Red Meat Allergy Friendly Pesto-Walnut Sheet-Pan Chicken with Broccoli & Carrots
Sheet-pan dinners are a weeknight lifesaver, and this one delivers serious flavor with almost no cleanup. A vibrant homemade walnut pesto — built from fresh basil, raw walnuts, garlic, and bright lemon juice — gets pressed right onto each chicken breast before roasting, so every bite is herby, nutty, and deeply savory. The broccoli and carrots roast alongside until tender with lightly charred edges, soaking up the olive oil and picking up just enough color to make them genuinely crave-worthy. For anyone managing a red meat allergy, chicken is the obvious go-to protein, but the real win here is that every single ingredient is straightforward and easy to verify — no hidden beef stocks, no mystery marinades, no processed sauces with ambiguous sourcing. The pesto comes together in a food processor in under a minute, which means you're not trading convenience for a sauce that's actually safe and delicious. A squeeze of lemon and a handful of torn fresh basil at the end lifts the whole plate and makes it feel a little more special than your average Tuesday dinner.
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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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