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    Home » Dinner » Chicken Recipes

    Light Pesto Chicken Salad

    Published: Mar 17, 2014 · by Elizabeth Waterson · This post may contain affiliate links, which may pay me a small commission for my referral at no extra cost to you! Thank you for supporting Confessions of a Baking Queen!

    Jump to Recipe
    pesto chicken salad in a small bowl

    Chicken, Pesto, Greek Yogurt, Spinach, Tomatoes, and a little parm make this Light Pesto Chicken Salad Recipe served on romaine lettuce the perfect lunch! 

    overhead shot of Pesto Chicken Salad on lettuce on a tan plate on a white wood background

    Happy St. Paddy's Day!! I can't wait for it to be Tuesday already. Well really I cannot wait for Thursday cuz I am taking the day off. Paddy's is a HUGE BUSY day at work for me, working a British Pub all the "Irish" people come out of the woodwork for a grand ol time! We don't serve any green beer we stick to the traditional real stuff,- Corned Beef & Cabbage, Irish Stew, Bailey's, Tullamore Dew.. you know the real stuff.

    white, pink, and black bowl of pesto chicken salad on a white wooden surface

    I have been baking a lot of rich desserts lately while also trying to eat a bit healthier and workout more. I have been doing pilates and walking which seems to help me. But the other day I made Lemon Creme Brulee & Vanilla Bean Cheesecake so naturally, I needed something to break up the creamy dreamy richness. Light pesto chicken salad for lunch.

    I could not have dreamed this to be better. I seriously fell in love.

    ingredients for a lightened up pesto chicken salad in a large clear bowl on a white wood background

    I even ate this on romaine lettuce leaves instead of bread because it was that AWESOME! And I would rather add parmesan cheese then sandwich bread. So this is a new favorite lunch, I've already had it three times since I made the first batch. Obsessive much? I know.

    pesto chicken salad in a large clear bowl on a white wood background

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    white, pink, and black bowl of pesto chicken salad on a white wooden surface

    Healthy Pesto Chicken Salad

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    Chicken, Pesto, Greek Yogurt, Spinach, Tomatoes and a little parm make this Light Pesto Chicken Salad Recipe served on romaine lettuce the perfect lunch!

    • Total Time: 25 minutes
    • Yield: 3 servings 1x

    Ingredients

    Units Scale
    • 3 tbsp EVOO
    • 1 garlic clove, minced
    • 2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
    • Salt & Pepper to taste
    • ⅓ cup greek yogurt
    • ¼ cup pesto, homemade or store-bought- try my Easy Walnut Pesto Recipe or Classic Basil Pesto
    • ½ cup baby tomatoes, diced
    • ¼ cup spinach
    • ¼ cup parmesan cheese
    • Romain lettuce leaves or any kind of bread

    Instructions

    1. In a frying pan over medium heat place 3 tablespoon olive oil add garlic and chicken breast, season with salt and pepper, cook until no pink remains. Take off of heat and shred chicken. Place in freezer for 5 minutes to cool off quickly. Scoop garlic out of olive oil and set aside.
    2. In a large bowl combine shredded chicken, garlic, greek yogurt, pesto, baby tomatoes, spinach and parmesan cheese. Mix until just combined, no white streaks remain. Cover and let marinate in fridge for 30 minutes.
    3. Serve on romaine lettuce leaves or bread.
    • Author: Elizabeth Waterson I Confessions of a Baking Queen
    • Prep Time: 15 minutes
    • Cook Time: 10
    • Category: Lunch
    • Method: Cook
    • Cuisine: American

    Keywords: chicken salad recipe, pesto chicken salad recipe, how to make chicken pesto salad

    Did you make this recipe?

    Tag @confessionsofabakingqueen on Instagram and hashtag it #cbqbakes

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    1. Ashley says

      March 17, 2014 at 5:38 am

      Mmmm this sounds wonderful - I love that it's just the pesto and greek yogurt to bind it together!

      Reply
    2. Danae @ reciperunner says

      March 17, 2014 at 2:44 pm

      What a great looking chicken salad! I love the pesto and Greek yogurt combo. Serving chicken salad in lettuce cups is one of my favorite ways to eat it!

      Reply
    3. Kathi @ Deliciously Yum! says

      March 17, 2014 at 5:42 pm

      I had no idea you work in a British pub. Can't even begin to imagine how busy you must be right now...
      Hope you have an amazing day off tomorrow and get to enjoy a big bowl of this deliciousness. Sounds and looks amazing!

      Reply
    4. Hayley @ The Domestic Rebel says

      March 19, 2014 at 8:38 am

      Making this today for lunch! It looks incredible and of course we would both be pesto fiends. We are the same person.

      Reply
    5. [email protected] Life says

      March 23, 2014 at 9:30 pm

      I love that you added pesto to chicken salad! What an awesome lunch(or dinner!) idea! I can totally relate too, I need healthy meals like this to balance all of the desserts I've got going on in my house daily! 😉

      Reply
    6. Laura @ Laura's Culinary Adventures says

      March 26, 2014 at 6:39 am

      What a beautiful salad! I really like the addition of the pesto!

      Reply
    7. Hurom says

      March 06, 2019 at 9:39 am

      This recipe looks amazing. I just tried a chicken skewer recipe the other day that included a pesto-yogurt sauce and it was fantastic. Have to give this one a try this weekend.

      Reply
      • Elizabeth says

        March 06, 2019 at 3:54 pm

        Thank you Hurom- I hope you enjoy it!! Please let me know!

        Reply

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    Waterson, Elizabeth Cropped Size Photo CAke copy 2

    Hiya! I am Elizabeth Waterson, welcome to my treat-filled site. After spending 15 years in the restaurant industry and growing up baking, I wanted to share my love of baking with you all. My step-by-step tutorials will help you learn how to bake at home. Confessions of a Baking Queen (CBQ) has been featured in CBS LA, HuffPost Taste, BuzzFeed, Taste of Home, and more! Here you will find loads of sweet recipes with a few savory ones for good measure. Feel free to message me with any questions! Happy Baking! 

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