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.
Pesto Chicken Salad with Roast Potatoes & Homemade Cheese Crisps
Step into spring with this vibrant salad, starring free-range British chicken breasts, butterflied and coated in tangy lemon zest. You’ll then build your salad with smokey roasted peppers and golden potatoes, juicy tomatoes and the creamiest ranch dressing. Dollop with basil pesto and garnish with irresistible homemade cheese crisps for the perfect crunch. It’s sunshine on a plate.
High protein
6 plants
Serving size
Ingredients
- 40g mixed salad leaves
- 75g seasonal tomatoes
- 20g italian hard cheese (Eggs, Milk) (cow's milk, salt, microbial rennet, preservative (lysozyme protein from egg).)
- 2 tsp garlic paste (Garlic, Olive Oil, Sea Salt, Citric Acid)
- 80g greek style yoghurt (Milk)
- 1 handful of fresh dill
- 1 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.)
- 10g sunflower seeds
- 1 unwaxed lemon (use half)
- 2 British Free Range chicken breasts
- 2 large potatoes
- 1 pepper
Nutritional Information
Calories: 728
Protein: 54g
Carbs: 52g
Fat: 34g
Ingredients
- 2 large potatoes
- 75g seasonal tomatoes (use half)
- 2 tsp garlic paste (use half) (Garlic, Olive Oil, Sea Salt, Citric Acid)
- 1 handful of fresh dill (use half)
- 1 unwaxed lemon (use a quarter)
- 10g sunflower seeds (use half)
- 1 tbsp green pesto (use half) (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.)
- 1 British Free Range chicken breast
- 1 pepper (use half)
- 40g mixed salad leaves (use half)
- 80g greek style yoghurt (use half) (Milk)
- 20g italian hard cheese (use half) (Eggs, Milk) (cow's milk, salt, microbial rennet, preservative (lysozyme protein from egg).)
Nutritional Information
Calories: 910
Protein: 58g
Carbs: 91g
Fat: 34g
Pesto Chicken Salad with Roast Potatoes & Homemade Cheese Crisps
Step into spring with this vibrant salad, starring free-range British chicken breasts, butterflied and coated in tangy lemon zest. You’ll then build your salad with smokey roasted peppers and golden potatoes, juicy tomatoes and the creamiest ranch dressing. Dollop with basil pesto and garnish with irresistible homemade cheese crisps for the perfect crunch. It’s sunshine on a plate.
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Cooking Instructions
Before you start
- Preheat the oven to 240C / fan 220C / gas mark 9
- Line 2 baking trays with parchment paper
- Pull out a large bowl, 2 small bowls & a grater
Get started
- Dice the potatoes into 2cm chunks. Thinly slice the pepper
- Add the potatoes to one side of a lined baking tray, toss with 1 tbsp oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 12 mins
Chicken time
- Meanwhile, to butterfly the chicken, carefully slice through one side of each breast from the thickest part to the thinnest, careful not to cut right through to the end. Open out the chicken breasts to resemble a butterfly
- After 12 mins, place the chicken and pepper onto the other side of the baking tray, zest over the half lemon, drizzle with 1 tsp oil and season with salt and pepper
- Roast for a further 15 mins, until the chicken is cooked through and the veg is soft and golden
Make the pesto & ranch dressings
- Finely chop the sunflower seeds, then place into a small bowl
- Add the pesto, the juice from half the lemon and 1 tbsp olive oil. Mix well and season with salt to taste
- Finely chop the dill. In the other small bowl, combine the yoghurt, dill and garlic paste. Season with salt and pepper
Make the cheese crisps
- Finely grate the cheese
- Shape the cheese into 4 even circles (2 per person) on the other lined tray
- Bake for 1-2 mins, until golden and crisp around the edges (these can burn quickly so keep an eye on them)
Assemble & plate up
- Check your chicken is cooked through by inserting a skewer into the thickest part of the meat; the juices should run clear
- Halve the tomatoes. Slice the chicken against the grain
- In the large bowl, combine the salad leaves, pepper, tomatoes, potatoes, sliced chicken and half the ranch dressing
- Share the salad between bowls. Top with dollops of the pesto dressing. Crumble the cheese crisps over the salad. Serve the remaining ranch on the side
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