This Pesto Chicken and Avocado Salad is so good, you'll want to eat it for lunch all week. We take pesto-marinated chicken and add it to fresh greens topped with red onion, tomatoes, feta cheese, and tons of creamy avocado.
When people think of sauces and dressings, I feel like pesto always goes under the radar. Which is a shame, because it's absolutely delicious! To double up on that fresh, herb flavor - dress this salad with an easy homemade pesto vinaigrette.
Ingredients
- Pesto - I use this recipe for spinach-basil pesto... it's so tasty, nut-free, and dairy-free. But you can always just buy your own if you prefer.
- Chicken Breasts - Lean chicken breasts are my pick for this salad. But feel free to sub with deli turkey or shrimp!
- Avocado - Creamy, perfectly-ripe avocado is a must for this recipe. I like to dice mine into cubes and season with a touch of salt + pepper.
How to Make a Pesto Chicken & Avocado Salad
Most of our preparation time is spent getting the chicken marinated and cooked. After that, we can make meal prep easier throughout the week by chopping & storing our vegetables (separately) and then assembling the full salad a couple minutes before eating.
- Start out by adding the pesto & chicken breasts to a bag with some all-purpose seasoning. Shake the bag until the chicken is fully covered, then marinate in the fridge for at least an hour.
- Wash and dry your salad base with a salad spinner. Chop the red onion into strips, the tomatoes into halves, and get your avocado ready.
- One the marinated chicken is ready, cook it over stovetop or in an air fryer. Let that rest for a bit so the juices won't leak out whenever you cut into it.
- Finally, assemble your salad when it's time to eat. Greens, sliced pesto chicken, halved grape tomatoes, sliced red onion, feta, and seasoned avocado cubes. It's absolutely amazing and so fresh-tasting!
Other Salad Recipes You'll Adore!
Fresh Rainbow Fruit Salad + Agave Lime Syrup
Buffalo Chicken Ranch Cobb Salad
Pesto Chicken and Avocado Salad
Ingredients
- 2 ½ count chicken breasts
- 2 ½ tablespoon spinach-basil pesto more if making a pesto vinaigrette
- 2 tablespoon all purpose seasoning
- ½ tablespoon dijon mustard
- 3 cups fresh kale chopped
- 4 ounces grape tomatoes
- ½ count red onion
- 2 count avocados
- ¾ cup feta cheese
- salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Trim your chicken breasts of any fat.
- Add the chicken, spinach-basil pesto, all-purpose seasoning, and dijon mustard to a large bowl or Ziploc bag.
- Mix everything around until the chicken is completely covered in pesto and seasonings; marinate (covered) in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
- While the chicken is marinating, chop your greens and wash/dry them using a salad spinner. Season them with a bit of salt and black pepper if preferred.
- Slice grape tomatoes in half, and season with a pinch of salt.
- Slice the red onion into rings or chop them into small cuts. I store all veggies (lettuce/spinach, tomatoes, and onion) in the fridge in separate containers until the proteins are ready.
- Cook your marinated chicken in a skillet or air fryer until fully cooked. Remove from heat and let the chicken rest for at least 3 minutes before slicing into it.
- In a bowl, assemble your salad with the lettuce mix, pesto chicken, tomatoes, and onions. Slice half of an avocado for each bowl and add to the salad. Top with the feta cheese.
- Either toss with your favorite dressing or leave it on the side. I made a tasty pesto vinaigrette for this because I can't get enough of the pesto flavor! Simply blend together more spinach-basil pesto, a touch of extra-virgin olive oil, and some extra lemon juice until it is a thin consistency and drizzle over your salad.
- Serve immediately. Enjoy!
Notes
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The Coined Breakdown
- Total Cost per serving: $2.69
- Total Cost (4 bowls): $10.76
- Those Other Guys: $16.99 per bowl
Did you make this recipe? Let me know what you think!