!
Thanks!
Betty C says
Tweet – #SweepstakesEntry
Betty C says
Sorry, pasted the wrong information. Here is my tweet link – https://twitter.com/willitara/status/526471640540925952
Betty C says
I like to use my George Foreman grill to cook a batch of boneless chicken and then the leftovers are perfect for my favorite fried rice recipe.
Tabathia B says
I like baked chicken parmesan
tbarrettno1 at gmail.com
Debbie B says
i posted a tweet: https://twitter.com/bellows22/status/526422738529824768
Debbie B says
my favorite chicken dish is chicken and dumplings
Annette says
Here’s my tweet https://twitter.com/ThatTuxedoCat/status/526415486255263744
Annette says
My favorite chicken dish is Chicken and Sausage Gumbo.
Ellie Wright says
Tweeted
https://twitter.com/eswright18/status/526212868622925826
Ellie Wright says
Green Chile Chicken Stew is my very favorite. I can’t wait for cold weather to make a big pot of it.
Madeline says
Tweet link: https://twitter.com/shala_darkstone/status/526170283430776832
Madeline says
My favorite chicken dish is a marinated, grilled chicken that my husband does on our hibachi grill.
Sonya Morris says
Link to tweet:
https://twitter.com/catholicfanatic/status/525825715812319234
Thank you!
Sonya Morris says
WOW! This looks amazing! I love barbeque chicken off the grill and that happens to be the extent of my cooking talent!
Erica Best says
https://twitter.com/purplelover04/status/525706298202267648
Erica Best says
i love roast chicken