White Bean Pesto Salad with Grilled Chicken

Tender white beans, marinated artichokes, and smoky pesto grilled chicken are a winning salad combo in this quick and easy white bean pesto salad!

Summer has been unofficially kicked off as of this long holiday weekend and it’s salads on the menu for the foreseeable future, baby!

And I’ve got just about the easiest SUPER high-protein salad on tap for today! Whoever said salads can’t help you meet your protein goals clearly never met this winner.

Basically it’s a simple bean salad meets tons of smoky grilled chicken meets TONS of herby basil pesto and it doesn’t get much more on summer brand than this.

You’re only going to need about 30 minutes to prep this salad and you can also prep nearly all of it ahead of time for an easy make-ahead lunch or dinner.

Move over pasta salad, we’ve got a new gal in town.

This Bean Salad features…

• Tender white beans and artichoke hearts
• Juicy pesto grilled chicken strips
• Toasted pine nuts and shaved Parmesan
• A tangy, herby basil pesto dressing

Making the Bean Salad

(scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full recipe)

Ingredients You Will Need

• Chicken breasts
• Basil pesto
• White beans
• Artichokes
• Red onion
• Pine nuts
• Parmesan
• Fresh basil
• White wine vinegar
• Honey
• Olive oil

Choosing Your Beans

You will need 2 cans (15 oz each) cannellini beans for this recipe. I’ve also had great success making this recipe with kidney beans and chickpeas.

To prep your beans for the salad, drain them in a sieve and rinse well in cold water to remove the can liquid.

Tips for Perfect Bean Salad

1. Rinse red onion – rinse the red onion slices several times in cold water to remove a bit of their harsh flavor.
2. Toast pine nuts – toss the pine nuts around in a nonstick pan over medium heat until a light golden brown.
3. Brush chicken with pesto while grilling – this gives the chicken an incredible pop of herby flavor.
4. Thinly slice chicken after grilling – this will ensure that juicy little pieces of chicken get into every bite of this salad.

Recipe Variations

Try these ideas for a different twist on this salad.

• Use homemade or jarred pesto – this recipe works great with either!
• Try another dressing – try a balsamic vinaigrette, Italian, or red wine vinaigrette in place of the pesto dressing.
• Cook on stovetop – this is a great option if you don’t own a grill. Refer to the instructions in the recipe card.
• Skip the chicken – replace the chicken with portobello mushrooms caps or sweet pepper halves and grill until tender, brushing with pesto occasionally.
• Use another cheese – replace the Parmesan with feta, fresh mozzarella, goat cheese, or pepperjack.

Storing Instructions

This salad is excellent served both warm or cold and stores well in refrigerator up to 4 days. For best results, I recommend waiting to add the shaved Parmesan and toasted pine nuts until just before serving if you plan to store the salad for a few days.

This salad is quickly going to work its way into your regular salad rotation this summer, I can promise you that! It’s so much heartier than your average salad, yet still healthy-feeling and packed with protein at the same time.

And that’s what we call a win in salad land, folks.

Save this recipe using the ‘save to recipe box’ button below. If you make it, please let us know! Leave a comment + star rating below, or take a photo and tag it on Instagram with #wholeandheavenlyoven.

More summery salads to try next!

• Hot Honey Peach Feta Salad
• Blackberry Goat Cheese Salad
• Grilled Peach Burrata Salad