Must-Make Keto Dinner Idea: Chicken and Zucchini Noodles with Pesto

Chicken and Zucchini Noodles with Pesto

yield: 4 SERVINGS

prep time: 20 MINUTES

cook time: 15 MINUTES

total time: 35 MINUTES

Ingredients

For the fresh pesto:

  • 1/2 cup and 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 cups fresh basil leaves (3 oz. container)
  • 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
  • 1/3 cup pine nuts
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • pinch of pepper

For the chicken & zoodles:

Directions

1

Combine pesto ingredients in a food processor or high-powered blender and pulse until the mixture is coarsely ground and smooth. Makes about 1 cup of prepared pesto.

2

Prep a grill pan with olive oil or avocado oil, and heat to medium on the stove. Season with salt and pepper, and grill chicken for a few minutes on both sides until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees. Remove from pan, slice chicken, and set aside.

3

Make zucchini into noodles using a vegetable spiralizer tool. Use a paper towel to blot some of the moisture. Heat a nonstick skillet to medium heat and sauté zoodles in a pan with olive oil on the stove for just a few minutes until slightly tender. Do this in a couple of batches so you do not overcrowd and be careful not to overcook.

4

Add 1 1/2 cup zoodles to each plate and add a pinch of salt and pepper when plating. Top with a sliced chicken breast and about 3 tablespoons of pesto. Enjoy!

Nutrition Information

Yield: 4 servings, Serving Size: 1 1/2 cups cooked zoodles, 3 tablespoons pesto, 1 chicken cutlet
Amount Per Serving: 577 Calories | 42.5g Fat | 8.1g Total Carbs | 2.4g Fiber | 4.9g Sugar | 42.4g Protein | 5.7g Net Carbs

Brought to you by Hip2Keto.

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Add more zest to your weeknight dinner by whipping up chicken and zucchini noodles with pesto!

easy pesto chicken with zucchini noodles

Any keto friends here who love pesto?

Here’s an easy pesto keto chicken dinner recipe that’s one of my family’s favorites! Making pesto with fresh basil is honestly so easy to make at home in a blender or food processor. It adds so much fresh flavor to any meal, and I love using it for low-carb keto meals because of the healthy high-fat ingredients.

homemade pesto zucchini noodles and grilled chicken

You don’t have to sneak healthy veggies into your meals when they taste THIS good.

Try replacing high-carb pasta with zucchini noodles as a delicious keto hack that everyone will LOVE. Add in a simple fresh-at-home pesto and grilled chicken, and you have a mouthwatering meal that is both super satisfying and easy to make.

making homemade pesto in vitamix

cup of homemade pesto

seasoning chicken

grilled chicken on grill pan

making zoodles using a spiralizer

cooking zoodles in a skillet

plating chicken pesto with zoodles


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Chicken and Zucchini Noodles with Pesto

yield: 4 SERVINGS

prep time: 20 MINUTES

cook time: 15 MINUTES

total time: 35 MINUTES

This delicious one pan keto chicken pesto recipe is loaded with flavor without all the carbs.

Ingredients

For the fresh pesto:

  • 1/2 cup and 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 cups fresh basil leaves (3 oz. container)
  • 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
  • 1/3 cup pine nuts
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • pinch of pepper

For the chicken & zoodles:

Directions

1

Combine pesto ingredients in a food processor or high-powered blender and pulse until the mixture is coarsely ground and smooth. Makes about 1 cup of prepared pesto.

2

Prep a grill pan with olive oil or avocado oil, and heat to medium on the stove. Season with salt and pepper, and grill chicken for a few minutes on both sides until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees. Remove from pan, slice chicken, and set aside.

3

Make zucchini into noodles using a vegetable spiralizer tool. Use a paper towel to blot some of the moisture. Heat a nonstick skillet to medium heat and sauté zoodles in a pan with olive oil on the stove for just a few minutes until slightly tender. Do this in a couple of batches so you do not overcrowd and be careful not to overcook.

4

Add 1 1/2 cup zoodles to each plate and add a pinch of salt and pepper when plating. Top with a sliced chicken breast and about 3 tablespoons of pesto. Enjoy!

Nutrition Information

Yield: 4 servings, Serving Size: 1 1/2 cups cooked zoodles, 3 tablespoons pesto, 1 chicken cutlet
Amount Per Serving: 577 Calories | 42.5g Fat | 8.1g Total Carbs | 2.4g Fiber | 4.9g Sugar | 42.4g Protein | 5.7g Net Carbs

Brought to you by Hip2Keto.

homemade pesto chicken zoodles ingredients

Tips for making the best keto chicken and zucchini noodles with pesto:

  • I grilled my chicken indoors on my cast iron grill pan to get those satisfying grill marks, but you can use an outdoor grill if preferred. You’ll know the chicken is cooked when it reaches 165 degrees using a quick-read meat thermometer.
  • Pine nuts are traditionally used in fresh pesto sauce, however, I have used both shelled pistachios and walnuts with success!

pesto zoodles keto chicken

My family absolutely loves this zucchini noodles with pesto & chicken meal – the zucchini noodles rock!

I have been making this for years, and I love that keto eaters and non-keto eaters alike enjoy this meal. The combo of creamy pesto zoodles with savory grilled chicken is undeniably tasty and hearty. Top with some Pecorino Romano cheese for a flavor explosion! 🤤

plate of keto pesto chicken with zucchini noodles

Here’s what my teammate Erica had to say after trying this homemade zucchini noodles with pesto dish:

“I’m literally telling everyone about this awesome recipe!! It is so yummy. There truly is no better pesto recipe out there, and I’ve made pesto multiple times. The pine nuts… yes, they are a bit pricier, but they are so worth it! My favorite part about keto is that you can eat yummy and high-fat sauces just like this one!”


Try making this easy creamy avocado pesto sauce next – it’s a winner too!


About the writer:

Lina has a Bachelor's Degree from Northern Arizona University with 11 years of blogging and photography experience having work featured in Today.com, Martha Stewart, Country Living, Fox News, Buzzfeed, and HGTV.


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