Pesto Chicken Potato Salad
In our twist on a traditional potato salad, a fresh and fragrant pesto brings the chicken, potatoes and green beans together. We’ve suggested poached chicken here, but you can use any leftover chicken you have on hand.
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Ingredients
Salad
- 1 lb baby redskin or yellow potatoes, scrubbed and halved
- 8 oz green beans, trimmed and cut into 2-inch lengths
- 12 oz boneless, skinless chicken breasts, poached* then shredded
- 2 cups cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
Pesto
- 1 tbsp raw unsalted walnut pieces
- 1 tbsp raw unsalted pine nuts (TRY: NOW Real Food Raw Organic Pine Nuts)
- 2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
- 1 1/4 cups lightly packed fresh basil (leaves and tender stems)
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
Preparation
1. To a large saucepan, add potatoes and enough cold water to cover. Bring to a simmer; cook just until tender, about 15 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer potatoes to a large bowl. Let cool.
2. Return same saucepan of water to a boil. Add beans and cook until tender-crisp, 3 to 4 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer to a large bowl of ice water to chill; drain and pat dry. Set aside.
3. Meanwhile, prepare pesto: To a mini food processor, add walnuts, pine nuts and garlic; pulse to finely chop. Add basil, salt and pepper; pulse to combine. With motor running, gradually add oil through feed tube; blend until smooth. Add cheese; pulse to combine.
4. To bowl with potatoes, add beans, chicken, tomatoes and pesto; toss gently to coat. Refrigerate in airtight containers up to 2 days.
Tip: To poach chicken, bring a large pot of water to a simmer and add chicken. As soon as water starts bubbling, reduce heat to medium-low to maintain a slow simmer. Cook until no longer pink and an instant-read thermometer reaches 165°F when tested in thickest part, 10 to 12 minutes.
Nutrition Information
- Serving Size 1/6 of recipe
- Calories 255
- Carbohydrate Content 19 g
- Cholesterol Content 33 mg
- Fat Content 13 g
- Fiber Content 3 g
- Protein Content 15.5 g
- Saturated Fat Content 2 g
- Sodium Content 227 mg
- Sugar Content 3 g
- Monounsaturated Fat Content 8 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat Content 2 g