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Home Recipes By Meal

Pesto Chicken Salad Recipe

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By: Erin Antoniak • Updated On June 23, 2026
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Feed a crowd with this delicious, easy Pesto Chicken Salad Recipe. It’s made with 10 simple ingredients and is the perfect way to enjoy a filling, protein rich meal!

pesto chicken salad

The best chicken pesto salad

Chicken recipes are always the best. I think it’s because they’re so versatile, but maybe it’s because they allow you to go in so many different flavor directions!

One of my favorite ways to enjoy it is in chicken salad with pesto. It’s loaded with flavor, uses 10 ingredients (including salt and pepper), and is ready in hardly any time at all!

Chicken salad makes a fabulous dish for feeding a crowd, as it’s the perfect appetizer-style bite but can also be made into a heavier meal by enjoying on wraps or bread.

pesto chicken salad

Ingredients used to make pesto salad with chicken

You will need 10 ingredients to make pesto salad. When all is said and done, the recipe yields 10 delicious servings perfect for eating as-is or enjoying atop your favorite wrap or salad!

  • Chicken: First, you’ll need 4 cups of cooked, chopped, and packed chicken.
  • Peppers: Use 1/2 cup of chopped roasted red peppers.
  • Onion: Next, include 1/2 of a yellow onion diced into small pieces.
  • Celery: Include 1/2 cup of chopped celery for extra flavor and crunch.
  • Almonds: Add 1/2 cup of sliced almonds. This sneaks in a great flavor component!
  • Mayonnaise: To thicken up the salad, add 1/3 cup of mayo.
  • Greek yogurt: Next, include 1/3 cup of plain Greek yogurt. This replaces part of the mayo that you’ll find in other chicken salad recipes and makes things a bit healthier.
  • Pesto: Add 1/2 cup of store bought pesto for that great taste!
  • Seasonings: Finally, season the chicken salad with 1/2 tsp of salt and pepper, each.

Tools needed to make this recipe

To make this pesto chicken salad recipe, start with a cutting board and chopping knife. Many of the ingredients will need to be diced into small pieces. Next, you’ll need a large mixing bowl, small mixing bowl, stirring spatula or spoon, and whisk.

To measure ingredients you will need 1/2 tsp, 1/3 cup, 1/2 cup, and 1 cup.

making pesto dressing
pesto chicken salad ingredients

How to make pesto chicken salad

Once your chicken is cooked and your ingredients are prepped, all you do is mix them together and enjoy!

First, add the chicken, roasted red pepper, onion, celery, and almonds to a large mixing bowl.

In a small bowl, whisk together the mayo, yogurt, pesto, salt, and pepper.

Add the dressing to a bowl with the chicken and veggies and stir until well combined.

How to enjoy pesto chicken salad

This chicken salad can be served in nearly any way, but one of my favorite ways to enjoy it is on a wrap. Just put a few spoonfuls onto your favorite tortillas or wraps, and you’re good go go! You don’t need to add anything else.

You can enjoy it as-is, as a sandwich, or use this as a topping for lettuce-based salads. Just add a dollop on top!

For food pairings, great side dishes include your favorite chips, salad, fruit, veggies, etc.!

Storing leftover pesto chicken

Keep leftovers refrigerated in a tightly sealed container. Enjoy within 3 days for the best flavor and freshness!

pesto chicken salad

If you liked this recipe, you’ll want to try these!

This pesto chicken salad is the perfect meal for lunch, dinner, or a snack! If you’re craving some more chicken ideas, try these.

  • Healthy BBQ Chicken Thighs
  • One Pot Chicken Parmesan Pasta
  • Cranberry Chicken Casserole
  • Grilled Honey Mustard Chicken
pesto chicken salad
Erin Antoniak

Pesto Chicken Salad Recipe

5 from 17 votes
Feed a crowd with this delicious, easy Pesto Chicken Salad Recipe. It’s made with 10 simple ingredients and is the perfect way to enjoy a filling, protein rich meal!
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes mins
Cook Time 5 minutes mins
Total Time 20 minutes mins
Servings: 10 servings (1/2 cup)
Course: lunch
Cuisine: American
Calories: 227
Ingredients Method Nutrition

Ingredients
  

  • 4 cups cooked chicken chopped + packed
  • 1/2 cup roasted red peppers chopped
  • 1/2 yellow onion diced
  • 1/2 cup celery chopped
  • 1/2 cup sliced almonds
  • 1/3 cup mayonnaise
  • 1/3 cup plain greek yogurt
  • 1/2 cup store bought pesto
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp pepper

Method
 

  1. In a large bowl, add chicken, roasted red pepper, onion, celery, and almonds.
  2. In a small bowl, whisk together mayo, yogurt, pesto, salt and pepper.
  3. Add dressing to bowl with chicken and veggies and stir until well combined.
  4. Serve! I like to eat in wraps, on salads, or just straight up!

Nutrition

Calories: 227kcalCarbohydrates: 3gProtein: 16gFat: 16gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 5gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0.02gCholesterol: 46mgSodium: 424mgPotassium: 206mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 338IUVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 54mgIron: 1mg

Tried this recipe?

Let us know how it was!

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Reader Interactions

5 from 17 votes

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Recipe Rating




  1. KT says

    Posted on 10/2 at 10:53 am

    5 stars
    This is fabulous! This will definitely be my new go-to chicken salad. I have been attempting to use up as much homegrown basil as possible before the frost hits, and have been making pesto like crazy. This recipe was well worth using our precious pesto! We enjoyed it both in wraps and on it’s own. Dicing the chicken smaller would make it great on bread too! Thank you for sharing this, Erin..it’s a keeper!

    Reply
    • Erin says

      Posted on 10/2 at 5:54 pm

      Hi, so happy you loved it and great idea making wraps! Thanks for sharing!! 🙂

      Reply
  2. Denise says

    Posted on 9/10 at 2:42 pm

    Made this for my husband and he loves it. Great recipe, thank you.

    Reply
    • Erin says

      Posted on 9/16 at 7:51 pm

      Hi Denise, so glad you both loved it! 🙂

      Reply
  3. Simona Cassatly says

    Posted on 4/17 at 12:33 pm

    5 stars
    Delicious! My husband and kids love it!

    Reply
    • Erin says

      Posted on 4/17 at 5:01 pm

      Hi Simona, so happy it is a huge hit! 🙂

      Reply
  4. emma says

    Posted on 2/18 at 7:39 pm

    5 stars
    Made this for lunches this week and it was fabulous. Added some chickpeas as well. Delicious!

    Reply
    • Erin says

      Posted on 2/19 at 6:26 pm

      Hi Emma, so happy you loved it and made it your own! 🙂

      Reply
  5. Emma Silbert says

    Posted on 8/8 at 7:47 am

    5 stars
    So good! Used all Greek yogurt bc I was out of mayo and still really good. Had it on some gluten free bread for an easy lunch all week.

    Reply
    • Erin says

      Posted on 8/8 at 3:57 pm

      Hi Emma, so happy you loved it and great pairing!!

      Reply
  6. Alyssa says

    Posted on 6/6 at 7:56 pm

    5 stars
    Made this for my boyfriend & it was “the BEST ELW recipe yet!”
    Will definitely be making this a staple!!

    Reply
    • Erin says

      Posted on 6/8 at 5:10 pm

      Hi Alyssa, so happy you both loved it so much!! 🙂

      Reply
  7. Jen says

    Posted on 5/11 at 11:30 am

    5 stars
    Delicious! I made a salad with arugula and cucumbers and threw this on top. My husband had it in a sandwich. Love that it made plenty for this week’s lunches for the two of us.

    Reply
    • Erin says

      Posted on 5/11 at 1:46 pm

      Hi Jen, so glad you both loved it! 🙂

      Reply
  8. Catie Leigh Deal says

    Posted on 9/6 at 12:24 pm

    5 stars
    Wow! I’m not really a huge chicken salad fan but this recipe is fantastic! I left out the celery. It has great flavor and goes great on sand which or a wrap!!

    Reply
    • Erin says

      Posted on 9/7 at 2:55 pm

      Hi Catie, so glad you wound up loving it and made it your own!

      Reply
  9. Jamie R says

    Posted on 8/25 at 2:20 pm

    5 stars
    So SOOO good! Skipped out on the onion because I am not a fan of raw onion and it was incredible! So flavorful!

    Reply
    • Erin says

      Posted on 8/25 at 4:32 pm

      Hi Jamie, so glad you loved it and made it your own!

      Reply
  10. Whitney Behm says

    Posted on 8/19 at 8:01 pm

    5 stars
    My husband and I made this tonight and it was so so so delicious! Perfect easy dinner and enough left over for tomorrow for lunch too! Highly recommend all ELW recipes because I’ve honestly never had a bad one ever! She’s the best!

    Reply
    • Erin says

      Posted on 8/21 at 4:13 pm

      Hi Whitney, so glad you both loved it so much! Thanks for your support!!

      Reply
  11. Hannah says

    Posted on 8/16 at 7:10 pm

    5 stars
    Greek yogurt is such a genius sub here! Great recipe, kept really well in my fridge. Yum!

    Reply
    • Erin says

      Posted on 8/17 at 7:32 pm

      Hi Hannah, so happy you enjoyed it!!

      Reply
  12. Jillian says

    Posted on 8/11 at 9:21 pm

    5 stars
    This recipe was amazing!! The only thing I subbed was homemade pesto & it was hands down my favorite recipe of yours that I’ve ever made! Thank you so much for creating this wonderful dish!

    Reply
    • Erin says

      Posted on 8/13 at 12:17 pm

      Hi Jillian, so happy you loved it and made it your own!!

      Reply
  13. Gianna says

    Posted on 8/11 at 11:15 am

    5 stars
    I made this with a few substitutions! Instead of roasted red pepper I used a regular red pepper and walnuts to replace the almonds! I enjoyed it as a wrap with a little mozzarella, spinach and tomatoes! Sooo good even my husband wanted one!

    Reply
    • Erin says

      Posted on 8/11 at 12:13 pm

      Hi Gianna, so happy you loved it and made it your own!

      Reply
  14. Mary says

    Posted on 8/11 at 2:18 am

    5 stars
    This recipe was so easy to make and absolutely delicious! I doubled the Greek yogurt as a Mayo replacement and used homemade pesto! Any chance you would also make an avocado chicken salad recipe?

    Reply
    • Erin says

      Posted on 8/11 at 12:11 pm

      Hi Mary, so happy you loved it and made it your own!!

      Reply
  15. Rachel says

    Posted on 8/10 at 12:59 pm

    5 stars
    OMG this is amazing!! Super flavorful and delicious. Very easy to make!

    Reply
    • Erin says

      Posted on 8/10 at 3:56 pm

      Hi Rachel, so happy you enjoyed it!!

      Reply
  16. Kelsey says

    Posted on 8/8 at 3:16 pm

    5 stars
    Really liked the idea of using pesto to add a twist to chicken salad. We used red pepper because we didn’t have roasted red pepper and enjoyed it!

    Reply
    • Erin says

      Posted on 8/9 at 4:25 pm

      Hi Kelsey, so happy you loved it and made it your own!

      Reply
  17. Grace says

    Posted on 8/5 at 9:41 am

    5 stars
    Made this and it was soooo easy! Can’t wait to put it in wraps for a quick lunch!!

    Reply
    • Erin says

      Posted on 8/5 at 4:47 pm

      Hi Grace, so glad you loved it!!

      Reply
  18. Kelly says

    Posted on 8/5 at 6:38 am

    5 stars
    Absolutely delicious!! My husband thought it is fresh and fantastic.
    I halved the onions and omitted the salt and pepper and didn’t miss them. Lots of flavor. Highly recommend!!!

    Reply
    • Erin says

      Posted on 8/5 at 4:47 pm

      Hi Kelly, so glad you loved it and made it your own!

      Reply

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I’m Erin. Creator of Erin Lives Whole, a food blog with delicious and easy healthy recipes that will leave you feeling good. We’ve got everything from wholesome baked goods to comforting savory dishes. I can’t wait to see what you whip up! Read More...

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