Chicken Pesto Sandwich
Lightened up with Greek yogurt, this hearty sandwich is one of the quickest, most tastiest meals you’ll ever have!
I hope everyone had a fun-filled weekend! I spent the weekend in San Francisco visiting Jason and attending the 4th Annual Foodbuzz Food Blogger Festival. It was such a blast meeting so many new people, exploring the city, and being pampered at the Saturday night gala which was held at California Academy of Sciences. I have a post ready for you guys tomorrow to share all my experiences so stay tuned!
So just the other day, I was going through my fridge and I noticed that I had some chicken breasts to use up and a jar of leftover pesto. That’s when I thought of the possibilities of combining those together. A lightbulb then went off in my head and I figured I could easily make a chicken pesto sandwich.
I thought of adding in some nuts, dried cranberries, maybe some apples or grapes but then I really just wanted to keep this nice and simple. So I threw in some Greek yogurt for a bit of creaminess and tossed it all together with the shredded chicken and homemade pesto. It was so quick and easy to put together, and it served as such an amazing sandwich filling, especially when slathered over a fresh baguette with some arugula, sliced tomatoes and mozzarella.
It was by far one of the best 5-minute prep lunches I’ve ever had!
Chicken Pesto Sandwich
Ingredients
- 2 cups shredded chicken breast
- ¼ cup Greek yogurt
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 baguette, cut into 3-4 equal pieces, toasted, for serving
- 2 cups arugula, for serving
- 2 Roma tomatoes, thinly sliced, for serving
- 8 ounces mozzarella, sliced
For the basil pesto
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled
- 3 tablespoons pine nuts
- ⅓ cup grated Parmesan
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- ⅓ cup olive oil
Instructions
- To make the pesto, combine basil, garlic, pine nuts and Parmesan in the bowl of a food processor; season with salt and pepper, to taste. With the motor running, add olive oil in a slow stream until emulsified; set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine chicken, 1/2 cup pesto, Greek yogurt, salt and pepper, to taste.
- Serve sandwiches on baguette with arugula, tomatoes, mozzarella and chicken pesto mixture.
Did you make this recipe?
Tag @damn_delicious on Instagram and hashtag it #damndelicious!
Where do you get your baguettes!? They always look so delicious! I don’t have anywhere around me (that I have found) that sells good ones. Are yours from the grocery store or a bakery?
I can find them at my local grocery store in the bakery section.
I just finished eating this sandwich and it was fantastic. I cooked 2 large chicken breast quickly by steaming it in one of those ziplock steam bags. It only took 5.5 minutes in the microwave and I will do the same next time. My husband bought me a Cuisinart last Christmas and I haven’t used it much. It chopped the chicken beautifully in like 3 seconds. This recipe is a keeper but I will double the pesto recipe next time so that I can used all on the chicken I chop.
I’m so excited to try this recipe. Staring at the picture and I can taste it! Your blog is filled with so many recipes I will be making once I get home for winter break! (yay no more ramen noodles!) Keep posting! 😀
I know you posted this recipe over 2 years ago but I just wanted to say thank you so much for it because it just reminded me how filling simple is! I skipped out on making the pesto, but I bought fresh pesto for the first time in my life because of this. I’m definitely going to try making my own though. I was able to pack spinach and rocket into this meal for my lunch it has been so filling. Although I did have it on a cheese baguette 😛 I’ve also made enough to take to work tomorrow on brown buns, so just really wanted to say thanks!
This is a good recipe, l really like your recipes. Question on the Chicken Pesto, I am planning to make-ahead some packed lunch/breakfast. Would like to know if i put this as filling for English Muffins, will it freeze well? Thanks in advance for the response 🙂
Unfortunately, I cannot answer this with certainty as I have never tried freezing this myself – there were no leftovers left to freeze! I recommend using your best judgment for freezing and reheating.
This was great! I used store bought pesto to make it super quick and easy, and toasted the whole thing in the toaster oven. Sooooo good 🙂 Thank you!
Pingback: Who’s Hungry | Babe Daily
We just found your website last week and have drooled over it for days. Tonight we made this dish and OH MY was it delicious. We were so full we didnt even touch the chips, which is a good thing since were trying to cut out calories! A++
They were absolutely Delicious. Full of flavor yet lite enough for hot summer days
Im making it for dinner. This makes a perfect hot summer day dinner. Its coming along great…. Stay Tuned for the end results…..
YUM! I love the sub of Greek Yogurt for Mayo. I often times use walnuts instead of pine nuts and I really cant tell a difference in texture or taste. Thanks for the great recipe!
Thanks for all your yummy and healthy recipes. I am planning my weekly meals and your website has all I need. Thanks again!!!!
huge fan of your site!!! I was wondering what type of food processor/blender you use?
I use the Magimix. It’s my favorite tool in the kitchen! Here is my review of the product: https://damndelicious.net/2013/01/25/mrs-fields-chocolate-chip-cookies/.
Wow; I just found this website and I think I’ll turn into a fan; that looks SO~ yummy! Must try it soon!
This was simply amazing. One of my favorites.
I am new to cooking with fresh herbs but love what I have made so far. How do I measure 1 cup of fresh basil for this pesto recipe? Do I loosely pack it, do I measure it before of after it is cut up?
It is best to loosely pack it.
My mouth is starting to water!! I love pesto, so this wounds like something I am going to have to try!
I made this for dinner a few nights ago. My husband and I both loved it. It is fresh, flavorful and very healthy as far as chicken salads go. Don’t be afraid of the Greek yogurt, it only makes the sandwich creamy, you wouldn’t even realize it was Greek yogurt unless you made it yourself. Love it, thanks!
Beste Chungah,
Heb zojuist je site ontdekt via Pinterest ben fan van je site ,mijn complimenten voor je recepten zo duidelijk overzichtelijk en bovenal heeeeeerlijk .Ook de complimenten voor de mogelijk om de tekst te vertalen .Ik ben Nederlandse Zeker kan ik Engels lezen maar je begrijpt in je eigen taal lezen is net iets gemakkelijker.
Ik ga je volgen met zonnige groeten van Anna uit Holland
any suggestions for making this a meat free dish? looks so yummy!
You can use roasted veggies in place of the pesto or simply use the pesto in a spaghetti dish.
I would recomend BeyondMeat grilled “chicken” as a substitute. You can get it in the frozen section of the grocery (in my area Whole Foods carries this brand). They make the best meat substitutes I have tasted so far.