0.0 from 0 votes
Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad
If you love Caesar salad and pasta then you are going to love my Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad Recipe! Perfect for a pot luck, BBQ or dinner.
Prep Time
20 mins
Cook Time
20 mins
Total Time
40 mins
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 715 kcal
Course:
Salad , Lunch
Cuisine:
American
Ingredients
for the salad-
- 3/4 lb pasta shortcut like farfalle or rigatoni
- 1 1/2 cups romaine lettuce washed, dried, and chopped
- 1 lb chicken breasts
- 10 lices Bacon cooked and roughly chopped
- 3 tablespoons Parmesan Cheese shaved, optional
- 1 cup croutons
*for the chicken marinade-
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 lemon zested and juiced (about 3 tablespoons)
- 1 clove garlic minced
- salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
for the dressing-
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice juice of about 1 whole lemon
- 2 whole anchovies** canned, or anchovy paste
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese freshly grated
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper freshly cracked + more to taste
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt generously and cook pasta according to box instructions for al dente. Drain, rinse with cold water and set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, salt and black pepper.
- Trim chicken breasts of any excess fat and cut into thin strips. Place in bowl with marinade ingredients and set aside while preparing other recipe elements.
- Preheat indoor or outdoor grill to medium to medium-high heat.
- Add the chicken to the grill and cook about 1-2 minutes per side or until internal temperature reaches 165° F. Remove chicken from the grill and cut into bite-size pieces. Set aside.
Cup of Yum
for the dressing-
- Add all dressing ingredients to a small blender and blend until smooth. (You can also whisk all ingredients in a small bowl if you don't have a blender.)
to assemble-
- Place cooked pasta, romaine, grilled chicken, bacon, parmesan cheese shavings, and croutons in a large salad bowl. Drizzle with the caesar dressing and toss to combine well. Season with more freshly cracked black pepper, if desired and serve.
Notes
- *You can skip the marinating and grilling of the chicken if you have precooked chicken on hand, either from leftovers, meal prep, or a store-bought rotisserie chicken.
- **If you are allergic to anchovies, you can leave these out of the recipe, but be sure to add salt (to taste). Anchovies have a high salt content, which is why I left salt out of the dressing ingredients. If you think you won’t like the taste, don’t worry – you can’t even tell they’re in there. They just give this dressing the essential umami, salty flavoring.
Nutrition Information
Calories
715kcal
(36%)
Carbohydrates
50g
(17%)
Protein
32g
(64%)
Fat
43g
(66%)
Saturated Fat
10g
(50%)
Polyunsaturated Fat
12g
Monounsaturated Fat
18g
Trans Fat
0.1g
Cholesterol
85mg
(28%)
Sodium
635mg
(26%)
Potassium
566mg
(16%)
Fiber
3g
(12%)
Sugar
2g
(4%)
Vitamin A
1.131IU
(0%)
Vitamin C
14mg
(16%)
Calcium
115mg
(12%)
Iron
2mg
(11%)
Nutrition Facts
Serving: 6servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories 715
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 715kcal | 36% |
| Carbohydrates | 50g | 17% |
| Protein | 32g | 64% |
| Fat | 43g | 66% |
| Saturated Fat | 10g | 50% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 12g | 71% |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 18g | 90% |
| Trans Fat | 0.1g | 5% |
| Cholesterol | 85mg | 28% |
| Sodium | 635mg | 26% |
| Potassium | 566mg | 12% |
| Fiber | 3g | 12% |
| Sugar | 2g | 4% |
| Vitamin A | 1.131IU | 0% |
| Vitamin C | 14mg | 16% |
| Calcium | 115mg | 12% |
| Iron | 2mg | 11% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.