Do you ever just throw a bunch of left over, forgotten, back of the fridge ingredients into a skillet and call it dinner? We’ve all been there, don’t lie. I would say about 90 percent of those meals turn out into this mediocre dinner that you and your family just put up with. The other 10 percent some how turn into this beyond delicious and magical experience. This is exactly how this recipe was born. This easy grilled chicken pesto salad took me about 15 minutes to create and turned out to be one of my family’s new favorite meals.
Tips When Making This Easy Grilled Chicken Pesto Salad
- I’m going to be honest, when I first made this recipe I used jarred pesto and pre-made Caesar salad dressing. Work smarter, not harder, right? This is the key to making this dish super easy and quick. So, if you’re looking for a quick weeknight dinner I would buy the pesto and Caesar dressing. If you’re someone that wants to make everything from scratch, great! I’ll link my favorite pesto and Caesar dressing recipe.
- Let your chicken breast sit out for 30 minutes. If you skip this step, your chicken will cook unevenly on the pan. This can lead to raw chicken in the center and burned chicken on the outside.
Easy Grilled Chicken Pesto Salad
Course: DinnerDifficulty: Easy2
servings10
minutes20
minutesIngredients
2 chicken breasts
4 cups mixed greens salad
1 cup cherry tomatoes
1/4 cup of grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup pesto
1/4 cup Caesar dressing
2 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper
1 tbsp butter
Directions
- Let the chicken breast sit out until it is room temperature, about 30 minutes. Season the chicken breast with salt and pepper and set aside.
- Heat a medium sized skillet on medium-low heat. Add the tablespoon of butter and heat until melted. Add the chicken breast to the pan and let cook for 9 minutes. After the 9 minutes is over, flip the chicken over and let it cook for another 9 minutes on the other side. Check the temperature of the chicken and once it hits 160 degrees F, take it off the heat and let it sit.
- Add the pesto, Caesar dressing, and olive oil to a bowl and mix. Set aside until ready to dress the salad.
- Add your mixed greens to a bowl and top with the grated parmesan cheese, grilled chicken, and pesto dressing. Enjoy!
Notes
If you loved this recipe, try some of my other easy recipes such as, my Maple Glazed Salmon.
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