Sheet Pan Pesto Chicken with Asparagus, Tomatoes & Walnuts
With this recipe you get tender bite size pieces of chicken paired with fresh sweet tomatoes, nutritious asparagus, crunchy walnuts and it's all covered with a super flavorful pesto. It's likely to become a weeknight staple!
1lbasparagus(don't use thick spears), tough ends trimmed and discarded remaining diced into 1 1/2-inch pieces
1pintfresh grape tomatoes(2 cups)
1/2cupFishers Walnuts Halves and Pieces
Instructions
Make the pesto:
For the pesto, add basil leaves, 1/4 cup walnuts, parmesan and garlic to a food processor. Pulse until coarsely chopped.
Add olive oil, season with salt and pepper to taste and pulse until everything is finely chopped and well combined. Set aside.
Make the chicken and veggies:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Line a rimmed 18 by 13-inch baking sheet with a sheet of parchment paper or spray with non-stick cooking spray.
Place chicken and asparagus on sheet pan, pour over 1/4 cup of the basil pesto.
Season chicken and asparagus with salt and pepper and toss everything to evenly coat.
Spread into an even layer (don't let chicken pieces overlap) and roast in preheated oven for 10 minutes.
Remove from oven, carefully drain off excess liquid from one corner if needed (use a spatula as a guard to keep the ingredients from falling).
Add tomatoes, toss everything and return to oven and continue to roast until chicken is cooked through (larger pieces should be 165 degrees in center), about 8 - 12 minutes longer.
Remove from oven, spoon over another 1/4 cup of the pesto and toss (or just add the 1/4 cup to individual servings). Sprinkle in walnuts.
Serve immediately with more pesto if desired (or just reserve remaining pesto in refrigerator for another use - it can be frozen also).
Notes
If desired, you can prep the homemade walnut pesto in advance and freeze it for later use.
This pesto chicken and asparagus bake can be enjoyed as is, or you can serve it alongside rice, buttered noodles, or a simple side salad.