Pesto Chicken Salad with Sun-Dried Tomatoes
Inspired by techniques from Serious Eats.
Poached chicken folded through a quick basil pesto mayonnaise with chopped sun-dried tomatoes: an easy sandwich or lunchbox filling.
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Method
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Equipment
- medium saucepan with lid
- instant-read thermometer
- large mixing bowl
- chopping board and knife
- small food processor or pestle and mortar
Nutrition per serving (estimated values)
| Per serving | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 385 kcal |
| Protein | 28.8 g |
| Carbohydrate | 4.7 g |
| of which sugars | 0.3 g |
| of which free sugars | 0.1 g |
| Fat | 27.9 g |
| of which saturates | 4.5 g |
| Fibre | 1 g |
| Salt | 0.88 g |
Protein per 100 kcal
7.5 g High Protein needs ≥ 10 g
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient values
Metric · 6 servings
Chicken
- 700 g skinless, boneless chicken breasts (about 4)
- 1 bay leaf
Quick pesto
- 30 g basil leaves
- 25 g pine nuts, toasted
- 20 g Parmesan-style hard cheese, finely grated
- 1 garlic cloves, peeled
- 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
Dressing
- 100 g mayonnaise
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 1.5 g fine sea salt or table salt about ¼ tsp
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
Salad
- 80 g oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, blotted and chopped
- 1
Cook the chicken gently. Bring the chicken and a bay leaf, barely covered in cold water, slowly to a gentle simmer. Cover the pan, switch off the heat and let it stand until a thermometer reads 74 °C, about a quarter of an hour. Cool, then tear into strips.
- 2
Make the pesto. Blitz or pound the basil, pine nuts, cheese and garlic, then work in the oil to a coarse paste.
- 3
Mix. Stir the pesto with the mayonnaise, lemon, salt and pepper, then fold in the chicken and sun-dried tomatoes.
- 4
Chill. Chill 20 min. Serve on toasted bread, on lettuce leaves or with crackers.
Storage
Keeps covered in the fridge for up to 2 days. Not suitable for freezing. Cool leftovers in a shallow container and refrigerate within 2 hours (within 1 hour on a day above 32°C).
