I still can’t believe it took me this long to create this incredible chicken salad recipe. I loved it so much that I decided to make it again, this time adding a little basil so it has more of a pesto/Green Goddess vibe. You can use any fresh herbs you have! It adds great fresh flavor that you’ll love. Eat it on toast, in a sandwich, on a chip, in a lettuce wrap…however you eat it, it will be great.
Ingredients
For the chicken
2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Juice of 1 lemon
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons avocado oil
A few turns of black pepper
For the dressing
3 tablespoons olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon capers
½ teaspoon caper juice
1 garlic clove, grated
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
¼ cup basil leaves
¼ cup hummus
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
Black pepper
Directions
Preheat the oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Add the chicken to a bowl and add the lemon juice, salt, avocado oil, and a few turns of black pepper. Mix well with your hands to get the chicken fully coated.
Bake the chicken for 20-25 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
Remove the chicken from the oven and let cool slightly.
While the chicken cools, add the olive oil, lemon juice, rice vinegar, capers, caper juice, garlic clove, Dijon mustard, basil, hummus, nutritional yeast, and a few turns of black pepper to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until it forms a dressing, then transfer the dressing to a jar.
Transfer the chicken to the food processor and pulse until it’s shredded. You may need to nudge the chicken with a spatula some so the meat at the bottom doesn’t form a paste.
Place the chicken into a new mixing bowl and pour some of the dressing over. Mix well to combine, adding more dressing as needed until you reach the texture you want.
Serve on toast, on a cracker, or on a lettuce wrap.