Pesto Chicken Salad
Published on June 06, 2022
Quick Summary
You only need 5-ingredients and 10 minutes to make this Pesto Chicken Salad. It’s the perfect easy lunch, dinner, or snack. Serve it over a bed of greens, as a sandwich or wrap, or enjoy with crackers.
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Pin ItI love simple salads that I can make for a quick lunch or weeknight dinner. A few favorites include my Easy Chickpea Salad, Egg Salad, and Chickpea, Avocado, Feta Salad.
My boys really love this Pesto Chicken Salad. They call it the green chicken salad:) It is a favorite at our house and SO easy. You only need 5-ingredients.
To keep things SUPER simple we use shredded rotisserie chicken. It is a lifesaver when is life is busy and you are short on time.
I always keep my homemade pesto in the freezer, so I just pull out a jar, but if you don’t have pesto on hand, you can use your favorite store bought pesto. We are all about EASY when it comes to this recipe.
You mix in Greek yogurt (can use mayo) with the pesto and chicken and you end up with a creamy pesto chicken salad that is full of flavor. You can serve it over greens, make a sandwich or wrap, enjoy with crackers, or even put it on toast or garlic bread.
The options are endless. You are going to love this easy chicken recipe!
Salad Ingredients
You only need 5-ingredients!
- Chicken– we use shredded rotisserie chicken to keep the salad super simple. If you have leftover chicken breasts, you can chop or shred them up, they work well in this salad recipe too.
- Pesto– you can use homemade pesto or store bought. Make sure you choose a pesto with good flavor because it is a major flavor component of the salad.
- Greek yogurt– we like to use plain Greek yogurt for an extra protein boost, but if you prefer mayonnaise you can use it.
- Green onion– I like green onion because it blends into the green pesto and the onions aren’t too strong.
- Lemon juice– add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice to brighten things up.
How to Make Pesto Chicken Salad
- In a large bowl, combine the shredded chicken, pesto, Greek yogurt, and green onion.
- Stir until well combined. The chicken will turn green, don’t be alarmed, ha!
- Add a little squeeze of lemon juice, if desired, and season with salt and pepper. Stir again and that’s it! The salad is ready to enjoy!
Variations
This simple pesto chicken salad has lots of flavor and doesn’t need a lot of ingredients, but if you want to mix it up, here are some suggestions.
- Add chopped celery, adding veggies is always a good idea!
- Use red onion instead of green onion.
- Stir in chopped sun-dried tomatoes or chopped tomatoes.
- Add pine nuts for a crunch.
- Stir in freshly grated Parmesan cheese if you want a cheesy, salty kick!
- Chop up olives and stir them into the salad.
How to Serve
This salad is very versatile. Here are some different ways to serve it up!
- Serve over a bed of greens. Feel free to add other veggies to bulk up the salad.
- Top a piece of toast or garlic bread with the salad.
- Make a sandwich! You can add lettuce, tomato, avocado, cucumber, sprouts, cheese, etc. Whatever sandwich fixings you like! It is great on sourdough, whole wheat, focaccia, croissants, whatever you like best!
- Make a lettuce wrap or tortilla wrap.
- Serve in a pita pocket.
- Enjoy with crackers or chips.
How to Store
Store the chicken salad in the an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to to 4 days. If the salad dries out a little, you can always stir in a little more pesto to freshen it up.
This is a great meal prep recipe! Make on Sunday and eat during the week for easy lunches or dinners.
More Salad Recipes
Pesto Chicken Salad
Ingredients
- 2 cups shredded chicken breast, we use rotisserie chicken
- 1/3 cup basil pesto
- 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt, can use mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons sliced green onion
- Squeeze of fresh lemon juice, optional
- Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the shredded chicken, pesto, Greek yogurt, and green onion. Stir until well combined. Add a little squeeze of lemon juice, if desired, and season with salt and pepper. Stir again.
- Serve over greens, on toast, make a sandwich or lettuce wrap, or enjoy with crackers.
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?
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We had this last night on a bed of greens and tomatoes from our small city garden and my husband and I both loved it!
Perfect! So glad you loved it!
So simple, yet so good!
I put this in a sandwich with toasted bread and a slice of mozza (melted under the grill), it was just perfect.
Thank you!
Sounds perfect!
So simple, yet so good!
Using this in a sandwich with toasted bread and melted mozzarella.
We’ve made this at least 3 times since I found you recipe!
Thank you for this easy and delicious idea Maria.
SOOOO GOOD and very easy to make if you use a rotisserie chicken!
Yay!
Your recipe seems delicious! I actually didn’t see your recipe until after I had made a similar version and decided to look up versions of chicken salad using the ingredients I included. That’s how I came across your recipe, which I’ll be trying soon!
I used Mexican style bbq chicken that I cubed, basil pesto, Greek yogurt, diced white onion, diced dill pickle and finished with some parm/reggiano cheese. I’m having my version with crackers, which I only decided on after thinking of using toast or a tortilla, when I saw your serving suggestion.