Chicken pesto Caesar salad recipe

Name: Chicken pesto Caesar salad
Yield: Serves 4
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

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

Shop your ingredients

Tesco British Chicken Breast Fillets 650G
4 chicken breast fillets
£4.90
£7.54/kg
Tesco Olive Oil 250Ml
1 tbsp olive oil
£3.10
£12.40/litre
Tesco Romaine Hearts Twin Pack
1 pack Romaine lettuce hearts, washed and torn into pieces
£1.20
£0.60/each
Nightingale Farms Cherry Tomatoes 250G
220g (7 1/2oz) cherry tomatoes, halved
£0.62
£2.48/kg
Tesco Wholefoods Pine Nuts 100G
50g (2 oz) pine nuts, lightly toasted
£3.95
£39.50/kg
Tesco Pitted Black Olives 330G
100g (3 1/2oz) black pitted olives, cut in half
£1.10
£6.75/kg DR.WT
Tesco Sourdough Bloomer 400G
3 slices of your choice of bread, cut into cubes (to make croutons)
£2.10
£5.25/kg
Tesco Classic Green Pesto 190G
Aldi Price Match
130g (4 oz) fresh pesto
£0.89
£4.68/kg
Tesco Lemons Each
1 lemon, 1/2 finely zested and juiced, 1/2 cut into wedges, to serve
£0.37
£0.37/each
Creamfields Grated Grana Padano 100G
handful Parmesan shavings
£1.65
£16.50/kg

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.