This Pesto Chicken and Avocado Salad is packed with bold, balanced flavors and will quickly become your new favorite lunch to prep for the week! It's made with juicy chicken breasts marinated in a zesty pesto sauce, fresh tomatoes, and creamy avocado for tons of nutrients in every bite.
Although pesto tends to be a little underrated in the sauce world, this salad gives it tons of room to shine. Using fresh kale and hearty veggies like tomatoes and red onion, you can store the ingredients in separate containers and assemble right before eating for a fresh, herbaceous salad every time.
For even more fun, whip up a quick nut-free Spinach Basil Pesto to use as the protein marinade and your salad dressing!
The Coined Breakdown
- Total Cost per serving: $2.69
- Total Cost (about 4 bowls): $10.76
- Those Other Guys: $16.99 per serving
Ingredients
- Pesto - I always use my recipe for spinach-basil pesto. It's so tasty, nut-free, and dairy-free (if you skip the parmesan.) Plus it only takes about 3 minutes to pulse everything in a food processor! However, 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 salmon 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.
- Kale - Fresh kale is hearty enough to hold all of the toppings; plus, it has lots of antioxidants and vitamin K.
- Goat Cheese - For a creamy, cheesy element. You can find this in the deli section of your grocery store.
- Red Onion - A trick I list below for the most optimal flavor - soak your sliced red onion in some cold water before enjoying.
Variations and Substitutions
Cheese: If you're not a fan of goat cheese, try crumbled feta or freshly shredded parmesan.
Other Topping Ideas: Sourdough croutons, chopped nuts, thinly sliced apple, or even dried cranberries are great on this salad. Use your creativity!
How to Make Pesto Chicken for a 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.
- Trim your chicken breasts, then toss in a combination of all-purpose seasoning, dijon mustard, and pesto. Marinate for at least one hour.
- Meanwhile, prep your vegetables. Wash and dry the salad greens, slice and season the tomatoes, and soak the sliced onion in cold water to remove that bite.
- When your chicken is ready to go, cook using an air fryer, skillet, or oven. Let rest for 5 minutes before slicing in.
- Assemble everything (including the chopped avocado) right before serving. That's it!
Recipe Pro Tip
- Soak the red onion. Soaking red onion in cold water for 20 minutes or so helps remove that sharp bite, creating a mild flavor that works great when eating raw onions on salads or burgers. When you're ready to serve, drain and pat dry.
Recipe FAQs
You can use shrimp, salmon, cod, or even deli turkey. Try my Juicy Baked Chicken Meatballs on top of this salad, tossed in some pesto vinaigrette.
You can prepare the hearty ingredients and store in separate containers until you're ready to eat. For the more gentle fruits/veggies like avocado, open and chop right before serving to avoid any browning.
Other Quick and Easy Salads You'll Crave!
If you tried this Pesto Chicken and Avocado Salad Recipe, or any other recipe on my website, please leave a star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. I love hearing from you! Thanks for visiting!
Pesto Chicken and Avocado Salad
Equipment
- Chef's Knife
- Small Mixing Bowl with lid, for marinating chicken
- Deli Container for soaking the red onion
- Salad Spinner
- Skillet or air fryer
Ingredients
- 24 ounces chicken breasts
- 2 ½ tablespoons spinach-basil pesto
- 1 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 goat 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.24 ounces chicken breasts, 2 ½ tablespoons spinach-basil pesto, 1 tablespoon all purpose seasoning, ½ tablespoon dijon mustard
- 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 black pepper if preferred.3 cups fresh kale, black pepper
- Slice grape tomatoes in half, and season with a pinch of salt.4 ounces grape tomatoes, salt
- Slice the red onion into rings or chop them into small cuts. Add to a deli container and cover with cold water.This helps create a milder raw onion flavor - perfect for eating raw on salads or burgers.½ count red onion
- Store all of your prepared fruits and vegetables in the refrigerator, in separate containers, until the protein is ready.
- Fully cook your marinated chicken using a skillet or air fryer. Remove from heat and let the chicken rest for at least 5 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 goat cheese.2 count avocados, ¾ cup goat cheese
- Either toss with your favorite dressing or leave it on the side. I recommend my High Protein Ranch Dressing, whipped with just a little more pesto for pizzaz.
- Serve immediately. Enjoy!
Ebonee says
This is really good and I love the nut-free pesto! Pine nuts are so expensive and hard to find!
Shani H. says
They really are! So glad you liked this as an alternative. Thank you for leaving a review Ebonee!