Easy Chicken Pesto Pasta Salad Weeknight Dinner

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Every summer I go crazy planting basil. It’s as if I forget how tiny those seeds are as I’m planting the much larger seeds in the veggie garden every spring. By the time I get to basil seeds (and carrots too), I simply end up spilling them through my fingers, and by August there is a basil forest growing out there.

As every summer wraps up I’m left with bundles of basil leaves that will go to waste unless I do something with them, and that something is pesto. This walnut pesto recipe is a simple and delicious way to preserve the basil bounty, and it keeps in the freezer for over a year. I’m usually finishing up last year’s pesto right as it’s time to make more – that bit of magic never ceases to amaze me!

In our family, September and October are the seasons of fall sports. The weather is cooling off, the leaves are smelling like autumn even if they won’t turn colors until late October down here. We are often in desperate need of quick and easy dinners, often ones that can come to the soccer field with us along with some portable bowls and utensils, lest we eat sandwiches AGAIN. Really, we get so sick of store bought bread and sandwiches in the fall!

Easy Dinner with Pantry Staples

This recipe uses a store-bought rotisserie chicken to keep things simple, although if you have the time you are welcome to chop and sauté bite sized chunks of chicken to use. I also love that the pasta in this recipe leaves a lot of room for creativity. Gluten free, various shapes, and even heirloom brands like Jovial are all options depending on your budget and dietary needs.

While the recipe calls for just onions and peppers, you can absolutely throw in whatever garden veg you have on hand. I’ve added chopped fresh asparagus, tomatoes, and fresh greens to this salad.

Chicken Pesto Pasta Salad never fails in our house- it’s a dinner the kids praise every single time!

INGREDIENTS

INGREDIENT NOTES

Chicken: You can use any kind of chicken, although I prefer to get a small roasted whole chicken from the deli counter and just pick the meat. It’s affordable, quick, and eliminates the preservatives found in pre-picked chicken.

Pasta: I love to use Fusilli because all those spirals trap the pesto, but you can use any pasta of your choice. This is a fabulous way to make a gluten-free dish!

Pesto: If you have fresh basil and a few ingredients, you can make this easy peasy pesto recipe. Trader Joe’s has a store-bought pesto that’s fabulous too!

Garden grown produce if you have it. Otherwise, store bought it is!

HOW TO MAKE CHICKEN PESTO PASTA SALAD

Step 1: Defrost frozen pesto and pick chicken if necessary.

Step 2: Chop the onion and pepper into pieces about the size of the pasta you’re using so that all items are roughly the same size. Set aside.

Step 3: Boil a pot of water with a pinch of salt and cook pasta according to the package directions. Strain and cool.

Step 4: Combine pesto, olive oil, and salt in a small bowl and stir well.

Step 5: Gently mix all ingredients together in a large bowl. I like to refrigerate mine and serve it as a cold “salad” because this gives the flavors time to blend together. Garnish with fresh basil leaves.

FAQS FOR CHICKEN PESTO PASTA SALAD