Preheat oven to 400° Fahrenheit, grease an oven safe skillet with avocado oil and prep chicken as noted. A sheet pan with a lip would work too. Just line it with parchment paper to avoid sticking.
Place chicken breast or thighs in greased skillet and season with salt and pepper. Place in the oven to bake for 30-35 minutes.
While the chicken cooks, make the pesto sauce. Add sunflower seeds, nutritional yeast, garlic, artichoke hearts and lemon juice to a food processor. Pulse until combined.
Add the fresh basil and spinach. Stream the olive oil (or avocado oil) in while the food processor runs until the consistency is smooth. You can add water to thin the sauce out more if desired.
Also while the chicken is baking, slice tomatoes and cheese. When the chicken has about 10 minutes left, add cheese and tomatoes to skillet, topping each piece of chicken with a few slices. You can add extra tomatoes to the pan as well if desired.
Return skillet to the oven to cook for the remaining 10 minutes. Once done remove, drizzle with pesto sauce and balsamic vinegar, and top with fresh chopped basil. Enjoy with a side of asparagus or any other roasted veggies or cauliflower rice. We roasted asparagus and the extra artichoke hearts.
Notes
Nutrition facts are an estimate provided for those following a Ketogenic or low-carb diet and do not include the optional topping for this recipe. See our full nutrition information disclosure here.