This healthy Pesto Chicken Salad tastes super fresh, bright, and it’s perfect to enjoy for lunch sitting outside in the sunshine or throw in a wrap for on-the-go! It’s incredibly delicious and such a fun way to switch up your mid-day meal.
About this Chicken Salad
I didn’t like chicken salad until I tried this pesto chicken salad… Seriously! It was never my go-to lunch or something I craved because it just seemed so BLAH! But I need to tell you—this Pesto Chicken Salad Wrap has won me over!
Adding pesto to this classic lunch staple brings a whole new level of flavor. It tastes super fresh, light, and it’s perfect for your weekly meal prep or taking it for your lunchtime picnic.
Just as I customized my chicken salad, you can customize yours. It’s such a versatile recipe that you can make over and over again without getting bored. Add more veggies, nuts, different kind of dried fruit and so much more!
And if you want some direction with other flavors, also try this Bacon Ranch Chicken Salad, Copycat Panera Napa Chicken Salad, Dill Cucumber Chicken Salad, or these Rainbow Chicken Salad Lettuce Wraps, too! Or if tuna salad is your thing, check out this Matthew McConaughey Tuna Salad recipe, which I’m sure you’ll love.
Recipe Ingredients
- Greek Yogurt: So fresh and so creamy! Classic chicken salad recipes use mayonnaise as a base, but Greek yogurt is a lighter, healthier option. It also a slightly tarter taste.
- Knorr’s Pesto Seasoning: This dry seasoning is SUCH a game changer! It mixes right in with our Greek yogurt and mayo base and creates an incredibly authentic pesto flavor without the oil.
- Hot Sauce: Do you put hot sauce on everything, too? Adds such a subtle but appreciated kick! Sure, you can omit it but it really elevates the mixture.
- Cooked Chicken: Bake/grill and shred some up yourself, or use a rotisserie chicken to save time. Here’s my favorite way to prepare chicken!
- Red Onion, apples, celery: Add crunchy texture and freshness!
- Optional Add-Ins: I love adding pickles, grapes, sliced avocado, dried cranberries and hot sauce. Toss in your favorites!
See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
How to Make This Recipe
1. Prep ingredients: I like to dice chicken breasts really finely and cook them with some salt and pepper on the stove. You can also use a grilled chicken breast, Perdue Cooked Chicken Strips, or a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store. The idea is to use whatever is convenient to YOU. Dice apples, onion, and celery finely.
2. In a mixing bowl, add Greek yogurt, mayonnaise, lemon juice, and hot sauce. Mix together. Pour in pesto seasoning and mix until completely dissolved.
3. Add chicken and produce to the bowl with the creamy dressing.
4. Stir until everything is well coated. Add salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy with a fork, on bread, with crackers or my favorite, on a wrap!
Recipe FAQs
Store in the fridge for up to 5 days and mix before enjoying. If enjoying as a sandwich or wrap, store separately from the bread.
I suggest you check out my Ninja Foodi Grilled Chicken blog post for some tips on preparing the best grilled chicken. You can also use rotisserie, canned, or pre-shredded chicken for convenience. I love the pre-shredded chicken from Costco or Target.
Yes! I like the bit of richness it adds, but you can just add more Greek yogurt in its place with little adjustment in flavor. Alternatively, you could also omit the Greek yogurt in place for more mayonnaise, too.
This chicken salad can be enjoyed in a variety of different ways. I love it on a wrap with avocado, spinach, and a little extra hot sauce. You can also enjoy on bread (I suggest toasted, sourdough!), with crackers, on a bed of lettuce, or just with a fork!
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Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating and comment in the recipe card below. Thanks for visiting!
Pesto Chicken Salad
Equipment
- Cutting Board
- Knife
- Mixing Bowl
- Mixing spoon
- Measuring cups and spoons
Ingredients
- 1½ cups cooked chicken, shredded or diced
- ½ cup Greek yogurt
- ½ packet Knorr's Pesto Seasoning Mix
- ½ cup diced apple
- 2 tbsp red onion, diced
- 1 tbsp mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp slivered almonds
- 1 stalk celery
- hot sauce, just a splash
- lemon juice, just a splash
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, add Greek yogurt, mayonnaise, lemon juice, and hot sauce. Mix together. Pour in pesto seasoning and mix until completely dissolved.
- If not already done, shred your chicken, then add to bowl with the dressing.
- Chop celery, red onion, slivered almonds, and apple into fine pieces. Add to bowl with the dressing and stir until everything is completely coated.
- Stir in a pinch of salt and cracked pepper to taste.
- Enjoy with a fork, on bread, with crackers, over lettuce or my favorite, on a wrap!
Nutrition
Notes
Looking for this in MyFitnessPal?
If you’re using MyFitnessPal, search ‘A Paige Of Positivity’ and find PESTO CHICKEN SALAD calories and nutrition facts. Disclaimer: for most accurate macronutrients and caloric breakdown, it is recommended that you input each ingredient into your MyFitnessPal food diary.
I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below. It’s my passion to create dishes that can be shared with others. Tell me something you loved or just say hi!
I made this recipe but substituted chickpeas for the chicken. We really enjoyed the recipe and ate it for lunch two days in a row. I think we will definitely be having this again and maybe next time with chicken if I remember to buy it!
This is such a wonderful idea, Shannon! Thank you for your review 🙂
Tried this and did not regret it! All of the ingredients went along so well! I did add a little bit of chopped dill pickles and added some of the juice in just because I like things a little more salty. Loved it and so easy to make!
First of all, YUM! The pesto adds such a great twist on the classic chicken salad. I couldn’t find the seasoning mix at the store so I used fresh pesto and I was eating it straight out of the bowl! This is now my go to chicken salad recipe. Already looking forward to making it again!
Loved this recipe it lasted all week without getting really weird or that strange liquid on the side of it. I did add a lot more of the mixings in with it. I would highly recommend adding the slivered almonds on top instead of mixing them in for that extra crunch. Overall a great and quick meal idea!
This is one of my favorite recipes on the blog. Every time I buy a rotisserie chicken and need to use it up I always make this. My family loves to have this as out skiing lunch. We prepare it the night before and keep it in a cooler in the car. This is a family staple in our house and can not recommend this recipe enough.
So thoughtful, Lily!! Thank you XX
I love making different chicken salads for meal prep. This one was delicious and super easy to throw together!
I’ve made this quite a few times and it never disappoints!!!! I personally think there is nothing better than finding a delicious, quick and easy recipe to make on a Sunday that will last all week for lunches. Best. Prep. Ever.
so wonderful to hear, Allie! Thanks for the review!
This was delicious!! I love this lighter, sweet chicken salad. I put these on a croissant and it was a perfect meal-prep option for lunch.
DELICIOUS! I love chicken salad for a quick lunch with tortilla, the pesto and cranberries add so much more flavor that I would have never imagined go together but they do. I made it 2 weeks ago and have been craving it ever since. Hunting down more of the pesto packets today!
SO GOOD! Perfect lunch or dinner, boyfriend literally begged for more.
So good! Prepped this for my lunches this week as a topping for salad and I am psyched! The pesto really elevates this dish from a normal chicken salad recipe to a phenomenal one!
One of my favorite recipes on the blog! I always come back to it. It keeps well for meal prep (doesn’t get squishy or watery). Such a great texture. I usually use golden raisins in place of cranberries, because that’s what I had on hand the first time, and I really liked it 😅 cannot recommend this enough!
I made this today for lunch and it was a 10/10! I’ve been loving chicken salad lately and wanted to try something a little different. The pesto seasoning is SO good. It’s not overwhelming! Plus the touch of sweet added by the dried cranberries is *chefs kiss*. It’ll be in the chicken salad rotation for sure!
The answer to your question is ‘yes’. You need to make this! This apop recipe is one of the most frequent ones I make. it is so easy to make and tastes incredible.
seasoning packets are underrated! the pesto packet took this chicken salad to the next level!
I really just love this chicken salad! Perfect for meal prepped lunches.