Recipe

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These pesto chicken thighs are the solution to a busy weeknight because they pair great with side salads, veggies, pasta or rice.

This Pesto chicken thighs recipe is quick, healthy, and comes together fast with only 2 main ingredients: Chicken and pesto! The thighs turn out lip-smackingly tasty and super juicy!

large baking dish of pesto chicken thighs

Baked Pesto Chicken Thighs

The best part about baked pesto chicken thighs? It's a complete meal in itself! You can use store-bought pesto if you're in a rush, or you could make pesto at home in minutes. Regardless, these thighs are delicious!

In short, it is the perfect comfort food for days when you're exhausted after work, don't feel like spending hours in the kitchen, have a lazy Sunday, or are expecting guests at short notice.

Just get out those chicken thighs, throw in some pesto, and let it marinate for a bit. Now, the only thing left is to bake the pesto-covered chicken to crispy perfection. And voilá, you have a meal ready in under an hour!

side by side of pesto chicken thighs before and after baking

How to Bake Pesto Chicken Thighs

If you can turn on the oven and be a little patient, you can make these baked pesto chicken thighs! While I share the full recipe below, here is a summary of what you’ll be doing:

Get the chicken ready
Remove any excess fat from the thighs and pat them dry.
Get marinating
In a large bowl or zip bag, place the chicken thighs and pesto. Seal or cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.
Prep the oven items
Preheat the oven and prep the baking dish.
Get baking
Transfer the pesto-marinated thighs into the baking dish and bake.
Serve
Enjoy these thighs until your heart is content. You’re going to love them!

Perfectly Crispy Skin on Pesto Chicken Thighs

If you want your chicken thighs to turn out crispy, make sure to pat them dry before coating them in the pesto marinade. Oil and water don’t mix, so if the thighs are wet, the pesto will slide right off.

Since pesto contains olive oil, the chicken thighs should turn out nice and crisp!

closeup of pesto baked chicken thigh on a serving spoon being held over a baking dish

Can You Use Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs?

Yes, you can use boneless skinless chicken thighs to make this pesto chicken recipe. However, you’ll need to shorten the cooking time to 30 minutes. You can read more about cooking times and all the details about baking chicken thighs here.

What to Serve with Pesto Baked Chicken Thighs

These pesto baked chicken thighs pair great with a healthy side salad, shaved brussels sprouts and bacon salad, an incredible Wedge Salad, this epic Cilantro Lime Rice, or any of these sides for chicken thighs.

Pesto Chicken Thighs

Servings: 4

Prep Time: 5

Cook Time: 50

Total Time: 55

These pesto chicken thighs are the solution to a busy weeknight because they pair great with side salads, veggies, pasta or rice.

5 from 124 votes

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Watch how it’s made:

Ingredients

6 chicken thighs, bone-in, skin-on
½ cup prepared pesto or homemade

Instructions

Prepare the pesto sauce, if using homemade.
For ultimate flavor, marinate chicken in a zip bag or airtight container by combining the pesto and chicken thighs. Seal and refrigerate to marinate for 4h or overnight. Otherwise, place the chicken in a baking dish, top with pesto sauce over and under the skin.
Position your oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat it to 400F. Grease a baking dish.
Transfer the pesto-marinated thighs into the greased baking dish. Spoon any pesto from the marinade bag on the underside of the skin or in and around the thighs. For extra flavor, rub some of the pesto under the skin.
Bake for 40-50 minutes until the tops are crispy and the chicken's internal temperature is 175F.