The protein cooking time listed in this recipe has been updated.
As of December 2025, we’ve revised cooking times for all our proteins to reflect improved food safety guidance.
Check out the latest recommended times in our Cooking Guidelines.
Mediterranean-style Free-range Pesto Chicken & Grilled Courgette Salad
Leap into summer with this Mediterranean-inspired dish. Free-range British chicken coated in creamy pesto pesto. Vibrant grilled courgettes served over nutty brown rice, punchy rocket and black olives for a salty kick. A squeeze of lemon for good measure.
High protein
6 plants
Low sat fat
Family classics
Serving size
Ingredients
- 200g baby tomatoes
- 80g rocket
- 1 unwaxed lemon
- 20g italian hard cheese (Eggs, Milk) (cow's milk, salt, microbial rennet, preservative (lysozyme protein from egg).)
- 4 British Free Range chicken breasts
- 200g brown rice (100% Brown Rice)
- 10g sunflower seeds
- 2 courgette
- 4 spring onion
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 4 tbsp green pesto (Rapeseed Oil, Broccoli, Spinach, Broad Beans, Basil, Sunflower Seed, Garlic, Salt, Yeast extract powder (Yeast Extract, Salt), Pumpkin Seeds, Porcini Mushrooms, Kale, Golden Linseeds, Citric Acid, White Quinoa, Ascorbic Acid.)
Nutritional Information
Calories: 542
Protein: 51g
Carbs: 50g
Fat: 16g
Mediterranean-style Free-range Pesto Chicken & Grilled Courgette Salad
Leap into summer with this Mediterranean-inspired dish. Free-range British chicken coated in creamy pesto pesto. Vibrant grilled courgettes served over nutty brown rice, punchy rocket and black olives for a salty kick. A squeeze of lemon for good measure.
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Cooking Instructions
Before you start
- Turn the grill to high (240C)
- Line a baking tray with silver foil
- Bring a large saucepan filled with salted water to a boil
- Pull out a medium bowl, a sieve & a grater
Boil the rice & prep
- Add the rice to the saucepan and boil for 25-30 mins, until cooked, then drain
- Trim and cut the courgettes into batons. Zest and quarter the lemon
Time to grill
- Place the courgette onto one side of the foil-lined baking tray and toss with 1 tsp oil and the oregano
- Place the chicken onto the other side of the tray and coat with 1 tsp oil and the lemon zest. Season both with salt and pepper
- Grill the chicken and courgette for 18 mins, until golden and cooked through
Make the pesto
- Finely grate the cheese. In the medium bowl, combine the pesto, half the cheese and the juice of 2 lemon wedges
- Cut 3 spring onions into 2cm pieces, then thinly slice the remaining
- In the final 5 mins of roasting, add the spring onion pieces to the tray and coat the chicken in half the pesto mix
Assemble the salad
- Halve the tomatoes
- Add the tomatoes and slice spring onion to the pesto bowl. Stir through the rocket, cooked rice and remaining lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper
Plate up
- Check your chicken is cooked through by inserting a skewer into the thickest part of the meat; the juices should run clear
- Thinly slice the chicken against the grain
- Share the salad between plates, topped with the chicken. Garnish with the sunflower seeds and remaining cheese
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