Air Fryer Pesto Stuffed Chicken
Air Fryer Pesto Stuffed Chicken is stuffed with tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, and pesto and then topped with more pesto, more mozzarella, and some Parmesan cheese.
Super flavorful and easy to make in an air fryer. It is low carb and gluten-free.
Air Fryer Chicken
I love cooking chicken in the air fryer. It takes less time than baking and it results in tender, juicy chicken with a golden exterior.
This recipe makes 2 chicken breasts. You can easily double the recipe. However, you do not want to crowd the air fryer basket. Cook in batches if necessary.
Ingredients
Only a handful of ingredients are needed, making the prep for this recipe pretty easy.
- Boneless, skinless chicken breasts– you want them to be the same size. Look for medium to large chicken breasts. Small ones are too hard to cut a pocket in.
- Salt, Pepper, and Garlic Powder– for seasoning.
- Basil Pesto– either store-bought or homemade.
- Vine-ripened Tomatoes
- Sun-dried Tomatoes– I use the ones packed in oil.
- Mozzarella cheese
- Parmesan Cheese
Variations
- Make it spicy. Add half a teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes.
- Add some fresh baby spinach leaves to the filling.
- Add some chopped fresh basil either to the filling or sprinkle it on top.
Recipe Tips
- Try to push the cheese towards the back of the pocket so it doesn’t ooze out.
- When cutting the pocket, I use a sharp paring knife. Be sure to not cut all the way through the chicken.
- Secure the filling with a few toothpicks.
- There is no need to preheat the air fryer. You can if you wish. It will shorten the cooking time a little.
- I know most recipes say to flip the chicken halfway, but I find there is no need to unless you have a crispy coating on the chicken. If your particular air fryer cooks better if you flip the chicken halfway, go ahead and do it.
Air Fryer Cooking Times
Use the air fryer cooking time as an estimate. Different air fryers cook at different rates. Chicken is done when it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees. An instant-read thermometer is helpful.
Storage
Leftovers will keep for 4 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Great Sides To Go With This Recipe
- Lemon Butter Broccoli
- Italian Roasted Vegetables
- A garden salad with Creamy Balsamic Dressing
More Air Fryer Chicken Recipes
- Air Fryer Bacon Wrapped Chicken Legs
- Air Fryer Lemon Rosemary Chicken
- Air Fryer Boursin Stuffed Chicken
- Air Fryer Cajun Chicken Legs
Air Fryer Pesto Stuffed Chicken
Equipment
Materials
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- salt, pepper, and garlic powder
- ¼ cup basil pesto
- 1 medium vine-ripened tomato, cut into slices and blotted dry with paper towels
- 1 tablespoon sun-dried tomato slivers
- 4 ounces mozzarella cheese, cut in slices
- 1 tablespoon basil pesto
- 2 tablespoons freshly shredded or grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Cut a pocket in each chicken breast. (Cut into the thickest side of the chicken breast with a sharp paring knife and carefully expand the cut until you have a big pocket.)
- Season both sides of the chicken to taste with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.(I use about ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper and ¼ teaspoon garlic powder.
- Spread half the ¼ cup of basil inside each pocket. Then add a few tomato slices and half the sun-dried tomato slivers to each pocket.
- Set aside 2 slices of mozzarella cheese and stuff the rest into the pockets. Secure the pockets with a toothpick or two.
- Spray the air fryer basket with oil and give the top of the chicken a quick spray.Place chicken in air fryer basket. Air fry at 360 for 16 minutes.Open air fryer basket and brush tops of chicken with remaining basil pesto. Sprinkle half the Parmesan on top of each one and place a slice of mozzarella on top of the Parmesan.Air fry at 360 another 2 to 4 minutes.
- Check to make sure the chicken is 165 degrees. Serve.
