This healthy chicken pesto pasta salad is packed with flavour, veggies and 25g protein. Make it for meal prep, easy lunches or even summer potlucks.
Prep Time10 minutesmins
Cook Time20 minutesmins
Total Time30 minutesmins
Course: Main Course, Side Dish
Keyword: salads
Servings: 6people
Ingredients
For pesto pasta salad:
227grams of dried pasta (8oz)
¾cuppesto sauce
1largelemonjust the juice
1cupcherry tomatoessliced
1.5cupscucumberquartered (about 1 medium English cucumber)
½cupred onionthinly sliced
¼cupfeta cheesecrumbled
2cupsspinachloosely chopped
Optional add-ins:
¼cupsundried tomatoessliced
¼cupjarred artichokessliced
Fresh basil leaves
For chicken:
1lbboneless skinless chicken breasts
1tbsp olive oil
1tablespoonlemon juiceoptional
1teaspoongarlic powder
1tsp italian spice blend
½teaspoonsalt
½teaspoonblack pepper
1pinchred pepper flakesoptional
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400°F.
Cook pasta according to the package instructions, until pasta is cooked to al-dente. Once cooked, drain pasta and set aside to cool.
In small bowl, combine pesto and lemon juice stirring until smooth.
Coat the chicken in oil and lemon juice and rub with the garlic powder, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Place chicken in a large glass dish and bake for 20-25 minutes until it is completely cooked through but not dry. Allow to cool slightly then shred with a stand mixer on high, with two forks, or by hand.
In a large salad bowl, add the cooked pasta, chicken, tomatoes, cucumbers, red onion, feta cheese and spinach. Pour the pesto and lemon mixture over top, toss well to coat. Garnish with more spices or feta cheese to taste and enjoy!
Notes
*For storage- place leftover in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5-7 days.*I have included an estimation of the nutrition information for this recipe below. However, always remember a recipe is so much more than just nutritional content and these numbers do not need to dictate your food choices. Please don't forget that both your body and soul need nourishment! The owner of this website is not liable for this estimation.
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