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Home » Blog » Course » Dinner » Walnut Pesto Chicken Summer Squash {GF, Low Cal, Paleo}

Walnut Pesto Chicken Summer Squash {GF, Low Cal, Paleo}

Published: Jun 20, 2016 · Modified: Apr 17, 2020 by Megan

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Baked chicken tops spiralized squash with a homemade walnut pesto in this Walnut Pesto Chicken Summer Squash. A simple 30 minute, HEALTHY meal that's Whole 30 compliant, Paleo, Gluten Free and low calorie friendly!  

Baked chicken tops spiralized squash with a homemade walnut pesto in this Walnut Pesto Chicken Summer Squash. A simple 30 minute, HEALTHY meal that's Whole 30 compliant, Paleo, Gluten Free and low calorie friendly!

I swear this week better be good to me. The last two have been trying!  It all started when my herbs died when I was in Chicago for 3 days and the temps went from 88 to 115 and no one was here to water them.

I swear I will never be able to grow anything, but I'm going to keep trying! Then the coolant system went out in my car. Thank goodness for the warranty!

Then my director informed me they were pulling swim instructors from the June schedule who didn't have advanced CPR and that included me.

But in order for me to take the class, they needed to offer one which they hadn't since February. Is it worth mentioning I am already CPR certified? This stupid class has been a thorn in my side since the day I started.

Baked chicken tops spiralized squash with a homemade walnut pesto in this Walnut Pesto Chicken Summer Squash. A simple 30 minute, HEALTHY meal that's Whole 30 compliant, Paleo, Gluten Free and low calorie friendly!

Technically, they're not supposed to schedule you if you don't have all certification classes. Despite that, they scheduled me for 3 months. Oh yeah, and they tried paying me less for not having the class too.

Tomorrow there's finally a class (like I was informed yesterday) so hopefully, next month I can teach again. If I didn't love instructing so much, I wouldn't bother with this. It's just wrong to treat people that way.

Baked chicken tops spiralized squash with a homemade walnut pesto in this Walnut Pesto Chicken Summer Squash. A simple 30 minute, HEALTHY meal that's Whole 30 compliant, Paleo, Gluten Free and low calorie friendly!

On the bright side, it's been nice having a month "off" to catch up on things. I've been taking FULL advantage cooking a lot of recipes, and this Walnut Pesto Chicken Summer Squash was one of the first things I got my hands into! It's packed with fresh and wholesome ingredients.

Originally this dish started out as vegetarian. I'd eat it raw or cooked for lunch or dinner.

Then one night I was scrounging for dinner and needed more than the pesto zoodles so I paired it with baked chicken for a little extra protein, and that's how Walnut Pesto Chicken Summer Squash was born!

Baked chicken tops spiralized squash with a homemade walnut pesto in this Walnut Pesto Chicken Summer Squash. A simple 30 minute, HEALTHY meal that's Whole 30 compliant, Paleo, Gluten Free and low calorie friendly!

The walnut pesto is the star of the show bursting with its creamy, vibrant flavors. You can never go wrong mixing spinach and basil together in a pesto and I used walnuts for more depth and omega-3.

Feel free to swap with pine nuts or another nut. Brazil nuts or hazelnuts would be amazing in this too!

Baked chicken tops spiralized squash with a homemade walnut pesto in this Walnut Pesto Chicken Summer Squash. A simple 30 minute, HEALTHY meal that's Whole 30 compliant, Paleo, Gluten Free and low calorie friendly!

As you can see, the options are endless for customizing this Walnut Pesto Chicken Summer Squash! The best part is it takes less than 30 minutes to pull the entire meal together.

As much as I love to cook, I love quick and easy meals more! And it's light, yet hearty and filling. A perfect summertime (or anytime hehe) meal!

Walnut Pesto Chicken Summer Squash

Walnut Pesto Chicken Summer Squash

Megan Olson
Baked chicken tops spiralized squash with a homemade walnut pesto in this Walnut Pesto Chicken Summer Squash. A simple 30 minute, HEALTHY meal that's Whole 30 compliant, Paleo, Gluten Free and low calorie friendly!  
5 from 1 vote
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes mins
Cook Time 25 minutes mins
Total Time 35 minutes mins
Course Dinner
Cuisine American
Servings 4 servings
Calories 304 kcal

Ingredients
 
 

For the Pesto:

  • 1/2 cup walnuts raw
  • 3 cups basil leaves fresh
  • 1 cup spinach
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 cup lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese or nutritional yeast for Paleo or Whole30
  • Salt and pepper to taste

For the Squash & Chicken:

  • 1 pound chicken breast
  • 6 cups summer squash 4 medium squash
  • 4 slices lemon
  • 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Add chicken breast to a glass baking dish, sprinkle salt & pepper on it and top each with a lemon slice.
  • Place in the oven and bake 20-25 minutes until completely baked through. While the chicken is baking, spiralize the squash noodles and set aside.
  • Then add the ingredients for the pesto to a food processor or blender and blend on high until the pesto is smooth.
  • Heat a skillet to medium heat, add half the pesto the skillet then the squash then the remainder of the pesto. Using a tongs, coat all the squash with the pesto about 2-3 minutes.
  • Remove from the oven and plate the squash in a bowl with the baked chicken and lemon and sprinkle with red chili peppers.
  • For leftovers, store chicken and squash pesto in separate containers.

Notes

  • My Amazon shop has more products similar to those used for this recipe and that I recommend to my nutrition clients.

Nutrition

Serving: 1servingCalories: 304kcalCarbohydrates: 10gProtein: 24gFat: 19gSaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 56mgSodium: 157mgPotassium: 953mgFiber: 3gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 2185IUVitamin C: 44.8mgCalcium: 113mgIron: 2.2mg
Tried this Recipe? Let me know!Let us know how it was!

What I Used For The Recipe

Baked chicken tops spiralized squash with a homemade walnut pesto in this Walnut Pesto Chicken Summer Squash. A simple 30 minute, HEALTHY meal that's Whole 30 compliant, Paleo, Gluten Free and low calorie friendly!

Baked chicken tops spiralized squash with a homemade walnut pesto in this Walnut Pesto Chicken Summer Squash. A simple 30 minute, HEALTHY meal that's Whole 30 compliant, Paleo, Gluten Free and low calorie friendly!  

About Megan

Megan is a certified nutrition practitioner, author, freelance food photographer and fitness instructor living in Phoenix, Arizona. On her blog, Skinny Fitalicious she shares EASY, gluten free recipes for weight loss. Follow Megan on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram for the latest updates.

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  1. Erin @ Erin's Inside Job says

    June 22, 2016 at 7:54 am

    PESTOOOOOO. Sending good vibes your way! One of my class schedules was just screwed up too. This is why I only want to work for myself FOREVER. I won't mess myself up 🙂

    Reply
    • Megan says

      June 22, 2016 at 8:06 am

      Same here! It's so much easier when you only have to depend on yourself.

      Reply
  2. neil@neilshealthymeals.com says

    June 21, 2016 at 7:02 am

    I love your walnut pesto!

    Seeing as I'm into spiralizing virtually everything in site at the moment, this has come in at the right time Megan.

    Thanks! 😀

    Reply
    • Megan says

      June 21, 2016 at 1:16 pm

      Perfect timing for you! What did we ever do without spiralizers?

      Reply
  3. Courtney Bentley says

    June 20, 2016 at 8:43 pm

    This looks ABSOLUTELY delicious! I need to get on the pesto train, I had some the other day at my friends house and I forgot how much I love it! Thanks for sharing and inspiring me xo C

    Reply
    • Megan says

      June 21, 2016 at 1:17 pm

      Thanks Courtney! Pesto is so easy to make but I always seem to forget about it. Hope you enjoy the recipe!

      Reply
  4. Kate @ Kate Lives Healthy says

    June 20, 2016 at 3:47 pm

    Sorry to hear about the rough week. Hopefully the class works out. If not I love the folks at Desert Education. They have a ton of availability for all CPR and advanced classes and the instructor is so nice. I have to renew my certifications by Jan and will probably come back and do them with her. I've taken the classes for years and they were the best. Hands Down! Good luck tomorrow!

    Reply
    • Megan says

      June 20, 2016 at 4:47 pm

      I can't take just any advanced CPR class. I have to take THEIRS which is what's so frustrating about it because they have not offered a class. I'm already CPR certified but I need to have their certification.

      Reply
  5. Amanda says

    June 20, 2016 at 12:50 pm

    This sounds so amazingly delicious! I love finding new ways to use the vegetable spiralizer! The combo of walnuts and pesto would be so good. Thank you so much for sharing

    Reply
    • Megan says

      June 20, 2016 at 6:00 pm

      Thanks Amanda! Hope you like it.

      Reply
  6. Cheyanne @ No Spoon Necessary says

    June 20, 2016 at 11:37 am

    I literally love EVERYTHING you used in this dish! Squash noodles are the jam! This looks so fresh and fabulous! Absolutely perfect for summer! Cheers and thanks for sharing the YUM!

    Reply
    • Megan says

      June 20, 2016 at 12:05 pm

      Thank you for that Cheyanne! And girl...I don't know what I'd do without my spiralizer. What did we ever do without them?

      Reply
  7. Blair says

    June 20, 2016 at 11:19 am

    Sorry it's been a rough couple of weeks, but these photos are beautiful and the recipe sounds delicious!! I need to try a walnut pesto!

    Reply
    • Megan says

      June 20, 2016 at 12:04 pm

      What goes down must come up, right? I just needed to vent!

      Reply
  8. Jordan says

    June 20, 2016 at 10:06 am

    I'm sorry your week wasn't great...here's to better things coming up this week! That dish looks amazing...I'm definitely adding it to my list of recipes to try. I absolutely love squash!!

    Reply
    • Megan says

      June 20, 2016 at 12:04 pm

      Thanks girl! Let me know if you try it and how you like it.

      Reply
  9. lindsay Cotter says

    June 20, 2016 at 5:24 am

    that pesto! is it wrong to make that a meal? haha kidding. so good with summer squash noodles. Love it! and no grilling HAHA HOTTTTTTTTTT! ugh.

    Reply
    • Megan says

      June 20, 2016 at 9:23 am

      I could get on board with that! OMG it was 121 here yesterday. Breaking all sorts of records.

      Reply

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Megan is a nutrition practitioner, author of the Low Calorie Cookbook and podcast host of the Dish On Ditching Diets. Megan helps women over 35 lose weight after losing 80 pounds herself. Here you get low calorie recipes for weight loss that balance hormones. Learn more about my weight loss programs HERE!

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