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Chicken pesto Caesar salad recipe

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Dress up a traditional chicken Caesar salad with a flavoursome herby pesto and olive twist. This warm chicken salad is perfect for packing on picnics or a light lunch. See method

Serves 4
15 mins to prepare and 20 mins to cook
607 calories / serving

Ingredients

4 chicken breast fillets
1 tbsp olive oil
1 pack Romaine lettuce hearts, washed and torn into pieces
1 pack sweet gem lettuce, washed and shredded
220g (7 1/2oz) cherry tomatoes, halved
50g (2 oz) pine nuts, lightly toasted
100g (3 1/2oz) black pitted olives, cut in half
3 slices of your choice of bread, cut into cubes (to make croutons)
3 tbsp olive oil
130g (4 oz) fresh pesto
1 lemon, 1/2 finely zested and juiced, 1/2 cut into wedges, to serve
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
handful Parmesan shavings

Each serving contains

Energy
2525kj
607kcal 30%
Fat
41g 59%
Saturates
6g 28%
Sugars
5g 6%
Salt
2g 34%

of the reference intake
Carbohydrate 22.4g Protein 36.4g Fibre 4.2g

Method

Start by placing the chicken breasts onto an oven tray and drizzle 1 tbsp of olive oil over them with a little salt and pepper to season. Cook in the oven for 20 minutes. Whilst the chicken is cooking you can prep the salad.
Either in 1 large bowl or 4 individual bowls, arrange the salad leaves (Romaine and sweet gem), cherry tomatoes, pine nuts and olives.
In a nonstick frying pan add the bread cubes, 3 tbsp oil and some seasoning. Toss together to coat all the bread and fry this on a high heat to brown and crisp up. You will need to keep tossing the bread in the pan, when you have a nice golden colour remove onto some kitchen paper and set aside.
When the chicken is ready remove from the oven. Slice the chicken and place into a bowl, then add half the tub of pesto to the chicken and give it a good stir making sure every piece is coated.
In a jam jar, add the remaining 2 tbsp of olive oil, the other half of the tub of pesto and the juice and zest of the lemon. Add a little seasoning to taste and give it a good shake.
Drizzle the dressing over the salad, add the chicken, and finish with the croutons and some parmesan shavings.

See more #EvenBetter recipes

For top tips on protecting you and your family when preparing raw meat and poultry, visit Food Safety in the Home.