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.
Free-range Pesto Chicken Salad
Step into summer with Mindful Chef. The star of the show? Free-range British chicken breasts, butterflied and coated in tangy lemon zest. You’ll then build your salad with vibrant roasted peppers and golden potatoes, juicy tomatoes and the creamiest ranch dressing. Dollop with basil pesto and garnish with irresistible homemade parmesan crisps for the perfect crunch. It’s sunshine on a plate.
High protein
6 plants
Low sat fat
Serving size
Ingredients
- 600g diced British Free Range chicken breast
- 160g greek style yoghurt (Milk)
- 1 unwaxed lemon
- 2 pepper
- 80g mixed salad leaves
- 40g italian hard cheese (Eggs, Milk) (cow's milk, salt, microbial rennet, preservative (lysozyme protein from egg).)
- 4 tsp garlic paste (Garlic, Olive Oil, Sea Salt, Citric Acid)
- 12 baby potatoes
- 10g sunflower seeds
- 1 handful of fresh dill
- 200g baby tomatoes
- 2 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: 553
Protein: 49g
Carbs: 37g
Fat: 24g
Free-range Pesto Chicken Salad
Step into summer with Mindful Chef. The star of the show? Free-range British chicken breasts, butterflied and coated in tangy lemon zest. You’ll then build your salad with vibrant roasted peppers and golden potatoes, juicy tomatoes and the creamiest ranch dressing. Dollop with basil pesto and garnish with irresistible homemade parmesan 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 2 small bowls, a large mixing bowl & a grater
Get the potatoes on
- Halve the potatoes (quarter any large ones). Thinly slice the peppers
- Place the potatoes onto one side of a lined baking tray and toss with 1 tbsp oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Roast for 10 mins
Chicken time
- 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 10 mins, the chicken and pepper onto the other side of the baking tray, zest over the lemon, drizzle with 1 tsp oil and season with salt and pepper
- Roast for a further for 15 mins, until the chicken is cooked through and the veg are golden
- Leave the chicken to rest
Make the pesto & ranch dressing
- Finely chop the sunflower seeds them place into a small bowl
- Add the pesto, juice of the lemon and 1 tbsp of oil, then mix well and season with salt to taste
- Halve the tomatoes. Finely chop the dill
- In the other small bowl, combine the yoghurt, chopped dill and garlic paste. Season with salt and pepper
Make the parmesan crisps
- Grate the cheese
- On the other lined oven tray, place the grated cheese in 8 even circles (2 per person). Bake for 1-2 mins, until golden and crisp around the edges (these can burn quickly, so keep an eye on them)
Plate up
- Check your chicken is cooked through by inserting a skewer into the thickest part of the meat; the juices should run clear
- Slice the chicken against the grain
- In the large mixing bowl, combine the salad leaves, pepper, potatoes, tomatoes, sliced chicken and half the ranch dressing
- Serve the salad into bowls. Top with dollops of pesto. Crumble the parmesan crisps over the salad to garnish. Serve the remaining ranch on the side
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