This fresh and light Pesto Chicken Salad is the perfect quick and easy lunch recipe. Made with tender chicken breast, smoky bacon, herbaceous pesto, creamy mayo, juicy tomatoes and buttery avocado. Best of all, it's made with just 6 ingredients and takes less than 15 minutes from start to finish.
Ingredients Notes
Step by Step Instructions
How to make pesto chicken salad
STEP 1: In a large mixing bowl, combine the mayonnaise and the pesto.
STEP 2: Add the chicken, bacon, avocado, and tomatoes and toss to mix.
More salad recipes
Recipe Tips and Variations
Frequently Asked Questions
Traditionally, pesto is made with Parmigiano-Reggiano or Pecorino, but it is easy to find dairy free pesto in stores. Better yet, make your own! Fresh is best.
Easy! Just make sure that you are using a whole30 compliant mayo and pesto.
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Pesto Chicken Salad
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: Makes 4 Servings 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
This fresh and light Pesto Chicken Salad is the perfect quick and easy lunch recipe. Made with tender chicken breast, smoky bacon, herbaceous pesto, creamy mayo, juicy tomatoes and buttery avocado. Best of all, it's made with just 6 ingredients and takes less than 15 minutes from start to finish.
Ingredients
- ¼ cup mayonnaise (get my recipe here)
- 2 tablespoons garlic pesto
- 1 pound chicken, cooked and cubed (I get my organic, pastured chicken here)
- 6 slices bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled
- 1 medium avocado, cubed
- 10 grape tomatoes, halved
- fresh butter lettuce leaves, optional for serving
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the mayonnaise and the pesto.
- Add the chicken, bacon, avocado, and tomatoes and toss to mix.
- Eat just as is, or pile on top of fresh lettuce leaves.
Notes
- Storage: Store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Add ranch dressing: Swap out the mayo for my Dairy Free Ranch Dressing recipe. It really takes the flavor up a notch
- Use rotisserie chicken: Making this with rotisserie chicken will save you time and makes for quick and easy meal prep.
- Category: Salad Recipes
- Method: Mixing
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Calories: 376
- Fat: 27g
- Carbohydrates: 3g net
- Protein: 27g
Keywords: chicken salad recipes, pesto chicken salad, keto chicken salad, whole30 chicken salad, paleo chicken salad
**Recipe Originally Posted March 8th 2015 - Updated June 1st 2021**
