Creamy Pesto Pasta Salad with Hot Honey Chicken
This is a pasta salad I keep coming back to—made with Brami’s lupini pasta for a boost of fiber and plant protein, tossed in a creamy basil dressing with crispy zucchini, arugula, and hot honey chicken. It’s satisfying but still light, perfect for meal prep or serving cold on a warm day. You’re getting complete proteins from the chicken, cottage cheese, and pasta, plus healthy fats from olive oil, pine nuts, and avocado oil (you can even add avocado for extra creaminess and fiber). The bitter greens balance the sweet-spicy elements and aids in digestion. So satisfying! Hope you love it as much as I do.
Hot Honey Chicken
Ingredients:
6 oz chicken breast, diced
1 tbsp avocado oil
Salt & pepper
½ tbsp tamari
1 tsp Dijon mustard
½ tbsp hot honey
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar (for deglazing)
Instructions:
Heat avocado oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.
Add diced chicken. Season with salt, pepper, garlic, tamari, mustard, and hot honey.
Sauté until browned on all sides.
Deglaze the pan with apple cider vinegar and cook until the chicken is fully cooked and golden.
Creamy Pesto Sauce
Ingredients:
½ cup cottage cheese
1 tbsp olive oil
½ tbsp hot honey
½ tbsp tamari
1 clove garlic
Juice and zest of 1 lemon (~2 tbsp juice)
1 tsp white miso paste
Handful of fresh basil
1 tbsp pine nuts
Salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes to taste
Pasta Salad
Ingredients:
2 cups cooked Brami pasta (or pasta of choice)
1 medium zucchini, sliced and broiled until crispy
2 cups arugula, packed
1 tbsp pine nuts
Hot Honey Chicken (prepared above)
Creamy Pesto Sauce (prepared above)
Instructions:
Cook pasta according to package directions. Rinse under cold water and set aside to cool.
Broil zucchini slices until crisped at the edges.
In a large bowl, combine cooled pasta, arugula, broiled zucchini, pine nuts, and Hot Honey Chicken.
Pour Creamy Pesto Sauce over the top and toss gently to combine.
Serve chilled or at room temperature.
