Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad
Updated
Updated
Two of my favorite classic comfort foods collide in this fantastic 30-minute Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad recipe. Crispy romaine, seasoned chicken, bright, sweet tomatoes, salty Parmesan, crunchy croutons, and spiral pasta all get tossed together in a creamy homemade Caesar dressing. I like to serve it as a complete dinner, but it also makes an easy side salad, or a sure winner for any summer potluck.
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Easy Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad Recipe
The only thing better than one of your favorite salads is when it’s combined with another one of your favorite salads – let me introduce you to this Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad, where Caesar salad and pasta salad come together for one scrumptious dish. Though you could leave out the chicken and still have a tasty salad, I like to include it for more of a hearty, well-balanced meal.
I love it when two all-stars collide, and I’m sort of obsessed with this one. Almost, if not equally, as much as my chicken broccoli pasta Salad and cashew chicken pasta salad. Which is saying a lot!
Helpful Tips
- Short-shaped pasta with ridges works best. I used rotini pasta because its curves and grooves are begging for dressing to cling to it, and its small size pairs well with all the chopped ingredients, so every bite is perfectly balanced.
- Anchovy paste. Anchovies are a traditional ingredient in Caesar salad, which lends a wonderful salty flavor to the dressing. If even the idea grosses you out, you can omit it. However, you’ll need to use 1 teaspoon kosher salt in its place (not table salt).
- Do not overcook the pasta. You want it to hold up with the dressing and overcooking will make it get soggy.
Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad
Ingredients
For The Dressing
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 2 tsp Dijon mustard
- 3 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tsp anchovy paste
- 1 clove garlic, grated
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ⅓ cup fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano, finely grated
For the Pasta Salad
- 3 cups uncooked rotini pasta
- 2 hearts romaine lettuce, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved (crosswise, not lengthwise)
- 2 cups seasoned and cooked boneless, skinless chicken breasts, diced into ½ inch cubes
- 1 cup seasoned croutons
- shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, for serving
Instructions
- Set a large pot of salted water to boil; cook the pasta al dente, according to package directions. Drain the pasta and rinse under cold water. Shake to get rid of any excess liquid.
- In the meantime, make the dressing. In a large serving bowl, whisk together all the ingredients for the dressing until well combined.
- Add pasta to the bowl with the dressing.
- Add the pieces of romaine lettuce, tomatoes, chicken, and croutons to the pasta and toss to combine, making sure everything is coated.
- Garnish with fresh shaved Parmesan and serve right away!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information given is an automatic calculation and can vary based on the exact products you use and any changes you make to the recipe. If these numbers are very important to you, I would recommend calculating them yourself.
Did you make this? Leave a rating below!How to Make Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad Step by Step
Make the pasta: Cook 3 cups of rotini pasta in a large pot of salted water, al dente. Drain, then rinse under cold water. Shake the colander to get rid of any excess liquid.
Make the dressing: In a large serving bowl, whisk 1 cup mayonnaise, ¼ cup sour cream, 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice, 2 tsp Dijon mustard, 3 tsp Worcestershire sauce, 2 tsp anchovy paste, 1 clove garlic, grated, ¼ tsp black pepper, and ⅓ cup fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano, finely grated.
Combine pasta and dressing: Add the cooked pasta to the bowl with the dressing.
Add the salad ingredients: Add 2 hearts of romaine lettuce, cut into 1-inch pieces, 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved, 2 cups seasoned and cooked boneless, skinless chicken breasts, diced into ½ inch cubes, and 1 cup seasoned croutons. Toss to make sure everything is well combined.
Garnish and serve: Garnish with fresh shaved Parmesan and serve right away.
Serving Suggestions
I find this chicken Caesar pasta salad eats like a meal, but it’s always nice to have a side of crispy garlic bread or even a slice of no-knead Dutch oven bread to munch on. For dessert, a fresh honey lime fruit salad always hits the spot.
How To Store
If making this ahead of time, I recommend leaving out the romaine lettuce and croutons, then tossing them in right before serving. And reserve a little dressing or make extra to add in, since it gets soaked up by the pasta sitting overnight.
This salad is best served the same day it’s made, but it will keep in the refrigerator up to 2 days and can be made 1 day ahead of time.
The dressing can be made separately and kept in the fridge the day before assembling the salad.
Other Pasta Salads To Try
- This Greek Pasta Salad features crunchy vegetables, summer sausage, salty feta, and pasta drizzled with homemade dressing.
- Classic Macaroni Salad comes together with simple ingredients and a homemade creamy dressing.
- Cowboy Pasta Salad makes for an easy dinner, a hearty side dish, backyard BBQs, or game day feast.
I hope you love this delicious and easy recipe – be sure to give it a review below! Also don’t forget to follow Belly Full on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube!
This was great! I made it without the tomatoes in it though because I knew we weren’t going to eat it all at once.
So good.
Didn’t have enough rotini, so I used a combination (abt 1/2 and 1/2) of rotini and pene pasta.
It didn’t make a difference to the taste or texture because nothing else was changed.
Although this is a good luncheon dish, we had it for dinner. What a great pasta salad, leaving room for chicken substitutions such as ham or shrimp.