Chicken Avocado Caprese Salad with Creamy Pesto Dressing

Pan-seared chicken, avocado, and a creamy flavorful pesto dressing spice up this colorful and massively flavor-packed caprese salad!

Yay for for the nonexistent amount of so-boring-I’m-gonna-cry New Years salads! We only eat the good salads around here, you guys. That’s my rule.

Also on my list of rules: It’s gotta be jam-packed with colors and there must be cheese present. That last one was definitely a no-shame Wisconsin law. ??

But honestly, avocado, chicken, and all the caprese fixins’ ain’t a bad salad deal either. Also note the salad dressing pictured. That one time when I made an insanely ridiculous creamy pesto dressing to adorn every inch of January salad city. 

P.S. I’m legit trying to figure out how one can live in an avocado caprese salad like this forever. ??

I promise you, NONE of my salad recipes around here are fussy to throw together and this beauty today is no different! Steps are as follows. >>>

1. Pan-sear the chicken. This is honestly probably the most time-consuming part and it’s actually a breeze. Once your chicken is browned on both sides and done, just slice it all up nice and pretty and move on to your next task…
2. …which involves layering up all the caprese salad goodness literally as high as you can in your prettiest bowl. Sliced tomato + sliced avocado + romaine lettuce + fresh mozzarella and basil.
3. The thing you should really be obsessing about right now is the pesto dressing. I use a homemade basil pesto to add more flavor, but you can definitely use pre-made as well. Just blend it all up with a little greek yogurt, mayo, and buttermilk. That’s all there is to it!!

Honestly, I’d be surprised if avocado caprese salad could get much better than this. Holy freaking cow…??

Ready to welcome those January salads with open arms? You know I’m sure as heck already down.

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Chicken Avocado Caprese Salad with Creamy Pesto Dressing

Pan-seared chicken, avocado, and a creamy flavorful pesto dressing spice up this colorful and massively flavor-packed caprese salad!

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Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 6 servings

Ingredients

Salad:

• 2 medium chicken breasts
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 cups chopped romaine lettuce
• 2 medium avocados pitted, peeled, and diced
• 2 medium tomatoes halved and sliced
• 8 oz sliced fresh mozzarella cheese
• 3 tablespoons minced fresh basil

Dressing

• 1/4 cup prepared basil pesto
• 1/4 cup greek yogurt
• 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons buttermilk
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

• Pat chicken breasts dry and season both sides with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Sear chicken on both sides 4-5 minutes until golden and chicken registers 165F. Transfer chicken to a cutting board and let cool 10 minutes then thinly slice into strips. Set aside.
• In a large serving bowl, combine lettuce, avocado, tomatoes, chicken strips, mozzarella, and fresh basil. Set aside for a moment.
• Make the dressing: In a small bowl, whisk all dressing ingredients until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste. When ready to serve, drizzle salad with dressing and enjoy!

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