Basil Chicken Arugula Salad is SO easy and perfect for summer! Chicken marinated with pesto, on a bed of peppery arugula, topped with white beans and a tangy lemon vinaigrette! I am not a salad person but this meal is literally my new obsession. Perfect for a light summer dinner or lunch, or to bring to a potluck or barbecue!
Charlotte, my 15-year-old daughter, out of nowhere yesterday: “Mom, I know you can be discombobulated, but can you ever just be…combobulated?”
I said, “I think you can in Europe.”
This ACTUALLY HAPPENED you guys. I can’t believe I live in a world where my teen daughter just unknowingly quoted one of my favorite movies of all time. She’s never even SEEN Ten Things I Hate About You, and yet somehow she is embodying Bianca’s coolness. (Or maybe her silliness? It’s hard to tell with teens 😂 God love em.)
I told Eric about it. He was like no way, she’s heard you say the ‘whelmed quote before, she was just being funny. NOPE. A real question from a real live teen girl. I could not stop laughing! She is the best.
Okay I will stop poking fun at Charlotte (she approved this anecdote by the way, I’m not a monster ;) so that I can tell you about this summer salad I’m obsessed with! It is my new FAVORITE! We have been eating it on repeat!
Salad sophistication
There’s salad, and then there are *salads*. Know what I mean? Some salads lend an air of sophistication when you eat them, and this is one of them. I mean, it has arugula, people. It’s beautiful, it has trendy greens, and it’s delicious. What more could you want? Oh, super easy? Don’t worry, I got you.
I found this recipe on Modern Proper a few years ago and have been obsessed with it ever since! I’ve made it for my family at least a dozen times. It is PACKED with flavor, but is still super light and healthy. But the real clincher is how easy it is to make. It comes together fast, especially if you have prepped some of the items in advance.
Ingredients
Let’s talk about a few of the items that make this salad special!
- Pesto Chicken has SO much flavor and is so easy to make.
- Lemon Vinaigrette is my absolute favorite homemade dressing and comes together in about 5 minutes. That lemony zing complements the basil-y chicken so well!
- White beans, like Cannellini or Navy, add a healthy dose of substance (and fiber!) The beans and the chicken together make for a hearty meal!
How to make chicken arugula salad
Here is everything you need to put this salad together! It helps if you can make the Lemon Vinaigrette in advance, or sub your favorite store bought dressing!
Start by marinating the chicken in pesto. Here is my Pesto Chicken recipe! Super simple.
Open up a can of white beans and rinse them.
Then make the Lemon Vinaigrette and add about 1/4 cup to the beans.
Top it off with some salt and pepper, fresh parsley, and a little red onion if you have it.
This could be lunch right here. I love a good bean salad!
Then take a few minutes to toast some slivered almonds. I LOVE the crunch this adds, but you can skip it no problem.
Toast them properly! Brown, brown, brown!!
Now it’s time to assemble: layer some arugula into a serving bowl.
Top with a heaping portion of white bean salad.
Top the whole situation with some extra Lemon Vinaigrette if you know what’s good for you!
And don’t forget the chicken!!
This recipe for Pesto Chicken is super simple, just dunk it in some pesto with a little bit of oil, and toss it on the grill. Or pan sear it. There is a simple version of the pesto chicken recipe in today’s recipe card, but if you want more details, view the full post with step by step photos for Pesto Chicken here.
Once your chicken is cooked, put the whole thing together:
Voila! Look at this perfect summer meal! Top with toasty slivered almonds (or toasted pine nuts if you have some leftover from making Homemade Pesto) and call it a day. Add in some crusty French bread if you really want to go over the top!
More main dishes to go with this salad
If you want to skip the Pesto Chicken, the white bean arugula salad works wonderfully as a hearty side dish to so many different dinners! You can just stir the arugula right into the white beans last minute before for serving, and add a little bit more Lemon Vinaigrette if needed.
Check out a few options I’ve listed here, and feel free to peruse my Dinner Recipes page for even more ideas!
- Baked Pesto Chicken >> this is a baked, similar version to the chicken in this post…plus mayo. I mean, how can you go wrong with mayo, pesto, and panko bread crumbs?! It’s so good.
- Smothered Pork Chops Recipe >> delicious comfort-food style pork chops in a rich mushroom gravy. yes, please!
- Turkey Burgers That Don’t Suck >> juicy, tender, and way more flavor then you’ve ever thought a turkey burger could have
How to store leftovers
Add the leftover salad to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator. If the salad is already dressed, the arugula will start to wilt quickly, so eat it within 24-48 hours at most. If you know you can’t eat the entire salad within a day, I highly suggest keeping the various ingredients separate and only plating individual servings so you can store all leftovers separately in their own containers. When stored separately, you can continue to have this salad for a good 4-5 days before things like the arugula or parsley will get sad.
Do not try to freeze this salad! The greens will get all wilty and soggy and you’ll end up with a puddle of a mess. You can make half the recipe if you’re worried about getting through all of it before it goes bad, or you can always gift some to friends or neighbors (they’ll love you)!
More sophisticated salads
Just like today’s recipe, all of these salads feel super elegant and fancy. But, they’re actually quite simple to make! Perfect when you need to bring a side dish to impress, or when you just want to up your dinner game.
Salad Recipes
French Carrot Salad
Salad Recipes
Strawberry Spinach Salad
Salad Recipes
Aunt Joy’s Creamy Cucumber Salad
Greek Recipes
Best Greek Tomato Cucumber Salad with Feta Cheese
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Basil Chicken Arugula Salad
Ingredients
For the chicken
- 1 batch Pesto Chicken , see notes
For the white bean salad
- 1 (15 ounce) can white beans, drained
- 1/4 cup Lemon Vinaigrette, or your favorite dressing
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 2 tablespoons red onion, chopped fine
- 2 tablespoons parsley, chopped
To assemble the salad
- 5 ounces arugula
- 1/2 cup slivered almonds, toasted
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded, optional
Instructions
- Make the chicken: Head over to the recipe for Pesto Chicken for the full recipe. It's super easy!
- Make the White Bean Salad: Open and drain 1 can of white beans. Rinse the beans. Add to a medium bowl.
- Add about 1/4 cup homemade Lemon Vinaigrette, or your favorite lemon dressing.
- Add 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, 2 tablespoons chopped red onion (or shallot would be good) and 2 tablespoons parsley. Stir it together. Let it marinate for a while if your chicken is still cooking, the longer the better!
- Toast the slivered almonds. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Add 1 cup slivered almonds to a dry (non greased) baking sheet. Bake at 350 for 5 minutes, then reach into the oven to stir them with a wooden spoon. Bake another 2 minutes and stir again. Continue every 2 minutes until the nuts smell overwhelmingly fragrant, and are dark brown. They should look like they might burn soon. Don't let them burn, but don't under toast, either! Set aside to cool.
- Assemble the salad. Layer some arugula on a serving plate (I like to make individual plates). Top with a spoonful of white beans. Drizzle with more Lemon Vinaigrette if you want. Top with toasted slivered almonds and a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese. Top with the grilled or pan seared chicken.
- Serve with a slice of crusty French Bread!
- Store components separately. Invite the neighbors over if you have extra salad that is dressed!
I made this last night with 2 substitutions
I used salmon (meatless Fridays) instead of the chicken. I added walnut since I didn’t have almonds
With store bought pesto and making the dressing and bean salad ahead of dinnertime it couldn’t have been easier or tastier