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Chicken Salad with Creamy Pesto Dressing

Chicken Salad with Creamy Pesto Dressing

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My creamy pesto chicken salad is layered with seasoned chicken, white beans, and salted almonds for a protein-packed dish. Feta, basil, and homemade pesto dressing top things off for a flavorful masterpiece! 
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: dinner, lunch, meal-prep, Salad
Cuisine: American
Calories: 837

Ingredients
  

Salad
  • 2 lbs boneless chicken thighs
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp each garlic powder onion powder, salt, pepper, cumin, oregano
  • 11 oz spring mix lettuce
  • 1 can white cannellini beans drained and rinsed
  • 2 avocados diced
  • 1 cup diced cucumber
  • 8 oz feta diced or crumbled
  • 1/2 cup basil chopped
  • 1 cup salted almonds chopped
Dressing
  • 1/2 cup 2% plain greek yogurt
  • 1/2 cup mayo
  • 1/3 cup fresh pesto
  • 1/3 cup avocado oil or olive oil
  • juice of 1 lemon
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp pepper

Method
 

  1. In a large bowl, combine chicken thighs and oil, toss to coat.
  2. In a small bowl, mix together paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, cumin, and oregano. Pour on top of chicken and toss until chicken is fully coated.
  3. Heat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat and add 2 tbsp oil. Once hot, add chicken in, cooking 5 minutes per side or until internal temp reaches 165F. You may need to do this in two batches if your skillet isn't big enough. Set chicken aside on a plate.
  4. Make dressing by whisking together all of the dressing ingredients.
  5. Assemble salad by layering spring mix in a large bowl, then adding beans, avocados, cucumber, feta.
  6. Slice chicken thighs into strips and layer on top of salad, then top with chopped basil and almonds.
  7. Pour dressing over top of salad, and either toss to coat or serve as is! Enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 837kcalCarbohydrates: 25gProtein: 34gFat: 69gSaturated Fat: 15gPolyunsaturated Fat: 15gMonounsaturated Fat: 31gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 144mgSodium: 909mgPotassium: 1015mgFiber: 9gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 1465IUVitamin C: 15mgCalcium: 288mgIron: 4mg

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