Servings
Font
Back
Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad
4.8 from 39 votes

Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad

Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad – The BEST version of a chicken Cesar salad because there’s tender pasta, too!! EASY, ready in 20 minutes, makes a big batch, and a guaranteed family FAVORITE!! 

Servings: 8
Calories: 466 kcal
Course: Lunch
Cuisine: International

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1.75 pounds chicken breast diced into bite-sized pieces, boneless skinless
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt or to taste
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper or to taste, freshly ground
  • 1 pound bowtie pasta ziti, penne, wheels, small shells, rotini, etc. may be substituted
  • romaine lettuce or as desired, one 10-ounce bag
  • ⅔ cup diced tomatoes I used Roma; another variety of halved cherry or grape tomatoes may be substituted
  • ¾ cup caesar dressing or to taste
  • 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar red wine vinegar may be substituted
  • ⅔ cup Parmesan Cheese or to taste, grated

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. To a large skillet, add the olive oil, chicken, season with salt and pepper, and saute for about 7 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through; stir and flip intermittently to ensure even cooking.
  2. While chicken is sautéing, cook pasta according to package directions, drain, and add to a very large bowl.
  3. Add the cooked chicken to the pasta bowl, the lettuce (See Note 1 below), tomatoes, slowly add the Caesar dressing (you can always add more but can't remove it so add slowly), balsamic, Parmesan (See Note 2 below), and toss well to combine and coat evenly.
  4. Taste, and if desired, add more salt, pepper, dressing, Parm, etc. to taste and either serve immediately, or at room temp, or chill before serving. Recipe looks it’s best in the first 12-24 hours of making it when stored airtight in the fridge, but tastes just fine for up to 5 days.

Notes

  • If you add the lettuce as I instruct without first chilling everything else in the bowl, the lettuce will be more prone to wilting, which doesn't change the taste, but isn't as visually appealing. To prevent this, chill for 2-3 hours or as necessary. Regardless whether you chill it or not, the lettuce will still wilt in the fridge in the coming days after it's coated with dressing, which is why I don't bother to chill everything first, but you may wish to if you have time and plan ahead.
  • Any type of grated Parmesan cheese is fine, based on your taste preferences, such as a container of grated Parmesan-Pecorino blend or a can of shelf-stable Parm in a green can.

Nutrition Information

Serving 1 Calories 466kcal (23%) Carbohydrates 22g (7%) Protein 38g (76%) Fat 24g (37%) Saturated Fat 5g (25%) Polyunsaturated Fat 18g (106%) Cholesterol 100mg (33%) Sodium 783mg (33%) Fiber 2g (8%) Sugar 2g (4%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 8 Serving

Amount Per Serving

Calories 466

% Daily Value*

Serving 1
Calories 466kcal 23%
Carbohydrates 22g 7%
Protein 38g 76%
Fat 24g 37%
Saturated Fat 5g 25%
Polyunsaturated Fat 18g 106%
Cholesterol 100mg 33%
Sodium 783mg 33%
Fiber 2g 8%
Sugar 2g 4%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.