Quick and easy, this Chicken Margherita Skillet is the perfect weeknight dinner as it tastes less than an hour to put together. This one pan meal is made with juicy chicken then topped with all your favorite toppings of a Margherita pizza like melty mozzarella cheese, pesto, and basil. It’s one of my favorite Olive Garden meals.
Whenever I need something that everyone will love for dinner, I’ll whip out this chicken margherita skillet. It’s creamy, it’s cheesy, and it’s absolutely perfect for dinner. It’s made with simple everyday ingredients that you’ll definitely have on hand and everyone will want seconds!
If you’re looking for other delicious chicken recipes, why not also try my Creamy Sundried Tomato Chicken Thighs or my Creamy Tortellini Chicken Pasta! They’re so easy to make and kid-friendly, plus they’re perfect for an uncomplicated weeknight dinner!
Why You’ll Love This Olive Garden Copycat recipe
- Made all in one pan. This chicken recipe is made in one skillet so clean up is easy as pie! The fewer dishes I have to do on a weeknight, the better!
- Fresh and delicious. I love how fresh this chicken margherita skillet tastes! The fresh cheese, cherry tomatoes, and basil is such a delicious combination.
- Beginner-friendly recipe. This one-pan chicken recipe is super easy to make, making it perfect for beginners or if your older kids want to try to make dinner!
What You’ll Need
- Chicken breast: I prefer using boneless, skinless chicken breasts for this recipe.
- Seasoning: I season everything with salt, ground pepper, and Italian seasonings.
- Olive oil: or use any neutral oil of your choice like avocado oil or canola oil.
- Garlic: the more garlic, the merrier!
- All-purpose flour: this is used to thicken up the sauce.
- Chicken broth: I like using chicken broth for the sauce for added flavor, just make sure to use low sodium broth.
- Pesto sauce: I use store-bought pesto sauce to make things easier but you can make homemade pesto sauce instead.
- Cherry tomatoes: I love how juicy little cherry tomatoes are!
- Cheese: I use both parmesan cheese and mozzarella cheese in this skillet chicken.
- Basil: as a garnish to top it all off.
How To Make Olive Garden’s Chicken Margherita Recipe
- Preheat: Preheat the oven to 400 F.
- Season the chicken: In a bowl season the chicken breast with salt, pepper, and Italian seasonings.
- Sear the chicken: Heat olive oil in a large ovenproof skillet on a medium flame, add the chicken breast, and sear on both sides until golden and cooked through for 8-10 minutes. Once done remove the chicken from the skillet and set it aside.
- Make the sauce: To the same skillet, add garlic and flour and saute for 2 minutes. Stir in the chicken stock and mix until well combined without any lumps. Simmer and cook until the sauce thickens, add in the pesto sauce, and cook for 2 more minutes.
- Add everything back to the skillet: Return the chicken back to the skillet. Add the cherry tomatoes and sprinkle the cheeses on top of the chicken.
- Melt the cheese: Place the skillet in the preheated oven for 5-6 minutes until the cheese is melted.
- Garnish: Garnish the cheesy chicken with basil and serve while it is still hot.
Tips and Notes
- If you don’t have chicken broth, you can use vegetable broth.
- If you don’t have Italian seasoning, you can use Herbs de Provence.
- Be sure to use an oven-safe skillet as the pan goes from stovetop to oven.
- Make sure to use chicken breasts that are of even thickness so they cook evenly. Pound the chicken breasts to even thickness if needed.
- I love serving this with something starchy to soak up the cream sauce. You can definitely toss some cooked pasta in the sauce before serving.
- Let the chicken rest for a couple of minutes before serving so the juices can redistribute so it doesn’t all run out when you cut into it.
FAQs
Chicken thighs work wonderfully for this chicken margherita recipe! You’ll have to adjust the cooking time as it takes less time to cook through a smaller boneless, skinless chicken thigh.
This margherita chicken is best served as soon as it is made, but if you do have leftovers you can keep them covered in the fridge for up to 3 to 4 days.
I would reheat it in the oven on low heat until warmed through or on the stovetop. If reheating the chicken on the stovetop, I would add a splash of broth while gently stirring it as it reheats. This helps keep the sauce from breaking.
I love serving chicken dishes with potato recipes of some sort. Here are a few suggestions:
Easy Homemade Mashed Potatoes
Oven Roasted Baby Potatoes
Crispy Potato Wedges
Crispy Air Fryer French Fries
More Easy Chicken Recipes
- Creamy Mushroom Chicken Thighs
- Cheesy Sundried Tomato Stuffed Chicken
- Spicy Sriracha Chicken
- Creamy Chicken and Tomato Pasta
I hope you enjoy all the recipes I share with you, including this delicious Chicken Margherita Skillet recipe. I hope you try it, enjoy it, rate it, and share it with your friends and family!
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Chicken Margherita Skillet
Ingredients
- 4 whole chicken breast skinless boneless
- ¾ tsp salt
- ¾ tsp ground pepper
- ¾ tsp Italian seasonings
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1 cup chicken broth
- ¼ cup pesto sauce
- 1 ½ cup cherry tomatoes halved
- 2 tbsps. parmesan cheese
- ¼ cup mozzarella cheese
- basil leaves to garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 F.
- In a bowl season the chicken breast with salt, pepper and Italian seasonings.
- Heat olive oil in a large ovenproof skillet on a medium flame, add the chicken breast and sear on both sides until golden and cooked through for 8-10 minutes. Once done remove the chicken from the skillet and set aside.
- To the same skillet, add garlic and flour and saute for 2 minutes. Stir in the chicken stock and mix until well combined without any lumps.
- Simmer and cook until the sauce thickens, add in the pesto sauce and cook for 2 more minutes.
- Return the chicken back to the skillet. Add the cherry tomatoes and sprinkle the cheeses on top of the chicken.
- Place the skillet in the preheated oven for 5-6 minutes until the cheese is melted.
- Garnish the cheesy chicken with basil and serve while it is still hot.
Notes
- If you don’t have chicken broth, you can use vegetable broth.
- If you don’t have Italian seasoning, you can use Herbs de Provence.
- Be sure to use an oven-safe skillet as the pan goes from stovetop to oven.
- Make sure to use chicken breasts that are of even thickness so they cook evenly. Pound the chicken breasts to even thickness if needed.
- I love serving this with something starchy to soak up the cream sauce. You can definitely toss some cooked pasta in the sauce before serving.
- Let the chicken rest for a couple of minutes before serving so the juices can redistribute so it doesn’t all run out when you cut into it.
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