Pesto Chicken Salad

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Pesto Chicken Salad is the best chicken salad ever! Quick and easy with rotisserie chicken, roasted red peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, almonds, and a zesty pesto dressing. Perfect on bread or a croissant!

Try our other variations on Chicken Salad: this Honey Mustard Chicken SaladCurry Chicken Salad, or Pineapple Chicken Salad.

Pesto chicken salad sandwich, a delectable meal ready to be savored.

Pesto Chicken Salad

Every time we go to a soup, salad, and sandwich restaurant I get a pesto chicken salad if it’s on the menu. It’s about time I created my own version, and I don’t think I’ll ever order one again because this is my dream sandwich! The combo of buttery croissants piled high with crisp lettuce, pesto-coated chicken, roasted peppers, sweet sun-dried tomatoes, and crunchy almonds is pure heaven in a meal.

This Pesto Chicken Salad truly is the best. It’s also such a quick recipe to whip up and much better for you than a mayo-filled chicken salad. While there is some mayonnaise in the dressing, we keep it to a minimum so the pesto can truly shine through. So let’s get started by discussing the pesto dressing, because it’s my all-time favorite.

Preparing the dressing and combining it with chicken and sun-dried tomatoes.

Ingredients In Pesto Chicken Salad

There are only four ingredients in the actual salad, outside of the dressing. Here is a quick breakdown of those ingredients.

  • Rotisserie chicken: Using rotisserie chicken makes this pesto chicken salad come together so quickly. It also creates an even more flavorful sandwich because the rotisserie chicken is seasoned. You can also make your own rotisserie chicken
  • Roasted red peppers: While you can roast your own peppers, I use store-bought ones. They’re so flavorful and chop up really quickly to add into this Pesto Chicken Salad.
  • Sun-dried tomatoes: Make sure to get the tomatoes packed in oil — those have the most flavor! 
  • Sliced almonds: The almonds add a great crunchy texture and flavor. You can toast them for additional flavor, but I rarely do this.

Dressing

The dressing makes this pesto chicken salad. Below I’m breaking down the ingredients and sharing the brands I use for this dressing. (None of the below products are sponsoring this post; they are simply what I use in this recipe.)

  • Basil Pesto: Opt for fresh basil pesto, found near fresh pasta or in the produce section. I vouch for Buitoni’s® Pesto with Basil or Rana’s® Basil Pesto.
  • Mayo: Choose a rich, creamy mayo. Hellman’s/Best Foods® is my top pick.
  • Sour Cream: Any variety works, even low-fat or fat-free.
  • Dijon Mustard: This adds a unique tang; avoid substituting with regular mustard.
  • Lemon Juice: Use fresh-squeezed for a vibrant flavor boost.
  • Salt and Pepper: Adjust based on the pesto’s saltiness; sometimes, a pinch more salt does the trick.”

Ingredients for pesto dressing, showcasing all the flavorful components.

How To Make Pesto Chicken Salad

  1. In a large bowl, combine chicken, red pepper, sun-dried tomatoes, and almonds.
  2. For the dressing, mix pesto, mayo, sour cream, honey, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, and seasonings in a separate bowl.
  3. Combine the dressing with the chicken mixture.
  4. Assemble sandwich with desired toppings on toasted bread or a croissant. Enjoy!

Mixing chicken, slivered almonds, roasted red peppers, and tomatoes in a bowl for pesto chicken salad.

Pesto Chicken Salad Serving Suggestions

  • Our favorite way to enjoy these sandwiches is on a good, buttery croissant with a few pieces of lettuce!
  • It’s also great on regular toasted bread (sourdough or ciabatta are two of our favorites).
  • For a low-carb option, make lettuce wraps! Pile this Pesto Chicken Salad on some butter lettuce leaves.
  • Enjoy as-is. This chicken salad is also great straight from the bowl or spooned onto crackers.
  • Make a chicken salad pita by stuffing or spooning on toasted pita bread
  • Serve this chicken salad inside an avocado.

Chicken mixture generously coated with delicious dressing, a key step in preparing salad with pesto chicken.

STORAGE

How To Store Leftovers

Truthfully, Pesto Chicken Salad is best the same day it’s made. With the fresh pesto and crunchy almonds, it’s not a salad that sits well for a long time. While it’s fine to make it a few hours in advance, I wouldn’t recommend making it too far ahead.

Technically you can store it for two or three days in the fridge, but flavors and textures change from when it’s initially made.

Pesto chicken salad served in a croissant bun, resting on a bed of fresh lettuce.

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Pesto Chicken Salad

5 from 4 votes
Pesto Chicken Salad is the best ever! Rotisserie chicken, roasted red peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, and sliced almonds are tossed with a creamy pesto dressing and loaded up on sandwich bread (or a croissant). These sandwiches come together so fast and easily.
Pesto chicken salad sandwich, a delectable meal ready to be savored.
Print Recipe

Pesto Chicken Salad

Pesto chicken salad sandwich, a delectable meal ready to be savored.
5 from 4 votes
Pesto Chicken Salad is the best ever! Rotisserie chicken, roasted red peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, and sliced almonds are tossed with a creamy pesto dressing and loaded up on sandwich bread (or a croissant). These sandwiches come together so fast and easily.
Course Dinner, lunch, Main Course, Sandwich
Cuisine American
Keyword pesto chicken salad
Prep Time 20 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings 6 loaded sandwiches
Chelsea Lords
Calories 362kcal
Cost $8.47

Ingredients

  • 3 cups rotisserie chicken cubed or shredded
  • 1/2 cup jarred roasted red pepper, diced
  • 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil diced
  • 1/2 cup sliced almonds

Dressing

  • 1/2 cup prepared basil pesto (I highly recommend Rana or Buitoni's fresh basil pesto) Note 1
  • 1/4 cup mayonnaise recommended: Best Foods/Hellmans
  • 2 tablespoons sour cream
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1 and 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
  • Salt & pepper
  • Assembly: bread (we LOVE croissants with this recipe), lettuce, tomato, avocado, etc. (whatever you like on a chicken salad sandwich!)

Instructions

  • CHICKEN SALAD: Cube or shred the chicken, measure 3 cups and place in a large bowl. Add the 1/2 cup diced roasted red pepper, 1/2 cup diced sun-dried tomatoes (drain out the oil and give them a quick coarse chop), and sliced almonds. You can toast the almonds if desired.
  • DRESSING: In a medium-sized bowl, add the 1/2 cup fresh basil pesto, 1/4 cup mayo, 2 tablespoons sour cream, 1 tablespoon honey, 1 and 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir until smooth.
  • COMBINE: Pour the dressing over the chicken and salad ingredients. Gently stir with a wooden spoon until ingredients are combined.
  • ASSEMBLE: Make your sandwich! Toast bread or slice open a fresh croissant. Top the bread/croissant with lettuce and a few scoops of the pesto chicken salad. If desired, add any other sandwich toppings -- tomato, cheese, or avocado. We usually just do a croissant, the pesto chicken salad, and lettuce.

Recipe Notes

Note 1: Pesto: The pesto is the most important ingredient in this salad! You'll want to get freshly made basil pesto (or make your own), not the preserved/jarred pesto. Freshly made pesto is typically near fresh (not dried) pasta or in the produce section of the store. My two favorites in this specific sandwich are Buitoni® Pesto with Basil or Rana® Basil Pesto.

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 6loaded sandwiches | Calories: 362kcal | Carbohydrates: 9.8g | Protein: 30g | Fat: 22.6g | Cholesterol: 88mg | Sodium: 225.3mg | Fiber: 2.5g | Sugar: 5.9g

We do our best to provide accurate nutritional analysis for our recipes. Our nutritional data is calculated using a third-party algorithm and may vary, based on individual cooking styles, measurements, and ingredient sizes. Please use this information for comparison purposes and consult a health professional for nutrition guidance as needed.

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11 Comments

  1. Love this sandwich so much! This is my dream lunch. Great photos and the pesto looks absolutely marvelous.

  2. I’m a pesto fanatic and not a huge fan of mayo, so I like that you made the sauce pesto-heavy! It looks so so good – definitely the perfect summery lunch. Lovely photos, as usual 🙂

  3. OMG this sandwich looks absolutely divine!! My husband and I adore pesto chicken salad cause we are a huge fun of pesto. We also love to put pesto on our grilled cheese sandwiches 🙂
    But I’ve never eaten chicken sandwich with roasted peppers before. It must be delicious.

    Ps: your photos are getting more and more beautiful. Love them!

    1. I’d use Greek yogurt and sour cream 🙂 Might be a touch tangy so maybe a bit more honey as well.

  4. 5 stars
    My husband and I are enjoying a keto diet right now! At the end of our induction face, this sandwich on lettuce instead of bread, is going to be the first meal I prepare! Thank you! It sounds heavenly!

  5. 5 stars
    Fantastic, really delicious I love how all the flavors mixed together. I wanted something tasty and healthy and this fit the bill.

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