Pesto Chicken Salad: A Recipe to Help Get You in the Mood for Summer!

Most of us are excited as summer is almost here. My family enjoys “Pesto Chicken Salad” even in the midst of the winter season probably because it reminds us of summertime with warm days of sunshine and the sound of boats parading on Geist. In fact, Pesto Chicken Salad Sandwiches make a great lunch or dinner on any boat! This tasty recipe is great on croissants, ciabatta sandwich rolls, pumpernickel bread, or crackers.

PESTO CHICKEN SALAD

• 3 boneless chicken breasts
• 1/3 red pepper, diced
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 6 fresh basil leaves, finely chopped or about 2 teaspoons dried basil (fresh organic basil leaves used here)
• ½ cup Mayo with Olive Oil or regular mayo/salad dressing (Kraft Mayo with Olive Oil used here)
• ¼ cup Italian Dressing
• ½ cup pine nuts, walnuts, pecans, or sliced almonds
• Salt
• Dried basil

Boil chicken breasts until tender (about 30 minutes) and drain. Refrigerate for at least an hour. This will prevent chicken from shredding when you cut it into pieces.

In a large bowl, combine chopped red pepper, onion, garlic, basil, mayo, and Italian dressing and favorite nuts. Cut refrigerated chicken into bite sized pieces. Sprinkle with salt and dried basil while still on cutting board. Add chicken to pesto blend and mix well. Serve with your favorite bread or crackers. This recipe goes especially well with pasta salad. Look for the “Italian Rainbow Pasta Salad” in upcoming issue!
Servings: 6 -8