So, I love watching the Food Network – and I’m guilty of having my favorites. I would love to have the elegance and grace of Nigella Lawson, the down-home feel of Rachael Ray and the kitchen and food knowledge of Giada De Laurentis. I think it’s great that these ladies are so willing to share a large amount of their hard-earned work spent on recipes with us for free on foodnetwork.com. I was watching the Food Network just a couple of weeks ago, and saw Giada making what looked like a fantastic recipe for Arugula Pesto Chicken Salad. I looked up the recipe on the Food Network website, and was surprised at how easy it was to make and how tasty it was. I love chicken salad – but it has to be really good – and this was, really really good! By changing a couple of things around, I was able to make the recipe a little healthier and just as flavorful. I replaced the store-bought roasted chicken with pan sautéed chicken breasts at home. I also changed out the mayo for light mayo. This recipe is something that you will have to try, as I said after I tried it – it’s one of the best things I have eaten in a long time! My version comes to 435.5 calories, 24.2 grams of fat and 3.2 grams of fiber – the original version comes to 511.2 calories, 31.6 grams of fat and 2.6 grams of fiber. The best part of this chicken salad is that you get to reap the benefits of olive oil — all those unsaturated fats which are great for your health. Enjoy this meal with a simple salad or yogurt – it makes for a great lunch!
Arugula Pesto Chicken Salad
Serves 4
Ingredients
4 slices 100% Whole Wheat Bread
1/4 cup of light mayonnaise
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 recipe of Arugula Pesto, recipe to follow
4 Chicken Breasts seasoned with salt and pepper and pan sautéed, cut into 1/4 inch pieces
4 slices beefsteak tomatoes
1 cup arugula
Directions
Place bread in a toaster and toast to likeness. Remove bread and set aside. In a large bowl combine light mayo, lemon zest and pesto arugula and stir in diced chicken. Place the arugula and tomato slices on two slices of the whole wheat bread, top with the remaining two slices and cut in half. Enjoy this satisfying and tasty lunch!
Arugula Pesto
Ingredients
2 cups packed arugula
1 clove garlic, peeled and halved
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Directions
Combine all ingredients in a food processor.
