Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad

Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad

The best pasta salad recipe must have a delicious dressing and this chicken Caesar pasta salad has exactly that. Juicy chicken breast, crunchy croutons and crisp romaine lettuce are tossed together with spiraled pasta and sharp parmesan cheese making one of my daughter’s favorite pasta salad recipes ever.

Ingredients for Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad Recipe

I always like to see a quick overview of the ingredients I’m going to need for a recipe so here is everything you’re going to need:

Salad

• Chicken Breasts: You will cook these ahead of time and chop into bite-sized pieces.
  • SUBSTITUTION: If you want to skip cooking chicken, you could use a rotisserie chicken.
• Salt: used to season the water that you boil the pasta in
• Cavatappi Pasta: Rotini also works great. You want a hearty pasta with lots of nooks and crannies to catch all that yummy dressing!
• Caesar Croutons: Any store bought brand will work great.
• Romaine Lettuce: Rinse and dry it before chopping it up.
• Parmesan Cheese: Grab a block of parmesan that you can shave yourself!

Dressing

• Mayonnaise: acts as the base for the creamy dressing
• Plain Greek Yogurt: lightens up the dressing a little and adds good protein
• Lemon Juice: adds acidity and brightness
• Champagne Vinegar: If you can’t find champagne vinegar, white wine vinegar will work too.
• Dijon Mustard: adds flavor
• Worcestershire Sauce: adds flavor
• Garlic: You’ll grate it with a microplane or use a garlic press to get it really fine.
• Parmesan Cheese: You want the powdery kind from the can for the dressing. It gives the dressing that signature Caesar flavor.
• Salt and Black Pepper: adds flavor

The measurements for all the ingredients can be found in the recipe card at the end of the post.

How to Make Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad

I know, you’re probably thinking that you’ll just buy a Caesar salad kit from the store and just add pasta and call it good, but I swear to you, this homemade salad dressing will be such a game changer! If you have the time, make this chicken Caesar salad with pasta from scratch. It’s really so simple! Here are the steps:

1. Cook the Pasta: Get a large pot of salted water boiling over medium-high heat and add the pasta once the water is boiling.
2. Cook the Chicken: While you are waiting for the water to boil and for the pasta to cook, get the chicken cooking. You can grill the chicken or cook it on the stove top. Follow the instructions for how to cook chicken in a pan for a quick and easy chicken recipe. Once the chicken is cooked, remove it from the pan to rest and then chop into bite-sized pieces.
3. Cool the Pasta: Cook the pasta until it is overcooked. Yes, you read that right (see section below)! Then drain it, rinse it with cold water and put it in a bowl in the fridge until you’re ready to assemble the salad.
4. Make the Dressing: Add all the dressing ingredients for the dressing to a small bowl and whisk everything together. Season with a little salt and pepper if needed. I usually only end up adding pepper.
5. Final Preparations: Chop the lettuce and shave the parmesan cheese.
   • PRO TIP: You can chop the lettuce with a knife or tear it by hand. When my kids were little, I would plop them on the counter and give them the job of tearing the lettuce. It’s the perfect kid job and they LOVE helping. Lettuce also bruises less if you tear it by hand.
6. Assemble the Salad: Add the chilled pasta, cooked chicken, chopped romaine and shaved parm all to a large bowl. Toss everything together with the dressing. Add the crouton with the crumbs (I love the extra texture this adds!) and toss everything together one last time. Serve immediately or within the hour.

All of these instructions can also be found in the recipe card at the end of the post. Keep scrolling down for all the details!

Watch How to Make a Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad

Overcook the Pasta? Seriously?!

If you’ve ever made our macaroni pasta salad, you’ll know that I say to overcook your pasta a little. I’ve gotten so much push back on that! It’s totally counterintuitive but trust me! If you overcook the pasta past al dente, when you add the dressing, the pasta won’t soak up all the dressing and suck all the flavor out of the dish.

What to Eat with Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad

I’m picturing the perfect summer weekend. The kids are in the pool. The husband is on the grill. I’m finishing up this tasty pasta salad and a few other side dishes. Some friends will be knocking on the door any minute for a fun-filled night of catching up and devouring all the summer favorites. Here’s what might be on the grill…

• Best Grilled Chicken Breasts
• Grilled Flank Steak
• Grilled Baby Back Ribs
• Honey Lemon Basil Grilled Chicken

Then of course we will finish off the night with some strawberry shortcake or a cozy peach crisp!

Storage Tips

Once the whole salad has been assembled, it won’t hold up well for much more than 1 hour. If you aren’t going to serve it for a while or know that you’ll have some leftovers, only assemble the amount you think will be eaten. The croutons get soggy pretty quickly. If you do end up with leftovers, store in an airtight container in the fridge and eat within a day or two.

The good news is that all the components of the recipe can be stored separately in the fridge for up to 2-3 days. You could prep the pasta, chicken and Caesar salad dressing ahead of time and then just toss everything together right before you are ready to eat.

Satisfy your cravings for both a Caesar salad and pasta with this delicious recipe for Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad. Perfect for a quick and easy lunch or dinner or a side dish for your summer BBQs! And I’m telling ya…the homemade Caesar dressing is the B.O.A.T…that’s a thing right? Best Of All Time!!

More Pasta Salad Recipes:

• Macaroni Salad
• Teriyaki Chicken Pasta Salad
• Easy Italian Pasta Salad
• Caprese Orzo Salad
• Easy Greek Pasta Salad

READ: Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad