This is not your mama’s chicken salad. No grapes. No Nuts. No joke. The arugula pesto on its own is SO good. On pasta. On a sandwich. On a finger. And while I’m normally not a huge chicken salad fan, this stuff has won me over. We’re pretty close.

My helper sat this one out. He was too busy getting in touch with his inner Picasso. The Easter Bunny brought him water colors, he’s obsessed and paints to the beat of his own drum. Love this dude.

Place 2 cups of Arugula and one clove of garlic in a food processor.

Blend until finely chopped.

 With the machine running, gradually add the oil until well blended.

Transfer to a large bowl and stir in Parmesan and salt and pepper.

In a large bowl, combine the mayonnaise, lemon zest and Arugula Pesto. Stir in the diced chicken.

Grab a pita and filler up. Top with tomatoes…

Scarf, scarf, scarf and repeat.

INGREDIENTS

2 whole-wheat pitas, halved and opened

1/4 cup mayo

1 teaspoon lemon zest

1/2 cup arugula pesto

2 store-bough rotisserie chicken breasts, diced

cherry tomatoes

2 cups packed arugula

1 clove garlic

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 cup grated parmesan

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.

Arrange the pita halves on a baking sheet and bake for 5 to 7 minutes until warmed through.

In a large bowl, combine the mayonnaise, lemon zest and Arugula Pesto. Stir in the diced chicken.

To assemble the pita pockets, fill each pita half with the chicken mixture. Top with tomatoes and 1/4 cup arugula and serve.

Arugula Pesto

For the pesto, blend the arugula and garlic in a food processor until finely chopped. With the machine running, gradually add the oil until well blended. Transfer to a large bowl and stir in Parmesan and salt and pepper. Arugula Pesto Chicken Salad.