Copycat Sweetgreen Chicken Pesto Parm Salad Bowl

April 30, 2023

Do you remember the Spicy Grilled Broccoli recipe that I posted yesterday? I can't believe that original post has almost 25,000 views! I use that recipe to make our family's favorite salad...

Man, oh man, am I missing and craving this salad from Sweetgreen. It is the most perfect combination of flavors...spinach, shaved parmasan cheese, grape tomatoes, roasted chicken, spicy roasted broccoli, and quinoa with a pesto vinaigrette and hot sauce! Perfection!

It is delicious cold! And believe it or not, it is AMAZING when you throw it in the microwave for 2 minutes!! I know it sounds weird but trust me, it’s like having a warm meal without cooking! All of the flavors just melt together - the spinach and tomatoes wilt into the quinoa and the cheese gets gooey and delicious!!

It's delicious cold or warm. Try it both ways! I thank you, Sweetgreen, for the inspiration for this recipe!

Here is how to make the copycat Sweetgreen Chicken Pesto Parm Salad...

Ingredients:

Leftover chicken, cubed (rotisserie chicken is perfect for this)

Spinach

Cherry tomatoes, halved

Shaved Parmesan

Vinaigrette

Pesto

Hot sauce

Spicy grilled broccoli (please click on the link below for the recipe)

Quinoa, prepared ahead of time

In a mason jar, combine whatever type of vinaigrette that you have with some jarred pesto. Give it a good shake.
Time to make your salad bowl. Add spinach, halved cherry tomatoes, chicken, quinoa, spicy broccoli and shaved parm.
Drizzle with your pesto dressing and give some healthy shakes of hot sauce, according to how spicy you like things. Sounds weird but trust me, the heat adds a different level of yumminess to this!
Eat it as a cold salad. Or be adventurous and throw it in the microwave for two minutes, give it a toss and enjoy. A perfect warm “salad” for a wonderful lunch or dinner.