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As I was photographing my Green Chile Chicken Dip recipe a few weeks ago (if you haven’t made that one yet you really should) I scooped some into potato skins to illustrate how the dip can be used as an entree. That’s when I realized I really needed to mix my Pistachio Lemon Pesto with shredded chicken and stuff them into potatoes.The idea hit me and I couldn’t shake it until I did it. So I did it.
You can use any ole pesto but I gotta say I’m totally partial to my Pistachio Lemon Pesto.
It’s bright with plenty of citrus you can actually taste in each bite, fresh basil, and pistachios. It’s a completely unique (and super delicious) way to do pesto.
Oh, and it’s dairy free, gluten free, and Whole30 compliant. You’re not even going to miss the parmesan that’s in most pesto.
So naturally stirring into a shredded chicken will yield tasty results, right?
Friend, it really does.
Prepare your chicken however you like. I’ve tried both store-bought rotisserie chicken and sauteed chicken breasts. Either way you’re going to love the final result. It’s really just all about that pesto, isn’t it?
Place a hearty scoop in the center of potatoes baked in olive oil and coarse salt. BOOM. Now you have a very flavorful entree.
You can even serve up these Pesto Chicken Stuffed Potatoes as appetizers if you use small potatoes!
Pesto Chicken Stuffed Potatoes
Ingredients
Pistachio Lemon Pesto
- 3 cups packed fresh basil
- 1/4 cup shelled pistachios
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 clove garlic, or 1/2 tsp minced garlic
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/3 cup olive oil, extra virgin
Chicken
- 2 cups shredded or chopped cooked chicken, can use rotisserie chicken or chicken breasts that you've sauteed or boiled
Potatoes
- 4 medium potatoes
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp coarse salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Wash and dry your potatoes. Rub olive oil on the outside of each and sprinkle with coarse salt.
- Place potatoes on a baking sheet and bake for 1 hour. Potatoes will be crispy on the outside but soft and fully cooked on the inside. Remove from oven when done.
- While potatoes are baking, place all ingredients for Pistachio Lemon Pesto in a blender. Blend until smooth.
- Pour finished Pistachio Lemon Pesto into a large bowl with your shredded chicken. Stir until well combined. (If your chicken breasts are especially large you may want to use less than the recommended 3 breasts. I've found that 2 cups of shredded chicken works best to produce a filling that has plenty of pesto flavor and isn't dry.)
- Once potatoes are cooked, slice each potato in half. Use a spoon to gently scoop out a little of the inside and discard (or set aside to make mashed potatoes with them later).
- Add a hearty dollop of your pesto chicken mixture to each potato half. That's it! You're ready to chow down!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Made these and love them? If you share a photo of your meal on Instagram tag me so I can check it out!
In the mood for another amazing stuffed potato idea? Check out my Broccoli Ranch Twice Baked Potatoes!
I am obsessed with this recipe! I am going to have to try really hard not to want to make it every week because it is so delicious and easy. Literally a one pot meal (other than the blender). I used ground turkey instead of chicken and it was still a perfect consistency. I will say that using sweet potatoes the flavor of the pesto can get lost some bites just because the sweetness is so overpowering, but that didn’t even really take away from how much we enjoyed this meal. A few hours after dinner, while sitting on the couch, my husband randomly proclaimed “I love that pesto,” so you know it must be good! Haha.