Pesto Chicken Salad Recipe
This pesto chicken salad is delicious and nutritious! It’s loaded with leafy greens, sweet cherry tomatoes, creamy avocado, spicy red onion, feta and creamy avocado slices. Top everything off with a simple, bright, homemade lemon dressing.
Servings 4 people
Calories 254kcal
Ingredients
For the chicken
- 1 medium free range organic chicken breast without skin
- Salt and ground black pepper
- 2 tbsp homemade pesto
For the salad
- 5 cups green leaves any kind of lettuce or spinach
- ½ small red onion sliced
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes cut in half
- 1 cup cucumber diced
- ½ avocado sliced
- 1 tsp feta cheese
- 1 tsp fresh parsley chopped
For the dressing
- 1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- Salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
For the chicken
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
- Place chicken breast on the baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper and bake for 30 minutes. The chicken is fully cooked when it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F.
- Remove from the oven and let it cool down/rest for 10 minutes.
For the salad
- While chicken rests, arrange green leaves, red onions, cherry tomatoes and cucumber in a large salad bowl.
- Slice avocado and place on the salad.
- On a cutting board, dice the chicken breast and transfer to a small bowl. Add pesto and stir well, then place chicken atop salad.
- In a mason jar, pour the freshly squeezed lemon juice and olive oil. Add salt and pepper and whisk everything together.
- Taste to check the seasoning levels and add more salt/pepper if desired, then pour over the salad.
- Top with feta cheese and parsley. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- If you prefer chicken thighs, feel free to swap them.
- Let chicken rest 10 minutes after baking to prevent dryness.
- Feel free to bake extra chicken for meal-prep purposes.
- I prefer homemade pesto in this recipe, but you can use store-bought.
- You can soak the red onions in cold water to remove some of the bite from them.
- For even more protein add a hard-boiled egg to your salad.
- To store: If this salad will be your lunch at work, bring the dressing in a separate container to avoid soggy lettuce. Everything will keep well (when stored separately from dressing) for up to 4 days.
- To freeze: I don't recommend freezing the salad, but you can freeze the chicken for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Serving: 1/4 | Calories: 254kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 31g | Cholesterol: 100mg | Sodium: 1445mg | Potassium: 929mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 11g