High Protein Chopped Salad with Fresh Pesto

There’s just nothing quite like a REALLY great Salad, packed full of all the goodies!

Pesto is an incredibly versatile sauce. It can be used on spaghetti squash or zoodles, or as a sauce on top of beef, fish, eggs, and chicken, or even plopped on top of your soups and salads like this!

I find that pesto is one of those things that makes everything taste better, so make a big batch and experiment with adding pesto into more of your meals.

Homemade pesto will be rich, tangy, bright, light, deep, and earthy. Flavor you just can’t get from a jar!

Fresh pesto is bright, which reflects each of its ingredients, so make sure you’re using the best stuff you can find. Super vibrant pesto is created by using fresh green, freshly picked, fragrant basil leaves.

Your pesto will be slightly pungent from the cheese and garlic, and rich from the high-quality olive oil that you use. Homemade pesto will have an earthy, balanced flavor from the pine nuts.

➡️ Rachel’s Tips:

Make SURE that you actually love the taste of the olive oil that you use for your sauces and dressings such as this because your pesto will come out tasting very much like the oil you use.

Olive oil flavors differ greatly, so find YOUR fave! Click here for my Fresh Pesto Recipe!

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. chicken breast halves
• 1 tsp avocado oil, or olive oil
• 4 large eggs
• 1 ripe avocado, diced
• 8 cups freshly chopped salad leaves of choice (butter lettuce, romaine, arugula or baby spinach)
• 1 small red onion, diced
• 2 cups halved cherry tomatoes
• 4 celery ribs, thinly sliced
• 4 slices nitrate-free bacon or turkey bacon crumbled
• 1/4 cup homemade basil pesto sauce
• 2 Tbsps fresh lemon juice
• sea salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste

To make pesto, in a food processor, combine:

• 2 cups lightly packed fresh basil leaves
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled
• 6 Tbsps pine nuts
• 1/2 cup grated all-natural Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (optional)
• 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp each sea salt and pepper

Begin running food processor then:

• Add: 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, in a slow stream until emulsified, and fully incorporated and smooth.
• You will need to scrape sides often.

Instructions:

Season your chicken breasts with sea salt and pepper on both sides. Heat a large skillet over medium heat, then add 1 tsp of oil.

Cook chicken until golden brown and no longer pink in the center, about 4 minutes on each side.

Set your cooked chicken aside to rest, then once cool enough to handle, chop it all up into small pieces.  Meanwhile, place the eggs in a saucepan and add enough water to cover them. Bring to a boil, then cook for 8 minutes. Let them cool completely and then peel and dice.Gently toss all of your salad ingredients in a large serving bowl, and drizzle with fresh pesto and fresh lemon juice.

Taste test and adjust seasonings, Enjoy! ❤Rachel

High Protein Chopped Salad

Category Salads

Ingredients

• For the Pesto, in food processor, combine:
• 2 cups lightly packed fresh basil leaves
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled
• 6 Tbsps pine nuts
• 1/2 cup grated all-natural parmigiano-reggiano cheese (optional)
• 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp each sea salt and pepper
• Begin running food processor then:
• Add: 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, in a slow stream until emulsified, and fully incorporated and smooth.
• You will need to scrape sides often.

Salad Ingredients

• 1 lb. chicken breast halves
• 1 tsp avocado oil, or olive oil
• 4 large eggs
• 1 ripe avocado, diced
• 8 cups fresh chopped salad leaves of choice (butter lettuce, romaine, arugula or baby spinach)
• 1 small red onion, diced
• 2 cups halved cherry tomatoes
• 4 celery ribs, thinly sliced
• 4 slices nitrate-free bacon, or turkey bacon crumbled
• 1/4 cup homemade basil pesto sauce
• 2 Tbsps fresh lemon juice
• sea salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Season your chicken breasts with sea salt and pepper on both sides.
2. Heat a large skillet over medium heat, then add 1 tsp of oil.
3. Cook chicken until golden brown and no longer pink in the center, about 4 minutes on each side.
4. Set your cooked chicken aside to rest, then once cool enough to handle, chop it all up into small pieces.
5. Meanwhile, place the eggs in a saucepan and add enough water to cover them. Bring to a boil, then cook for 8 minutes. Let them cool completely and then peel and dice.
6. Gently toss all of your salad ingredients in a large serving bowl, and drizzle with fresh pesto and fresh lemon juice.
7. Taste test and adjust seasonings, Enjoy!

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