Easy Pesto Chicken Salad

This pesto chicken salad is delicious and requires only 6 simple ingredients. It’s an easy lunch recipe plus you’ll also love this for meal prep or healthy snacking!

Update: This recipe was originally published in 2023 and has been republished with all new photos.

I’m a big fan of chicken salad. This creamy pesto chicken salad is a new favorite and so flavorful! It includes pesto for an extra fun punch of flavor. Feel free to use any store-bought pesto or use my recipe for Pistachio Lemon Pesto if you’d prefer to make your own pesto.

Serve in a sandwich, in lettuce wraps, on top of salad greens, or with crackers. The flavors get stronger as it sits which also makes this chicken salad a great option to make ahead of time and store in the fridge. Having a high protein snack or meal like this in the refrigerator is a great way to ensure you stick to your healthy eating goals!

If you’d like to try other chicken salad variations check out my Healthy Buffalo Chicken Salad (which is made with greek yogurt), my Healthy Curry Chicken Salad (also made with greek yogurt and loaded with curry flavor), and my Ultimate Chicken Salad (this one is inspired by Waldorf chicken salad).

For more healthy recipes that include pesto (because who can have too many of those?!) try my Sheet Pan Pesto Chicken with Broccoli, Dairy Free Pesto Chicken, Pesto Steak Kabobs, and Pesto Potatoes and Brussels Sprouts.

Pesto Chicken Salad Ingredients

• Mayonnaise: Use regular mayo or a light mayo. Both work well in this chicken salad. You can also sub plain nonfat greek yogurt.
• Pesto: Use your favorite store-bought pesto to keep things super simple!
• Shredded fully cooked chicken: Any fully cooked shredded or chopped chicken works beautifully here. To save time I like to purchase a store-bought rotisserie chicken and just give it a quick chop.
• Sliced almonds: You can use sliced or slivered almonds to add crunch to this dish. I prefer sliced almonds because they’re thin so they don’t overwhelm the rest of the ingredients. Pine nuts are also a good substitute if you need one.
• Salt and pepper: These are the only seasonings you need because the pesto already provides this chicken salad with great flavor!

How to Make Pesto Chicken Salad

To make this easy pesto chicken salad recipe, start by stirring together the mayo and pesto in a large bowl (we’ll use the same bowl for the other ingredients).

Then stir in the shredded fully cooked chicken and sliced almonds. Taste and add as much salt and pepper as desired.

Pair with crackers if serving as an appetizer. You can enjoy this chicken salad between two slices of bread or in a croissant as a sandwich. To keep this low carb, simply scoop onto bibb lettuce or romaine leaves.

What Chicken is Best to Use?

Any fully cooked chicken works great. So boneless and skinless chicken breasts or chicken thighs are both good options.

I typically either boil chicken breasts or shred a store-bought rotisserie chicken (to save time). The flavor in this dish doesn’t come from the chicken so how you cook it truly doesn’t matter.

If you’re starting with raw chicken, you’ll want 2 lbs of skinless and boneless chicken breasts. Add to a pot of boiling water. Simmer on medium heat until cooked through, about 10 minutes. Remove the chicken from the water and set aside so it can cool. Then use two forks to shred chicken. You can also use a sharp knife to chop the chicken into small pieces if you prefer. Measure the finished chicken to make sure you have 4 cups.

What Pesto is Best to Use?

Use any store-bought pesto you enjoy. You can find it in the grocery store aisle located by other pasta sauces plus there are usually a few brands in the refrigerated section by the bagged pasta.

If you’d like to make your own homemade pesto, I have a yummy Pistachio Lemon Pesto you can make.

Can You Make Pesto Chicken Salad in Advance?

Absolutely. In fact the flavor gets even better as it sits in the refrigerator so you’ll enjoy it more if you prepare it a few hours or a day ahead of time.

How to Store Pesto Chicken Salad

This chicken salad is a great recipe for meal prep! Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 to 5 days. I like to double the recipe so I have a large batch on hand for easy lunches all week!

How to Serve Pesto Chicken Salad

There are so many different ways to serve this simple pesto chicken salad recipe. It’s obviously delicious between two slices of toasted bread, scooped into a croissant, or spread in a wrap. But you can get creative with this entree too! Try adding a scoop to a grain bowl with brown rice, cherry tomatoes or sun-dried tomatoes, red onion slices, and crumbled feta. (Don’t knock that flavor combo until you’ve tried it!)

If you’re wanting a low carb option I recommend enjoying in a lettuce wrap with crisp vegetables like broccoli and carrots or on bibb lettuce. Chopped green onion can add extra crunch or slivers of fresh basil can amplify that pesto flavor! I also love this served with a simple salad or fresh fruit. My Fruit Salad with Lemon Poppy Seed Dressing would be a perfect accompaniment.

If serving at a party, I recommend using smaller croissants for little two-bite sandwiches! You can also scoop this chicken salad with crackers for easy portable eating!

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