Macadamia Free Pesto-Walnut Sheet-Pan Chicken with Broccoli & Carrots
Sheet-pan dinners are weeknight heroes, and this one earns its place at the top of the rotation. The star of the show is a vibrant homemade walnut pesto — fresh basil, raw walnuts, garlic, and a bright hit of lemon juice blitzed together into a thick, fragrant paste that gets pressed right onto the chicken before it roasts. As everything cooks together at high heat, the pesto forms a gorgeous, herb-flecked crust while the broccoli florets char at the edges and the carrot coins turn tender and sweet. The whole thing comes together on a single pan with barely any cleanup, which is always a win. For anyone avoiding macadamia nuts, this recipe is completely straightforward — walnuts do all the heavy lifting in the pesto, and every ingredient is clean and easy to source without label-scanning anxiety. A squeeze of lemon and a scatter of torn basil at the end lifts the whole dish and makes it feel a little more special than your average weeknight plate. It's the kind of meal that looks and tastes like you put in way more effort than you actually did.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
For the walnut pesto
- 2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
- ½ cup raw walnuts
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
For the sheet pan
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 6 oz each)
- 4 cups broccoli florets (about 1 medium head)
- 3 medium carrots, peeled and cut into ½-inch coins
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
For serving
- lemon wedges (optional)
- fresh basil leaves, torn (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Line an 18×13-inch rimmed sheet pan with parchment paper or foil.
- 2
Make the pesto: combine the basil, walnuts, garlic, lemon juice, salt, and pepper in a food processor. Pulse 6–8 times until coarsely chopped, then stream in the 1/4 cup olive oil with the motor running and process until a thick, slightly chunky paste forms, about 30 seconds.
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