Pesto Chicken Salad is loaded with pine nuts, shaved parmesan, and fresh tomatoes. A delicious, flavor-packed twist on classic chicken salad, this chicken salad recipe is perfect for spring!
Sometimes being a food blogger is weird. Like when I have random packages delivered to my house, filled with anything from salad dressing to cheese to sandwich rolls or candy bars. Or when people show up at my house and my entire kitchen looks like a bomb went off. Or when I’m mixing mojito cocktails at 9 am and making lemon chicken piccata before noon (only to be re-heated later in the day).
Yes, sometimes I stop and think about the fact that most people don’t grocery shop 12 times a week (slight exaggeration) or have a laundry room filled with kitchen props or have closets full of the same brand of chips in different flavors.
It’s something we’ve grown accustomed to, but I try to remind myself….especially when the girls have friends over….that the life of a food blogger is a little bit odd. The fact that I often think of food as “just another prop”? Strange. The fact that my fridge is filled with random toppings and condiments “just in case”….? Weird (and kind of annoying)! Although, truth be told, my fridge has always been that way. But it’s usually filled with delicious food, like pesto chicken salad, for creating easy weeknight meals. Because occasionally, who has time for more than that?
Pesto Chicken Salad
And then there’s the issue of the actual recipes that show up here on Lemon Tree Dwelling. So often, I make 3 or 4 recipes in the same day and photograph them all at once. Case in point: this Pesto Chicken Salad! I was on a roll this past Sunday and the chicken salad was one of four. And as much as I wanted to eat it ALL….(pesto chicken salad, brunch egg bake, jalapeño poppers, and a fresh batch of salsa), I decided that sharing it might be even better.
So I texted my neighbor, asked her if she had eaten lunch, and sent a pesto chicken salad sandwich home with her son (who, incidentally, carried it home on roller blades).
Random, I know. Like I said….being a food blogger is weird! And we know it. So here’s my advice to those of you with food bloggers in your lives: If you want to participate in the deliciousness (and clearly you do….) you have to put up with the weirdness. Even embrace it. We’re a weird bunch! Or, at the very least, we have a weird job. Either way, I’d say it’s all worth it in the end.
If you’re lucky, you live close to my blogger friend Lisa, so you can devour her cookie dough lush for dessert.
Pesto Chicken Salad
Ingredients
- 2 c. cooked chopped chicken
- 1/2 c. basil pesto
- 1/2 c. shaved parmesan cheese
- 2 Tbsp. pine nuts
- 1 c. grape tomatoes halved
- sandwich rolls
Instructions
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Combine chicken and pesto; stir until combined.
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Add parmesan, pine nuts, and grape tomatoes and mix.
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Enjoy "as is" or divide chicken salad evenly between sandwich rolls.
Dorothy at Shockingly Delicious says
I laughed in recognition at what you confess…packages arriving all day long containing weird items, condiments, props stuffed into every cabinet, a chaotic kitchen…it’s all part of the fun. And now I want your chicken sandwich, right this minute.
Holly N @ Spend With Pennies says
What a great twist on traditional chicken salad! We grill a lot of chicken over the summer and I usually do a little extra so I have some for lunch the next day… now i know exactly what I’m going to make with it!
Carrie @Frugal Foodie Mama says
Haha! 😀 I love this post, and I love this tasty twist on chicken salad. But seriously… I still have boxes of various candy bars (from a Halloween campaign) stacked in my bedroom (of all places), and the bottom shelf of my fridge is filled with veggie sauces. *sigh* I never have enough room for everything, and I am constantly pawning the extras off onto my family, friends, and my husband’s co-workers. 😉 But they usually don’t complain, lol.
Amy says
What a great flavor addition to a classic! Love it.
Andi @ The Weary Chef says
Perfect twist on a classic favorite! And I love how quick and easy it is to make! 😀
Nutmeg Nanny says
This looks CRAZY good! Love all the flavor you packed into this sandwich.
amanda @ fake ginger says
I always say that my kids aren’t going to survive when they move out and don’t have the UPS man bringing boxes of random food to the door every day. Food blogging is weird.
Love this chicken salad! I think I’ve got all the ingredients so it may be pesto chicken salad lettuce wraps for lunch today!
Pony says
That looks soooooooooo yummy!!!
Jessica says
This looks like quite a yummy sandwich! Perfect for Summer! I’m trying to get more protein in my diet so it’s on my list! Ps: I wish I was your neighbor! The food blogger neighbor perks sound fantastic!
Katie says
This was the perfect mix of flavors – a filling, hearty meal. And I loved the delivery service!
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