Pesto Chicken Pasta Salad

5 from 1 vote

Prep Time30

Total Time30

Servings: as a main (6-8 as a side)

Calories: 599kcal

Prepare chicken as per your preferred cooking method and then dice or shred.
In a small bowl, stir together the pesto and Greek yogurt.
Bring generously salted water to a boil in a large pot and then add the pasta. Cook as per the package directions but for 2-3 minutes longer than it says for al dente.
Drain the pasta, toss with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and spread out onto a baking sheet for 5 minutes to cool slightly.
Add the pasta to a large mixing bowl and mix with ¼ cup of the creamy pesto dressing. The pasta will soak up a bit of the dressing while it finishes cooling so we'll dress it again when we add the other ingredients.
While the partially dressed pasta finishes cooling, slice the tomatoes in half, dice the cucumber, chop the spinach and cut any other veggies that you'd like to include.
Add the vegetables, chicken, and ½ cup of dressing to the bowl with the pasta and toss to combine. *Reserve about ¼ cup of the dressing to add just before serving (you can add it all if serving immediately).
Refrigerate until ready to serve. When ready, remove the salad from the fridge 20-30 minutes before serving so that the pasta softens a bit then toss with the reserved dressing and serve.

Leftovers

Store leftover salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.