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Pesto Chicken Sweet Potato Caprese Salad

July 18, 2021
by
Crispy roasted sweet potato fries and prosciutto baked with juicy pesto chicken and tossed with fresh mozzarella, cherry tomatoes, and simply dressed greens: this Pesto Chicken Sweet Potato Caprese Salad is the ultimate summer salad!
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Crispy roasted sweet potato fries and prosciutto baked with juicy pesto chicken and tossed with fresh mozzarella, cherry tomatoes, and simply dressed greens: this Pesto Chicken Sweet Potato Caprese Salad is the ultimate summer salad!

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Caprese is a summer staple in my house. The classic combo of creamy mozzarella or burrata, juicy summer tomatoes, and tons of fresh basil is truly unmatched. I often prepare it as simple slices with a drizzle of balsamic glaze and olive oil, or as a chopped salad with tons of balsamic vinegar. Either way, you can’t deny that it’s a classic. Everybody loves a good caprese — especially when paired with a homemade basil pesto!!

But, as good as it is, caprese can be pretty difficult to make into a main course. I usually have to pair it with another side (like my Parmesan Kale Tortellini Salad or my Greek Style Dijon Sweet Potato Salad) and a protein (like my Chicken Souvlaki Skewers) to make a well-rounded meal. And, in all honesty, when I first dreamt up this recipe, I was planning on making it more of a side dish type of salad, too. That being said, I’m the type of person who would rather eat 10 Caprese salad appetizers than an actual entree, so, after some thought, I realized that it was about time Caprese was made the star of the show.

That’s how this Pesto Chicken Sweet Potato Caprese Salad was born. Although the elegant combo of fresh mozz, basil, and tomatoes take the cake here, they’re also paired with hearty components of roasted sweet potato fries, crispy salty prosciutto, and a luscious juicy baked pesto chicken. There’s nothing more you could possibly want!!

The breakdown…

This Pesto Chicken Sweet Potato Caprese Salad is truly all-encompassing. One of my favorite parts of this dish is the juicy baked pesto chicken. In actuality, this chicken is just chicken breasts cut into tenders and marinated in a fresh basil pesto. Now, I’m not gonna go too far into the ins-and-outs of a good pesto — mostly because I’ve already done that before. If you know me, you know I’m big into pesto, so I’ve already given you the ultimate run down in many of these recipes. 

Still, this pesto is used in a bit of a different way than I usually do. While, yes, I reserve some of this basil goodness for a final drizzle on my salad, I use the bulk of this pesto as the marinade for the chicken. With all the flavors of a good olive oil, tons of lemon, and fresh basil, this chicken truly takes in so much goodness. Plus, by using chicken that’s thinly cut, like a tender, it achieves that juicy, tenderness in a much shorter time. So, whether you marinate your chicken for 2 hours or up to overnight, it is sure to be delicious!

Crispy roasted sweet potato fries and prosciutto baked with juicy pesto chicken and tossed with fresh mozzarella, cherry tomatoes, and simply dressed greens: this Pesto Chicken Sweet Potato Caprese Salad is the ultimate summer salad!

everything to the oven!!

Best part? It’s super easy. In this Pesto Chicken Sweet Potato Caprese Salad recipe, I throw it into the oven with some simple roasted sweet potato fries and prosciutto — mostly for convenience. There’s just something about cooking everything in the oven at one, constant temperature that’s just so much easier than using the stove, grill, microwave, and oven all at once. Nobody’s got time for that when making a simple weeknight salad!! 

That being said, you could totally use a grill pan, grill, or skillet to make your chicken. It’s totally up to you. Either way, it will be delicious. Honestly, you may even want to make extra chicken. I love to eat this pesto chicken throughout the week… on top of salads, in grain bowls, or just as is: it’s the best. Don’t skip it!!

that vinaigrette…

After you’ve got all of your oven components good to go, it’s time to assemble that salad! Start off by making the dressing. I always call for making the dressing in the bottom of the salad bowl. With this method, it saves you from splattering the oil all over your chicken, and it saves dishes while doing so! Sounds like a winning method to me. However, if you’re making this Pesto Chicken Sweet Potato Caprese Salad ahead of time, you may want to hold back on tossing the vinaigrette with the salad until right before you eat. This way, your salad will stay super fresh and delicious!

Speaking of that dressing, this vinaigrette could not be simpler. I think of it as a balsamic version of a classic Italian dressing. Red wine vinegar, olive oil, garlic, and oregano are always essential to a good Italian vinaigrette. But, with the addition of some balsamic and a little honey, this vinaigrette takes on a delicious Caprese spin — just perfect for this Pesto Chicken Sweet Potato Caprese Salad. Oh, and, pro tip: if you get mozzarella balls that are pre-marinated, definitely use that leftover oil for your vinaigrette… it brings in so much flavor!

Crispy roasted sweet potato fries and prosciutto baked with juicy pesto chicken and tossed with fresh mozzarella, cherry tomatoes, and simply dressed greens: this Pesto Chicken Sweet Potato Caprese Salad is the ultimate summer salad!

all the goods!

With that dressing as a base, go ahead and toss in all the goods: mixed greens, fresh basil, mozzarella balls, cherry tomatoes, and slivered almonds. I love going with mixed greens for this recipe, but arugula or baby kale would also be delicious. Moreover, you could definitely go with a bigger ball of mozzarella (or even burrata!) and full sized tomatoes. I recommend going with whatever is freshest and most juicy! Oh, and you definitely could substitute the almonds for another nut or seed… you really just need that crunch!! 

such an easy meal…

This Pesto Chicken Sweet Potato Caprese Salad is honestly the best weeknight summer dinner. I love to whip this up on a hot night for an easy meal, but it could also be made for a backyard dinner party! It would even be delicious for lunches throughout the week… maybe in meal prep style? Really, though, however you serve this up, it’s sure to be a crowd pleaser!! 

I hope you love this Pesto Chicken Sweet Potato Caprese Salad as much as I do! Let me know what you think in the comments below:)

Pesto Chicken Sweet Potato Caprese Salad
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Pesto Chicken Sweet Potato Caprese Salad

Recipe by Annie PatrickCourse: Main Course, SaladCuisine: American, ItalianDifficulty: Easy
Servings

4

servings
Prep time

20

minutes
Cooking time

30

minutes
Total time

50

minutes

Crispy roasted sweet potato fries and prosciutto baked with juicy pesto chicken and tossed with fresh mozzarella, cherry tomatoes, and simply dressed greens: this Pesto Chicken Sweet Potato Caprese Salad is the ultimate summer salad!

Ingredients

  • pesto chicken:

  • 1.5 lb chicken breasts, cut into tenders*

  • 2 cups fresh basil*

  • ¼ cup olive oil

  • ½ cup water

  • 1 lemon, juiced

  • ⅓ cup pine nuts, toasted*

  • 2 cloves garlic, smashed

  • Salt and pepper, to taste

  • salad:

  • 1 large sweet potato, cut into fries

  • 2 tbsp olive oil

  • 2 tsp garlic powder

  • 2 tsp onion powder

  • Salt and pepper, to taste

  • 2-4 oz thinly sliced prosciutto, scrunched into clusters*

  • 2 tbsp red wine vinegar

  • 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

  • ¼ cup olive oil

  • 3 cloves garlic, minced

  • 1 tsp honey

  • 1 tsp dried oregano

  • Red pepper flakes, to taste

  • 1 5 oz container of mixed greens

  • ½ cup fresh basil, finely diced

  • 8 oz fresh mozzarella balls, halved*

  • 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved

  • ¼ cup slivered almonds, toasted

Instructions

  • In a food processor, mix all pesto ingredients until smooth. Reserve about ¼ cup of the pesto for drizzling on top of your salad. In a bowl or freezer bag, toss the remaining pesto with the chicken and allow to marinate for 2-24 hours.
  • Preheat the oven to 425.
  • On a large baking sheet, toss your sweet potato fries with olive oil, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Transfer to the preheated oven and roast for about 15 minutes, then toss with a spatula
  • On a separate baking sheet, arrange the marinated chicken tenders on one side and the ruscitto bunches on the other. Transfer to the oven above the sweet potatoes and roast both baking sheets for another 15 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and the sweet potatoes and prosciutto are crispy.
  • Meanwhile, in the bottom of a large bowl, whisk the red wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, garlic, honey, oregano, more salt and pepper, and red pepper flakes. Toss in the mixed greens, basil, mozzarella, tomatoes, and almonds.
  • Serve some salad into each bowl, then top with some of the sweet potato fries, crispy prosciutto, pesto chicken, and an additional drizzle of pesto. Enjoy!

Notes

  • You can usually find chicken breasts cut into tenders at the store. If not, you can simply slice them in half lengthwise and then cut each half into thinner tenders. 
  • For my prosciutto, I simply pull apart each layer of the meat and scrunch them up into little clusters/balls. 
  • You could either make a homemade pesto or use a store bought option. Either way, make sure it is thin enough to drizzle by adding extra water or olive oil. 
  • In the pesto, you can substitute the basil for just about any greens or herbs. Arugula, kale, parsley, and mint would be my other go-tos.
  • In the pesto, you can also substitute the pine nuts for any nut or seed of choice. Pistachios, pecans, walnuts, or any seed would be delicious. Go with what you love!
  • Marinated mozzarella balls are my favorite to work with. Better yet, save some of that oil for the vinaigrette instead of plain olive oil! So delicious
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