Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad
Forget those boring pasta salad recipes, try this 6-ingredient Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad today! All the delicious flavors of a caesar salad in a simple pasta salad!
AN EASY PEASY PASTA SALAD RECIPE
This Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad is an easy and flavorful lunch (or dinner) that will quickly become a family favorite. With its simple ingredients of rotini noodles, grilled chicken, parmesan cheese and bacon, this salad is sure to please everyone! This really could not be easier to make! It’s great as a side dish but also filling enough as a main course. If you love Caesar salads then you will definitely love this pasta salad version!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
Yes of course! If you need a good recipe, try my homemade caesar dressing – it doesn’t have anchovies (but you could certainly add them).
Sure, if you like a different cut of chicken, you can use any cut, just make sure to cook it and dice it into bite sized pieces. Typically I suggest the grilled chicken in the lunch meat section or rotisserie chicken to make this faster, but you can use leftover chicken from other recipes. And it can be chicken breast, tenders, thighs, etc.
Certainly! I think my grilled Italian lemon garlic chicken would work perfectly mixed in this. It has a wonderful flavor that would compliment this pasta salad nicely.
Yes and no. For optimal freshness, serve this pasta salad immediately because of the lettuce.
If you’d like to make it ahead of time, prepare it the same way without adding the lettuce. When you’re ready to serve, toss everything together and add the lettuce for a delightful crunch.
This dish is delightfully hearty and versatile – perfect as a satisfying main course or refreshing side salad. If you use it as a main meal, it will serve 4 but if you’re just serving it as a side dish, it will serve 8.
There are other delicious items that you can add to your dish, such as cherry tomatoes, crunchy croutons, and mozzarella cheese.
Although the pasta salad is not ideal for storing leftovers due to the risk of soggy lettuce, it’s still a delectable dish that can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days. I definitely wouldn’t freeze this.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR THE FULL RECIPE)
- rotini pasta – I like rotini pasta as I think it holds the dressing really well but you can certainly use your favorite pasta shape (same amount).
- diced grilled chicken – you can use turkey if you prefer as well. See my FAQ’s above on other ideas.
- bacon – you can use storebought bacon pieces if you don’t want to make fresh cooked bacon
- romaine lettuce – romaine lettuce is typical for Caesar salads but if there is a lettuce type that you prefer more, then don’t be afraid to change it up.
- shredded parmesan cheese – I used the store-bought finely shredded Parmesan (see ingredient photo below) but you can shred it fresh as well.
- Caesar salad dressing – use your favorite store-bought dressing or you can make it homemade (see my FAQ above for a link).
HOW TO MAKE CHICKEN CAESAR PASTA SALAD
Cook pasta according to box directions. Drain it well then rinse it with cold water to stop the cooking process. Place the pasta, chicken, bacon, romaine, and cheese in a large bowl. Add the dressing and toss to combine; add more dressing if desired.
Serve immediately.
CRAVING MORE RECIPES?
Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 8 ounces (½ box) rotini pasta
- 2 cups diced grilled chicken
- 8 ounces bacon, cooked and crumbled
- 1 heart romaine lettuce, chopped
- ½ cup shredded parmesan cheese
- ¾ cup Caesar salad dressing
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to box directions. Drain it well then rinse it with cold water to stop the cooking process.
- Place the pasta, chicken, bacon, romaine, and cheese in a large bowl. Add the dressing and toss to combine (add more dressing if desired).
- Serve immediately.
Notes
- Please refer to my FAQ’s above and ingredient list above for other substitutions or for the answers to the most common questions.
- Since this pasta salad has lettuce in it, it needs to be served immediately. However, if you wish to make it in advance, you can prepare it the same way but just leave the lettuce out. Right before serving, add the lettuce and toss everything together then serve.
- A very hearty dish! It can be served as a main course or side salad. This is why I say 4-8 servings. However, this recipe card won’t let me say 4-8 servings, I can only have one quantity, so I said 8 servings.
- This is not the ideal pasta salad to eat leftovers just because the lettuce will eventually get soggy. But, it is still delicious and will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- I do not suggest freezing.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Very good recipe and very tasty I didn’t add the dressing until I was ready to eat so the lettuce didn’t wilt
Excellent recipe, for the lettuce I just left on the side then one can add their own as much or little as they like. Then also great for left overs because lettuce won’t be soggy thank you very much for the recipe!