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Lunch

Chicken Pesto Pasta Salad

Cold pasta with chicken, cherry tomatoes and a scraped-back amount of pesto. 48 g of protein.

Calories
583kcal
Protein
52g
Fat
13g
Carbs
62g

Per serving, makes 1. Published 29 August 2026.

Allergens

  • Gluten
  • Milk
  • Tree nuts
  • Flagged for the cashews most supermarket jars use alongside pine nuts. A pesto made only with pine nuts carries milk alone.

Flags follow UK labelling rules and come from the ingredients as listed, not from any particular brand. Check the packet before cooking for somebody with an allergy.

Ingredients

  • Chicken breast170 g

    Weighed raw.

  • Cooked pasta180 g
  • Cherry tomatoes100 g
  • Rocket25 g
  • Pesto15 g

    Pesto is 45% fat. Fifteen grams is a teaspoon and a half, and it is the single biggest lever on this dish.

  • LemonA squeeze

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Method

  1. Loosen the pesto with the lemon juice and a spoonful of the pasta water so it coats rather than clumps.

  2. Toss the cold pasta, sliced chicken and halved tomatoes through it, and fold the rocket in at the end.

Worth knowing

  • Loosening the pesto is what lets fifteen grams cover a whole bowl. Straight from the jar it sits in three places.

More like this

Other lunch recipes that share ingredients with this one, or every lunch between 450 and 600 calories a serving.

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Macros are calculated from the weights listed above using standard food composition values, and will shift with your own brands and measuring. Weigh what you can. This is a recipe, not dietary advice. The full health disclaimer is below.