Chicken and Berry Pesto Pasta Salad

This Chicken and Berry Pesto Pasta Salad is a flavorful and easy to make main dish salad. All the flavors of caprese salad, but using berries instead of tomatoes! It’s perfect for spring and summer!

Pasta salad isn’t something I make or eat all that often. When I do, it’s usually during the summer and most often as a side dish at a barbecue.

However, as I was staring at the remaining pesto in the fridge, leftover from the Cheesy Pesto Chicken and Broccoli Quinoa Skillet that I shared the recipe for earlier this week, the idea for this Chicken and Berry Pesto Pasta Salad came into my head.

This pasta salad is very reminiscent of a caprese pasta salad. Aside from the missing tomatoes, which are substituted with strawberries and blackberries, it has all of the same ingredients. Since I can’t start my garden yet and use fresh tomatoes, berries were clearly the right choice for spring.

You might be thinking that berries and pesto are an odd combination, but they are actually delicious together. Basil is often paired with berries in desserts and salads, so it made sense that pesto would work well as part of the dressing in this pasta salad.

Along with the berries in this Chicken and Berry Pesto Pasta Salad, there is of course chicken. The chicken turns this side dish salad into a main dish. Since it was nice outside the day I made this recipe, I decided to grill the chicken. When given the option, I almost always prefer to grill my protein. I love the added flavor it gives it.

Of course you can prepare the chicken however you like and is most convenient for you. The only seasoning you’ll need is salt and pepper, as the pesto will lend plenty of extra flavor.

Now for my favorite part. The mini mozzarella balls! If you’ve never had mini fresh mozzarella balls you’re in for a treat. They’re highly addicting and taste so much better than block mozzarella cheese. I used the pearl sized balls, but if you can’t find those just cut the next size up into halves or quarters.

This Chicken and Berry Pesto Pasta Salad is the perfect way to take advantage of spring berries and use them in a light and healthy pasta salad. Today I’m sharing the recipe over on Spoonful of Flavor so head on over and try it out tonight!