You can use ready pesto sauce or make our homemade basil and spinach pesto which just involves blending the ingredients together. Serve with your favourite sides, be it pasta, herby couscous or a tomato mozzarella salad.
Summary
Prep: 5 minutes
Cooking: 20 minutes
Ages: Toddlers to Teens
Difficulty: Easy peasy
Makes: 24 bites (serves 4)
How to make baked pesto chicken bites
First you chop your raw chicken fillets into bitesize cubes. Then you coat each cubed fillet in pesto – we recommend allowing 1 tablespoon pesto for each fillet. You can either use ready made pesto or make our quick homemade basil and spinach pesto (see below).
Then you simply roll the pesto chicken pieces in your breadcrumbs and lay them out on a lined baking tray. Cook in the oven for 15-20 minutes until golden. And that’s it! They’re ready to serve.
Baked chicken pesto bites
Ingredients
- 4 chicken fillets
- 200 grams pesto
- 100 grams breadcrumbs
Quick homemade basil and spinach pesto (optional)
- 35 grams pine nuts*
- 25 grams of fresh basil leaves
- 25 grams fresh spinach leaves
- 35 grams Parmesan cheese
- ½ clove of garlic, peeled
- 100 ml olive oil
- salt and pepper
*if your child has tree nut allergies you can replace the pine nuts with sunflower seeds. It’s just as tasty.
Instructions
Quick homemade basil and spinach pesto (optional)
- Blend the pine nuts, basil, spinach and garlic together with the first 50 ml of olive oil.
- Using a spatula scrape the mixture off of the edges of the mixer and keep blending until smooth.
- Then add the remaining 50 mls of oil slowly, followed by the Parmesan cheese and salt and pepper to taste.
- You should end up with a smooth and creamy pesto.
Baked chicken pesto bites
- Preheat oven to 180°C or (350°F) fan setting.
- Chop the chicken fillets into cubes or chunky short strips.
- Place the pieces in a bowl and add in 1 tablespoon of pesto for each chicken fillet. If you’re using 4 chicken fillets, you would add in 4 full tablespoons of pesto.
- Mix the chicken pieces and pesto well until all the pieces are covered. Set aside.
- In a mixer, give the breadcrumbs a quick whizz until they’re a fine crumb. Lay them out on a shallow bowl or plate.
- Take each pesto covered chicken piece and roll it in the breadcrumbs until coated.
- Then place them on an oven tray, lined with baking paper.
- Cook on the middle shelf of your preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, until the pieces are cooked through and golden.
- Serve with a pesto dip. These bites also go well with a tomato mozzarella salad or herby couscous.
Baked pesto chicken bites – your step by step guide
Homemade basil and spinach pesto (optional)
Place your ingredients in a mixer
Add your spinach, basil, garlic, and pine nuts (or sunflower seeds) together with 50 mls of olive oil to a mixer.
Blend until smooth and add remaining ingredients
Blend the ingredients together, stopping to scrape any bits off of the edges of the mixer, until smooth.
Then add in the remaining 50 ml of olive oil and the Parmesan cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste. You should have a thick pesto sauce.
Empty it into a bowl and set aside.
Baked chicken pesto bites
Chop your chicken fillets into cubes
Preheat oven to 180°C or (350°F) fan setting.
Chop your fillets into bitesize cubes. They should be a little smaller than the size you want your bites to be at the end.
Coat the chicken pieces in pesto
Place the cubed chicken fillets into a bowl and add pesto. We recommend adding 1 tablespoon of pesto for every 1 chicken fillet you have. This is so that they don’t get too oily when baked.
Make sure each chicken piece is coated in pesto.
Coat your chicken pieces in breadcrumbs
Blend your breadcrumbs until fine and empty onto a plate.
Roll your pesto-covered chicken pieces in the breadcrumbs until covered on all sides.
Lay your chicken pieces on a baking tray and cook
Lay your coated chicken pieces out on a baking tray so that each one has its own space.
Cook on the middle shelf of the oven for about 20 minutes. The chicken should be cooked through and the tops slightly golden.
Remove from the oven and serve with pesto dip
When they’re cooked, serve up your chicken bites with a pesto dip and your favourite sides. Some ideas are pasta, tomato and mozzarella salad or couscous cooked with herbs.
Crispy baked pesto chicken bites
Baked chicken pesto bites
Ingredients
- 4 chicken fillets
- 200 grams pesto (ready made or homemade – see below)
- 100 grams breadcrumbs
Quick homemade basil and spinach pesto (optional)
- 35 grams pine nuts
- 25 grams fresh basil leaves
- 25 grams fresh spinach leaves
- 35 grams Parmesan cheese
- ½ clove garlic
- 100 ml olive oil
- salt and pepper
Instructions
Quick homemade basil and spinach pesto (optional)
-
Blend the pine nuts, basil, spinach and garlic together with the first 50 ml of olive oil.
-
Using a spatula scrape the mixture off of the edges of the mixer and keep blending until smooth.
-
Then add the remaining 50 ml of oil slowly, followed by the Parmesan cheese and salt and pepper to taste.
-
You should end up with a smooth and creamy pesto.
Baked chicken pesto bites
-
Preheat oven to 180°C or (350°F) fan setting.
-
Chop the chicken fillets into cubes or chunky short strips.
-
Place the pieces in a bowl and add in 1 tablespoon of pesto for each chicken fillet. If you’re using 4 chicken fillets, you would add in 4 full tablespoons of pesto.
-
Mix the chicken pieces and pesto well until all the pieces are covered. Set aside.
-
In a mixer, give the breadcrumbs a quick whizz until they’re a fine crumb. Lay them out on a shallow bowl or plate.
-
Take each pesto covered chicken piece and roll it in the breadcrumbs until coated.
-
Then place them on an oven tray, lined with baking paper.
-
Cook on the middle shelf of your preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, until the pieces are cooked through and golden.
-
Serve with a pesto dip. These bites also go well with a tomato mozzarella salad or herby couscous.
