Pesto Chicken Salad

Name: Pesto Chicken Salad
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and cut into ½-inch cubes; 2 stalks broccoli, stem peeled and thinly sliced, cut into small florets, blanched; ¼ small red onion, peeled and finely diced; 1 cup mayonnaise; 2 tablespoons basil pesto; juice from 1 medium lemon, about 2 tablespoons; 1 teaspoon kosher salt; ½ teaspoon coarse black pepper

Coastal Mains

Pesto Chicken Salad

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The Strategy:

This chicken salad forcefully rejects the bland, heavy deli-counter standard by introducing a bright, aggressively herbaceous pesto mayonnaise and the brilliant textural contrast of blanched broccoli florets. By folding vibrant fresh basil pesto and sharp lemon juice into the rich mayonnaise base, the dressing perfectly coats the chicken while remaining remarkably light on the palate. Serving this vibrantly green, deeply flavorful salad creates an instantly sophisticated, effortless lunch option that feels deliberately crafted rather than thrown together from leftovers.

Serves: 4 to 6 | Total Time: 30 minutes till it’s ready

Ingredients

2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and cut into ½-inch cubes
2 stalks broccoli, stem peeled and thinly sliced, cut into small florets, blanched
¼ small red onion, peeled and finely diced
1 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons basil pesto
juice from 1 medium lemon, about 2 tablespoons
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon coarse black pepper

Instructions

Place the chicken, broccoli, and onion into a bowl.
Stir together the mayonnaise, pesto, and lemon juice in another bowl.
Pour the sauce over the chicken salad ingredients and toss to coat.
Season with salt and pepper.

Thing to Note:

Thing to Note:

A cook's hand using a silver serving spoon to fold a glossy, vibrant green pesto mayonnaise dressing over cubed roasted chicken, blanched broccoli florets, and diced red onions in a heavy crystal bowl.

Things to Note

✦ Leftovers: You can substitute with dark meat or any combo of chicken meat for this salad. I love leftover lemon chicken for this recipe.

✦ Make it Fresh: You can purchase prepared pesto, or you can make your own!

Homemade Pesto:

• 1 bunch fresh basil leaves, about 2 cups

• ¼ pound fresh spinach leaves, about 1 cup

• ½ cup pine nuts, toasted

• 4 cloves garlic, peeled, about 2 tablespoons

• 4 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated, about 1 cup

• 1 teaspoon coarse salt

• 1 teaspoon coarse pepper

• ½ cup olive oil

Place the basil, spinach, pine nuts, garlic, and Parmesan cheese into the bowl of a food processor (or blender). Pulse to emulsify. With the machine running, slowly pour in the olive oil to form a paste. Season with salt and pepper. You can keep pesto in an air tight container for several weeks in your fridge.

The full recipe lives in the Vault

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The Heart of the Table

A truly exceptional chicken salad is the hallmark of a thoughtfully stocked estate kitchen. Having a massive bowl of this vibrant green, pesto-laced salad chilling in the refrigerator offers your guests an immediate, luxurious comfort the moment they arrive, providing an effortless lunch that requires absolutely zero active cooking.

8 guests gathered around the table laughing, eating, and drinking icy Sauvignon Blanc in long-stemmed glasses in a Palm Beach Estate dining patio with ocean views. A massive crystal bowl of vibrant green Chicken Salad anchors the effortlessly coastal afternoon.

Neighborly Grace

THE PRESENTATION: Do not serve this casually in a plastic container. Mound the vibrant green chicken salad high in a massive, heavy crystal or stark white ceramic bowl. Serve alongside a massive platter of ultra-crisp, toasted sourdough crostini and deeply colored heirloom tomato slices for an impeccably refined luncheon.
THE POUR: The rich mayonnaise base and the bright, herbaceous punch of the fresh basil pesto require a wine with piercing acidity and grassy notes. A fiercely chilled, vibrant New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc or an icy, mineral-driven Sancerre perfectly elevates the pesto while cutting right through the richness.
THE VIBE: Effortlessly elegant coastal afternoons. This is the meal you lay out on the kitchen island when friends are arriving off the beach, the French doors are thrown open, and the afternoon calls for a crisp, casually luxurious lunch.

Chef’s Recommendations

The Bread to Put It On: Seeded Whole Grain Bread
The Cold Bowl Alongside: Easy Classic Gazpacho
The Glass with Lunch: The Gin Fizz
The Sweet at the End: Chocolate Silk Pie

The Estate Table

Build tonight’s menu around this dish.

✦ Set the Table

Pesto Chicken Salad

Pesto Chicken Salad

The full recipe lives in the Vault

The Heart of the Table

Neighborly Grace

✨ The Gilded Swaps