This Walnut Pesto Chicken Salad is a versatile recipe you can use for so many things! Save This Recipe! Enter your email and I'll send it straight to your inbox. Plus you'll get new recipes from me every week! By submitting this form, you consent to receive emails from Happy Healthy Mama.
As I was cooking and talking, things were going swimmingly. At the end of the cooking time (this risotto is baked in the oven instead of constant stirring on the stove top–such a game-changer for me!) three things need to be added into the dish: kale, cooked bacon, and cooked chicken.
The kale and bacon made it into the risotto, but the cooked chicken remained, chopped and ready, in the fridge. Tim gave me his classic “Oh, Maryea” look as I served the meal and realized I’d forgotten the chicken.
See, I’m a pretty scatterbrained person. Remembering things is not my strong point. And doing two things at once (you want me to cook and talk?) compounds the problem.
But here’s the beauty in my forgetfulness. Sometimes, mistakes become opportunities and in this case my mistake was an opportunity to create something new. This glorious chicken salad recipe never would have been born without my forgetting to add the chicken to the risotto.
And you know what? I am in love with this walnut pesto chicken salad. Throw a few simple ingredients in the food processor, give it a whirl, and 5 minutes later you have a flavorful, nutritious lunch. Let’s take a look what’s in this unique pesto:
- walnuts: flavor, crunch, and heeeellllo omega 3s! (Did you know walnuts are an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids? So many benefits! Eat them up.)
- sun-dried tomatoes: flavor! I love the flavor these add to the mix.
- thyme: more flavor!
- baby spinach and/or kale: TONS of vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, and fiber.
- extra-virgin olive oil: healthy fat and just enough to create the right texture
- chicken: protein, iron, vitamin B-6
6 ingredients that add up to a perfectly balanced lunch. Full of nutrition and full of flavor! And guess what? Each serving clocks in at just under 300 calories. So you can totally put this atop a bed of lettuce and call it a light lunch. For a heartier option, enjoy it on your favorite bread or in a wrap. I hope you’ll give this healthy chicken salad recipe a try soon!
Walnut Pesto Chicken Salad
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 3 servings 1x
Description
Use your leftover chicken to make a nutrient-dense chicken salad!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup walnut pieces
- 3 sun-dried tomatoes
- 2 thyme sprigs
- 1 large handful baby spinach, baby kale, or a combination of the two
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 1/2 cups cooked chopped chicken
Instructions
- Put the walnuts, sun-dried tomatoes, thyme, and spinach/kale in the food processor and process until everything is broken down and well-blended. With the machine running, add the olive oil. {You can add more than 1 tablespoon if you like an oilier pesto. I just added 1 tablespoon to keep the calories in check and I thought it was perfect as-is.}
- Mix the pesto with the chopped chicken. Taste and add salt and pepper to your liking.
- Serve with bread as a sandwich, in a wrap, with pasta, or on a bed of lettuce. Enjoy!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Category: Salad
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 290
- Sugar: 2g
- Sodium: 348.6mg
- Fat: 22g
- Carbohydrates: 6.6g
- Protein: 2.1g
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Even Luke enjoyed this pesto chicken salad. If you have a little one who isn’t against green things yet, you may have luck serving this, too! Meghan, on the other hand, couldn’t even fathom trying such a thing. She’ll eat the chicken. She’ll eat the walnuts. She’ll even eat the spinach or kale if it’s in a smoothie. Mix them all together and she’s out. No way. *Sigh* She keeps telling me she going to like these kinds of things when she “gets bigger.” Here’s to hoping. 🙂
Looks wonderful, where does the sodium content come in on this recipe, I would like to see if I can cut down on some of the sodium.
I’m sorry I don’t have the sodium information. You can plug the ingredients into a website like myfitnesspal to get that info!
Maryea,
I just have to compliment you on your photos. 🙂 The styling in these pics is particularly engaging and just SO pretty!
Thank you SO much for your kind words, Liz. It means a lot!
Mmm! I’m not usually a fan of chicken salad as I’m not at all a fan of mayo, but this one looks delicious. I actually just had pesto chicken salad the other day and finding a recipe has been on my mind. So…perfect timing! Thank you!
You’re welcome! I like mayo, but I like this version of chicken salad better than the mayo-filled kind. It’s so flavorful!
I love pesto in sandwiches! This looks great (and easy!) and your photographs really show how delicious and flavor the salad is. 🙂
Thank you, Annie. Yes, pesto in sandwiches (and just about everything!) is fantastic. 🙂
I just love all these ingredients and it looks so yum! thanks for sharing x
You’re welcome, Trisha. 🙂
Isn’t it the best when a mistake turns into something even better than you originally planned?! Love when that happens 🙂 This walnut pesto chicken looks fantastic… like, I really wish it was my lunch for today! Sadly, looks like I’ll be having PB&J again, haha.
Come on! This chicken salad is as fast as a PB&J! 🙂
Oh, how yummy! I am currently doing the Whole 30 Challenge, and have to watch EVERYTHING I eat, but this I could totally eat minus the bread. I will so be making this 🙂
Perfect! 🙂 Let me know how you like it.
have totally been craving chicken salad lately! must be the -40 degree weather 😉 definitely have to make this!
Me, too! I like this kind so much better than the traditional mayo-based chicken salad.