Healthy Chicken Pesto Pasta Salad
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.
Servings: 6 people
Ingredients
For pesto pasta salad:
- 227 grams of dried pasta (8oz)
- ¾ cup pesto sauce
- 1 large lemon just the juice
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes sliced
- 1.5 cups cucumber quartered (about 1 medium English cucumber)
- ½ cup red onion thinly sliced
- ¼ cup feta cheese crumbled
- 2 cups spinach loosely chopped
Optional add-ins:
- ¼ cup sundried tomatoes sliced
- ¼ cup jarred artichokes sliced
- Fresh basil leaves
For chicken:
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice optional
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tsp italian spice blend
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes optional
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.
Nutrition
Serving: 1.25cup | Calories: 430kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 56mg | Sodium: 694mg | Potassium: 740mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 1896IU | Vitamin C: 25mg | Calcium: 131mg | Iron: 2mg
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