Healthy Chicken Pesto Pasta Salad

• servings: 6 servings
• active time: 10 minutes
• total time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

227 grams of dried pasta (8oz)

3/4 cup pesto sauce

1 large lemon (just the juice)

1 cup cherry tomatoes (sliced)

1 ½ cups cucumber (quartered, about 1 medium English cucumber)

1/2 cup red onion (thinly sliced)

1/4 cup feta cheese (crumbled)

2 cups spinach (loosely chopped)

1/4 cup sundried tomatoes (sliced)

1/4 cup jarred artichokes (sliced)

Fresh basil leaves

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp lemon juice (optional)

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp italian spice blend

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 pinch red pepper flakes (optional)

Directions

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Cook pasta according to the package instructions, until pasta is cooked to al-dente. Once cooked, drain pasta and set aside to cool.

In small bowl, combine pesto and lemon juice stirring until smooth.

Coat the chicken in oil and lemon juice and rub with the garlic powder, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Place chicken in a large glass dish and bake for 20-25 minutes until it is completely cooked through but not dry. Allow to cool slightly then shred with a stand mixer on high, with two forks, or by hand.

In a large salad bowl, add the cooked pasta, chicken, tomatoes, cucumbers, red onion, feta cheese and spinach. Pour the pesto and lemon mixture over top, toss well to coat. Garnish with more spices or feta cheese to taste and enjoy!

Nutrition

• Calories: 430 kcal
• Total Fat: 19 g
• Saturated Fat: 4 g
• Unsaturated Fat: 4 g
• Trans Fat: 0.01 g
• Cholesterol: 56 mg
• Sodium: 694 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 40 g
• Dietary Fiber: 4 g
• Total Sugars: 6 g
• Protein: 25 g