Enjoy these pesto chicken quinoa bowls as a fresh and healthy lunch or easy weeknight dinner! With juicy chicken, tangy pesto and healthy veggies, these fun chicken bowls are a high protein meal that comes together so easily in about 30 minutes.
Love flavorful healthy chicken recipes? Do check out my chicken salad without mayo and my pesto chicken risotto for another tasty meal time!
Looking for a lunch idea that feels like you went to a fancy coffee shop but is actually super simple? I think I have you covered!
Making these pesto chicken quinoa bowls couldn't be more easy, yet are so full of flavor with tangy pesto, herb roasted veggies and seasoned baked chicken. They feel like a fun take-out without the hefty price tag!
I think you'll also love that this pesto chicken bowl is a high protein lunch or dinner. With juicy chicken, quinoa and the nuts (or seeds) in the pesto, this easy recipe will definitely keep you satisfied until your next meal!
For more healthy chicken ideas do have a peek at my turmeric chicken soup, air fryer boneless chicken thighs, air fryer chicken and potatoes and my indulgent creamy paprika chicken!
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⭐ Why this recipe is so good
Full of flavor. With flavorful basil pesto and seasoned sweet paprika chicken, this chicken pesto bowl definitely isn't lacking in taste!
High protein lunch or dinner. With chicken, quinoa and nuts or seeds, there are lots of protein sources and nutritious ingredients to enjoy and keep you feeling happy and full!
Gluten free. We don't use wheat or any other gluten containing ingredients, making this a gluten free bowl recipe. Have a peek at my turmeric quinoa for another gluten free lunch idea!
🥣 Ingredients
All the ingredients and their quantities are set out in the recipe card below.
Some notes on a few of them:
- Chicken breasts - we want to use boneless skinless chicken breasts for this recipe. Use smaller or larger chicken breasts depending on how hungry you are!
- Pesto - I suggest to use homemade pesto such as my pesto recipe without pine nuts if you are looking for low histamine recipes, but store bought is good too if it works for you.
- Quinoa - I like to use plain white quinoa, but you can also use a tri-color blend if you prefer.
- Sweet paprika - this is a flavorful spice that is low histamine on the SIGHI list and so delicious!
📖 Swaps and variations
Swap quinoa for rice. Of course that means it isn't a chicken quinoa bowl anymore, but if you're out of quinoa you can easily head to the pantry and use rice, couscous or millet instead.
Shred the chicken. I like to slice the chicken, but you can also cook the chicken and then use two forks for shredded chicken if you prefer.
Swap sweet paprika for 'regular' paprika. Use the amount of heat you like! I suggest my low histamine readers stick to sweet paprika which is low histamine per the SIGHI list, unlike hot or smoked paprika which is not.
🌿 Ideas for pesto
Pesto is of course traditionally made with fresh basil leaves, olive oil, garlic, Parmesan cheese and sometimes lemon juice, but there are so many fun pesto options with different herbs, nuts or seeds to try if store-bought doesn't work for you:
- Macadamia pesto (dairy free)
- Pistachio pesto (dairy free)
- Lemon balm pesto (dairy free)
- Basil mint pesto (nut free, dairy free)
- Thai basil pesto (nut free, dairy free)
For more ideas, do check out my post on substitutes for pine nuts in pesto!
🔪 Step by step instructions
Making these pesto chicken quinoa bowls is very simple, with all easy steps.
The full instructions are in the recipe card below, but these photos should help guide you.
Step 1: Make pesto (optional)
If you're making your own pesto, combine fresh basil leaves (or other herb) with your nuts or seeds, olive oil and garlic and blend to a pesto sauce (image 1).
Step 2: Prep the vegetables
Dice the red bell pepper, zucchini and broccoli florets (image 2). Drizzle with olive oil, then sprinkle over Italian seasoning and place on one side of a lined baking sheet.
Recipe tip: leave a little space between the vegetables on the baking sheet so they roast rather than steam.
Step 3: Season and bake the chicken
Drizzle a little olive oil on the chicken breasts on your baking sheet, then sprinkle over paprika, garlic powder, salt and black pepper (image 3). Rub the seasoning into both sides of the chicken breasts. Bake the chicken and vegetables for 18-20 minutes, or until the chicken reaches 165F at its deepest point using a meat thermometer.
Step 4: Cook the quinoa
While the chicken and vegetables are baking, cook the quinoa to packet instructions (image 4). Once all the ingredients are cooked, combine the quinoa and vegetables in your serving bowl and stir through the pesto. Slice the chicken breasts and place on top of the quinoa mix. Drizzle over a little more pesto to serve.
💭 Recipe tips and notes
- Adjust the amount of pesto to preference. We all like different amounts, so spoon in the amount that you enjoy!
- Use the pesto that works for you. Store bought pesto is great for some people, but there are nut free and dairy free options to make if those are more suitable for you.
- Use shredded chicken. You can easily cook and shred your chicken as a swap for sliced chicken if you prefer!
- Bake the chicken to a safe temperature. The cook time of the chicken breasts will vary slightly depending upon their size. Always be sure to use a meat thermometer and check for an internal temperature of 165F at the deepest part of the chicken.
📋 Frequently asked questions
Yes, you can use chicken thighs. They will likely have a longer cook time than chicken breast, so adjust the timings accordingly. You may need to remove the roasted vegetables from the sheet pan and continue to cook the chicken thighs.
If it works for you then you can use rotisserie chicken for this pesto quinoa bowl. I suggest that my low histamine readers will want to cook fresh chicken rather than use rotisserie chicken.
Yes, you can easily shred chicken instead of slicing it, and then mix in with the pesto quinoa and vegetables.
I suggest that serving them hot is more flavorful, but they can easily be served as a cold chicken salad bowl too. Have a peek at my chicken kale salad for a summer salad option too!
🧊 Storage and freezing
I suggest that making this chicken quinoa bowl fresh is best. You can freeze the chicken separately from the quinoa and vegetables and reheat it, but I suggest not to freeze it with the pesto sauce.
Cooked chicken can be frozen for up to four months (USDA), but my low histamine readers may wish to reduce this time (see the SIGHI website for more details).
🍽 More tasty chicken recipes
You'll find so many tasty chicken recipes here including my popular tarragon chicken recipe, apple honey chicken and my turmeric chicken as well as these recent recipes:
I'm always in the kitchen, so come join me on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest to be the first to hear of new recipes! And please do leave a star rating ⭐⭐⭐ and comment if you've tried the recipe!
📖 Recipe
Pesto Chicken Quinoa Bowls
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 small boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon sweet paprika
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- pinch salt
- pinch black pepper optional
- ½ zucchini diced
- ½ red bell pepper diced
- 1 cup broccoli diced into florets
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ cup quinoa dry weight
- ¼ cup pesto
- basil leaves
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 390F / 200C and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Add the diced bell pepper, broccoli and zucchini to one side of the baking sheet with a little space between them, and drizzle with olive oil. Optionally sprinkle with Italian seasoning.
- Place the chicken breasts on the other side of the baking sheet, drizzle over the olive oil and sprinkle on the sweet paprika, garlic powder, salt and black pepper. Rub the seasoning into both sides of the chicken.
- Bake the chicken and vegetables for 18-20 minutes, or to an internal temperature of 165F at the deepest part of the chicken breasts using a meat thermometer. Cook time will vary depending on the size of the chicken breasts. Once cool enough to handle, slice the chicken breasts into half inch thick pieces.
- While the chicken and vegetables are cooking, cook the quinoa according to packet instructions. Use a fork to fluff up the 'grains'.
- Add the quinoa and vegetables to your serving bowl and stir through the pesto. Place the sliced chicken pieces on top, drizzle a little more pesto over the chicken and garnish with fresh basil leaves.
Notes
- Adjust the amount of pesto used to taste preference.
- Cook the vegetables with a little space between them so they roast rather than steam.
- If you prefer, you can shred the chicken rather than slice it and mix in with the vegetables, quinoa and pesto.
- Always cook chicken to an internal temperature of 165F at its deepest point using a meat thermometer.
- Nutritional information is auto-generated and should be understood to be an estimate.
- pesto, which will depend upon ingredients used.
- garlic, which scores 1.
- black pepper, which scores 2.
- check the herbs in your Italian seasoning as to whether they are suitable.
Jules says
We made this tonight and although I am the only one who has to eat low histamine, it was a huge hit! It’s too hot to turn the oven on right now, so we did the chicken on the blackstone and the veggies and quinoa in the wok but it worked great. I will definitely follow the recipe exactly when it cools down. I have been making pesto anything quite often, as it is a go-to for me being low histamine. I’ve found the pistachios work well for the pesto as suggested in some of your previous recipe posts. Very thankful for this site and all the great recipes. Thank you, Claire 🙏
Claire says
Love that the whole family enjoyed the recipe Jules, and that you found a way to adapt it in the warmer weather! And so agree, pesto gives so much flavor and is so easy to make isn't it - I put it on so many meals.
Sheree Madsen says
This dish was delicious and very easy. I loved the pesto made with pumpkin seeds that I found on your site. My husband also agreed with a smile that it was really tasty. This one will be on my list to make again soon.
Claire says
So glad to hear that you both liked it! And enjoyed the pumpkin seed pesto too 🙂