Gosh Darn Delicious Pesto Chicken Salad

I'm always looking to make meals that are simple, healthy, and delicious. Now that the weather feels like spring, I've been on the hunt for refreshing recipes. This pesto chicken salad is versatile, filled with protein, and stays fresh for days. I already know this will be a weekday staple this spring.

I combined chicken, pesto, and greek yogurt for a flavorful and delicious dish. It really brightened my day.

This was my first time using greek yogurt as an ingredient to provide a creamy texture and coating. It's a great substitute for mayonnaise or sour cream given it's filled with protein. I'm excited to find other ways to use greek yogurt in my recipes... buffalo chicken is next!

I air-fried the chicken and made the pesto from scratch. However, you could simplify this recipe by buying a rotisserie chicken and pre-made pesto, if you prefer.

Make it for lunch, snack, or dinner over a green salad, in a wrap or sandwich, or with crackers.

Gosh Darn Delicious Pesto Chicken Salad

Cook Time: 14 minutes

Total Time: 14 minutes

Servings: 2

Ingredients

For the chicken:

• 1 lb chicken thighs

• 1/4 cup greek yogurt

• 2 tbsp chopped green onion

For the pesto (roughly):

• 2 cups basil

• 2 tbsp pine nuts

• 1/2 cup parmigiano reggiano

• 2 cloves garlic

• 1/2 cup olive oil

• Salt to taste

Directions

Air fry chicken thighs

• Lightly salt chicken. I only lightly salted one side because I knew the sauce would be full of flavor.

• Put the chicken thighs in the air fryer on 400 while you make the pesto.

• Cook for 7 minutes on one side, flip, and air fry on the other side for 7 more minutes.

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• Chicken should be tender on the inside and crisp on the outside.

Make pesto

• Add basil, pine nuts, Parmigiano Reggiano, garlic, and olive oil to your high-speed blender or food processor. I used my Nutribullet and it worked well.

• Blend and taste.

• Feel free to adjust the proportions of any of the ingredients and salt to taste. I added more basil and Parmigiano Reggiano at the end.

Combine

• Remove chicken from air fryer and add to a bowl.

• Use two forks to pull chicken.

• Chop green onion.

• Add pesto, greek yogurt, green onion, and mix all together.

Enjoy this delicious springtime meal!

Leave your comments below and share your experience preparing this recipe!