Pesto Pulled Chicken Salad

I love chicken salad, but don't love using diced chicken. Whenever I make a chicken salad sandwich, pieces of diced chicken fall out all over the place, and it's a mess! So, today I decided to try something a little different- I pulled the chicken rather than dicing it. I used one leftover brined and charcoal grilled chicken breasts. It worked beautifully. You can "pull" or shred cooked chicken with two forks, but I prefer to do it with clean hands. Once it was pulled, I decided to make a pesto chicken salad sandwich.

hand-pulled, brined and charcoal grilled chicken

pesto chicken salad ready for sandwiches

To make the dressing, I used a heaping tablespoon of Arugula Hazelnut Pesto with Basil and Mint, a dollop of mayonnaise and a tablespoon of Greek yogurt as the dressing. I added some chopped red onion, roasted red pepper, and thinly sliced celery cut diagonally, and tossed until the salad was dressed. It was sensational, and I didn't have diced chicken falling out of my sandwich! Best part about it- there's enough left for lunch tomorrow!