sweetgreen chicken pesto parm bowl

last updated on October 30, 2026

To all my Sweetgreen lovers, today I am sharing a recipe for Sweetgreen’s chicken pesto parm bowl! It is flavorful, healthy, and easy to make at home. It’s got spinach, quinoa, chicken, broccoli, tomatoes, cheese, and breadcrumbs. So save some $$$ and make this bowl!

The first time I went to Sweetgreen I was in LA and got the Kale Caesar salad. It was amaze, but then I haven’t lived by a Sweetgreen until now! They’re all over the Boston area so I’ve been looking forward to trying their other flavors. Last time I went I got the chicken pesto parm bowl and knew immediately I needed to recreate it. So here we are!

what is in this Sweetgreen chicken pesto parm bowl?

• spinach
• quinoa
• cherry tomatoes
• roasted chicken
• spicy broccoli
• shaved parmesan
• za’atar breadcrumbs
• pesto vinaigrette

YUM. I wanted this bowl to be as accurate to Sweetgreen’s as it could be, so I went to their website and found the nutrition information. It obviously doesn’t list the measurements, but it lists every ingredient, so I knew everything that was on the chicken, exactly what is in the pesto vinaigrette, etc. From there I just had to play around with measurements! I really like the outcome and I think you will too.

One “secret” ingredient that is very prominent in this bowl is umami seasoning! It is listed as being in the roasted chicken, spicy broccoli, and pesto vinaigrette. It brings a great flavor to the bowl. If you don’t know much about umami, I love the kind from Trader Joe’s. It is cheap and has a great taste!

how to make za’atar breadcrumbs

Za’atar breadcrumbs are really simple to make! Take any bread (if it’s stale, that’s even better) and put it in a food processor. Pulse until you’ve got breadcrumbs, then pour them into a small pan with some olive oil. Add za’atar, then cook over medium heat until they’re nice and toasted! They are so good on this salad, and if you have leftovers, keep them to use for other things later!

other recipes like this Sweetgreen chicken pesto parm bowl

• autumn harvest bowl
• corn and watermelon arugula salad
• chicken and prosciutto salad

Sweetgreen chicken pesto parm bowl

[category] Main Course, Salad

[published] September 21, 2021

[PREP] 20 minutes mins

[COOK] 30 minutes mins

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Ingredients

salad

• 4 cups spinach
• 2 cups water
• 1 cup quinoa
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes
• 1/4 cup parmesan

roasted chicken

• 2 chicken breasts
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tsp umami seasoning

roasted broccoli

• 2 cups broccoli
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp umami seasoning
• pinch of red pepper flakes

za'atar breadcrumbs

• 1 slice bread
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp za'atar

pesto vinaigrette

• 1 cup basil
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 2 tsp umami seasoning
• 1 tsp garlic

Instructions

roasted chicken

1. Preheat the oven to 425. Toss chicken breasts with olive oil and umami seasoning. Transfer to a lined baking sheet and cook in the oven for 20 minutes, until the chicken reaches 165 degrees.
2. Slice the chicken into bite sized cubes.

roasted broccoli

1. Toss the broccoli with olive oil, umami seasoning, and red pepper flakes. Transfer to a lined baking sheet and cook in the oven for 15 minutes. I recommend cooking the broccoli at the same time as the chicken to save time.

salad

1. Add water to a pot over medium heat. When the water is boiling, add quinoa. Cover, turn heat to low, and cook for 15-20 minutes.
2. Wash the cherry tomatoes and cut in half.

za'atar breadcrumbs

1. Add the slice of bread to a food processor and pulse until small breadcrumbs remain. Transfer the breadcrumbs to a small pan over medium heat. Add olive oil and za'atar. Stir continually and cook until the breadcrumbs are toasted.

pesto vinaigrette

1. Add basil, olive oil, apple cider vinegar, umami seasoning, and garlic to a food processor. Blend until smooth.
2. To assemble the salad, add the spinach and quinoa to a large bowl. Add the vinaigrette and toss to combine. Divide the greens between two bowls. Top each with roasted chicken, cherry tomatoes, roasted broccoli, parmesan, and za'atar breadcrumbs. Enjoy!