Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad
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Crisp Romaine lettuce, juicy chicken, and pasta come together to make this delicious Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad. A perfect side dish for a potluck, serve alongside your favorite soup, or on its own for a simple meal idea.
Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad
Looking for easy light summer meals? Unlike other pasta salads, this Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad has it all, protein, carbs, and greens, a salad that is also a meal.
We love this salad because it really is easy to make and is bursting with so much flavor. This is one of those salads you bring to the party and everyone wants the recipe, which, by the way, is so simple you might not even want to share!!
You are going to love this bowtie pasta salad with chicken because it takes just a few ingredients to make, pasta in a salad tastes amazing (who knew?) and this salad is perfect for parties.
Recommended Equipment
These are just a few suggested kitchen tools that can be used to make this recipe:
- Cast Iron Skillet– for cooking the chicken, I just love cast iron, but really any skillet can be used.
- Big Pot-for cooking pasta
- Salad Spinner-for washing and drying the lettuce
How to Make Caesar Pasta Salad
The full recipe instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of the post, but let’s walk through the steps with a few tips and tricks here first.
- Cook the Pasta– a bowtie pasta salad is a favorite in our family. We love the shape and texture of the bowties, but another small-shaped pasta can be substituted. Cook the pasta in salted, boiling water until tender. Read the package for the most accurate cooking instructions.
- Prepare the Chicken– Season and cook the chicken breasts while the pasta is cooking. For the juiciest chicken breasts, cook to 165º F and allow to rest at least 5 minutes before slicing. Use an instant read thermometer to measure the temperature of the chicken.
- Assemble the Salad– once the cooking part is done and everything has cooled, it is time to assemble the salad. Place the lettuce, tomatoes, parmesan cheese, diced chicken, and bowtie pasta into a large salad/mixing bowl. Pour on the Caesar dressing, I like the Kraft Deluxe Bold Caesar salad dressing. Don’t forget the croutons like I did 🙂
Make Ahead and Storage Instructions
To make this chicken caesar salad in advance, cook the chicken and pasta at least a day ahead. Store in the refrigerator in air tight containers. Just before serving the salad, combine all of the ingredients and the dressing and toss to combine.
To store leftovers of this cold pasta salad, place it into an air tight container and store it in the refrigerator for at least one day. The lettuce will begin to wilt after the dressing has been added, so the salad won’t last too long after being prepared.
Other Summer Salads To Try
Chicken Ceasar Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 8 ounces bowtie pasta
- 1 pound chicken
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- 2 hearts Romaine lettuce sliced into bite-size pieces
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
- ¼ cup red onion diced
- ½ cup parmesan cheese shredded
- fresh cracked pepper
- ½ cup Caesar salad dressing
- 1 1/2 cups croutons
Instructions
- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add in pasta and cook until tender. Drain and rinse with cold water to cool down.
- Season chicken on both sides with salt, paprika, garlic powder and onion powder.
- Cook in 1 tablespoon olive oil until cooked through and has reached an internal temperature of 165 ℉.
- Allow chicken to rest at least 5 minutes before cutting into cubes.
- In a large serving bowl, combine the cooked pasta, romaine lettuce, tomatoes, parmesan, red onions, and cooled chicken.
- Toss with freshly cracked black pepper, Caesar dressing and croutons
Notes
- Nutrition facts are just an estimate of the ingredients listed
Nutrition
Crisp Romaine lettuce, juicy chicken, and pasta come together to make this delicious Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad.
