Chicken Pesto Pasta Salad
This Chicken Pesto Pasta Salad is healthy, satisfying, and 200% delicious. It'll take center stage at any picnic, potluck, or cookout.
Servings: 8
Ingredients
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, towel dried and pounded to even thickness
- kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1 lb dried pasta, fusilli, rotini, shells, etc. all work well
- ⅔ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ⅔ cup fresh basil leaves
- ½ cup toasted pine nuts, or toasted pecans
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated, plus more for serving
- ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 garlic cloves, large, minced
- 12 oz cherry tomatoes, halved
- 3 cups baby arugula
Instructions
- Sprinkle a light layer of kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper over both sides of towel-dried chicken breasts.
- Grill over medium high heat either on a well-greased indoor grill pan or outdoor grill, about 4-6 min per side depending on thickness. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Bring a large, heavy pot of salted water to boil. Cook pasta until tender, according to package instructions.
- Drain and rinse pasta with cool water; drain again but leave pasta slightly wet (helps with loosening the pest sauce when tossed.
- While waiting for water to boil and pasta to cook, make the pesto. In a food processor or very powerful blender, add the olive oil, basil, nuts, parmesan, lemon juice, garlic, 1 1/4 tsp kosher salt, and 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper. Process until smooth and creamy.
- If needed, rinse cooked pasta again to loosen. Combine pasta with pesto sauce, tossing to combine well.
- Slice grilled chicken and add to pasta. Add tomatoes and arugula just before serving. If needed, add kosher salt and black pepper to taste. Sprinkle with additional parmesan for garnish. Serve.
Notes
- Towel-drying and pounding the chicken to an even thickness helps it cook evenly and stay juicy on the grill.
- We love using fusilli, or rotini for this pasta salad. These twisty shapes hold onto the creamy pesto in all the right places.
- Homemade pesto should be creamy, not oily. Blending fresh basil, toasted nuts, lemon juice, and garlic with good olive oil creates a smooth, flavorful sauce that’s never greasy.
- Toasted pecans make a budget-friendly and equally delicious swap for pine nuts - don’t skip toasting; it adds so much depth.
- If you have leftovers, add a bit of warm water or olive oil (or excess pesto sauce) to loosen and refresh pasta. Add arugula just before eating.
- This recipe is part of our Pasta Salad Recipes Collection.
- Serve it with some 3-Ingredient Lemonade Margaritas for a fresh, spring and summer friendly meal!
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 496kcal | Carbohydrates: 46g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 27g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 16g | Trans Fat: 0.004g | Cholesterol: 22mg | Sodium: 144mg | Potassium: 424mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 552IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 111mg | Iron: 2mg