Pesto Chicken Salad

Y'all are always requesting healthy meal prep ideas, and let me tell you - this one is a new favorite of mine for many reasons. It's easy to make, stays fresh for days and packs a protein punch that keeps you full and satisfied for hours.

If you haven't hopped on the chicken salad train yet, let me introduce you to some other recipes I love and make frequently including my Curry Chicken Salad or my Curry Chickpea Salad and Smashed Chickpea Salad for plant-based options.

I'm a huge pesto fan and it truly makes the best "dressing" for this chicken salad. You can check out my Instagram for a step-by-step of how I make it!

You'll just whip up an easy spinach pesto using basil, walnuts, nutritional yeast, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, spinach, salt and pepper. If you prefer to leave out the spinach, you're more than welcome to omit as well. I just love any opportunity to sneak more greens and veggies into my diet whenever possible!

As for the chicken, I recommend making your life easy by picking a rotisserie chicken or using a few cooked chicken breasts (you can make them yourself or snag the pre-made ones from the hot/cold bar at your local grocery store).

For some additional crunch, I love chopping up a bit of celery and walnuts. Plus, you'll already have the walnuts on hand for your pesto, so it's a double whammy.

Mix this all together, and you have a super flavorful meal that stays fresh for days. Scoop it up with crackers, serve it over greens or in a sandwich - whatever your heart desires.

Save this for your next weekly meal prep, and let me know how you like it!

• 1 rotisserie chicken, picked (you can sub for ~3 cooked chicken breasts, chopped into chunks)
• 4-5 stocks of celery, chopped
• 1/3 cup walnuts, chopped

Spinach Pesto

• One big box of basil (about 4 oz) - I use the large box from Whole Foods
• Generous handful of spinach
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup of walnuts
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
• Salt & pepper to taste

Directions

1. Pick the rotisserie chicken into small pieces.
2. Chop the celery and walnuts. Add to a mixing bowl with the chicken.
3. Make the spinach pesto by adding all of the ingredients to a high-speed blender or food processor. Adjust seasonings to taste.
4. Pour in the pesto, and mix to combine everything together.
5. Serve with crackers, over greens, in a sandwich, etc. Store leftovers in an air-tight container. Enjoy!