This Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad combines crisp romaine, spiral pasta, cherry tomatoes, Parmesan, and toasty croutons with creamy Caesar dressing. It’s an easy make-ahead option for potlucks, barbecues, or a quick dinner.
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This is my take on a recipe that first appeared in Cooking Light way back in 1997 and quickly became wildly popular. It’s no surpise this concept took off, it’s a good one!
Chicken Caesar Salad is a bit of a mashup – think pasta salad meets green salad, and you’ve got the idea. It’s fun, easy to make, and the combo of textures and flavors is amazing!
You can throw it together quickly with a few shortcuts or go all in and make everything from scratch. I usually do a little of both.
Ingredient Notes and Swaps
- Pasta: Spiral pasta, like fussili or rotini, is the best choice. It’s great at holding on to the creamy dressing.
- Chicken: Thin-sliced boneless, skinless chicken breasts will cook more quickly than regular thickness pieces. You can substitute rotisserie chicken to eliminate a step.
- Seasoning: The chicken is seasoned with a little garlic pepper which typically contains salt. If yours is salt-free, you’ll want to season the chicken with a little salt to compensate. You can substitute this seasoning mix for any type of all-purpose seasoning you prefer.
- Caesar salad dressing: Bottled Caesar dressing is one of the shortcuts I take. There are many fine brands out there but I’m fond of Cardini’s. Of course, it would be delicious with a from scratch dressing like my Homemade Caesar Dressing.
- Produce: Romaine lettuce and green onions form the base, but if you stop there, the salad can look a little plain. I like to add cherry tomatoes for a pop of color, and a bit of lemon and fresh basil to really brighten up the flavor.
- Croutons: I make my Hot Dog Bun Croutons for this salad because store-bought croutons tend to be too dry for my taste. I like to pull them out of the oven when they are toasty but still have a bit of chewiness to them. So amazing!
How to Make Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad
- Cook the Chicken: Season and cook the chicken breasts in a little olive oil until they reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
- Slice and Cool: Transfer the cooked chicken to a cutting board and slice it into bite-size pieces. Squeeze the juice of half a lemon over the the cooked, chopped chicken. Allow the chicken to cool while you prep the remaining ingredients.
- Assemble the Salad: In a large bowl, combine sprial pasta (cooked according to the package directions and rinsed immediately with cool water), the cooled chicken, romaine, cherry tomatoes, green onions, finely sliced basil, and Parmesan cheese.
- Dress the Salad: Add the Caesar dressing and a little of the juice from the remaining half of the lemon and toss until well combined. Top the salad with the croutons and some additional Parmesan.
Valerie’s Tips
Pasta Tip: Be sure the cooked pasta is cool to the touch before assembling the salad. If it’s even a little warm, it can wilt the lettuce and soak up too much dressing.
Lemon Flavor Boost: After cooking the chicken, I squeeze lemon juice over the top to brighten it up. You can also add some to the salad before tossing for some fresh lemony flavor – just go by taste.
Garnish for Impact: I toss the salad with grated Parmesan for good coverage, but I like to top it off with a handful of shaved Parmesan for more visual impact and texture. To make Parmesan shavings, just run a vegetable peeler along the side of a wedge.
Make-Ahead Instructions: This salad can absolutely be made in advance, but it’s best to wait to dress it. Pasta tends to soak up dressing over time, so if you’re prepping ahead, assemble everything as directed but hold off on adding the romaine, dressing, and croutons until just before serving.
Storing Leftovers: Leftovers will keep well for a day or two if stored in an airtight container in the fridge. Just know that the lettuce and croutons will soften a bit over time. If you’re planning for leftovers, you can leave those out of the portion you’re storing and add them in fresh when you’re ready to eat.
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Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 1 pound sprial pasta, like fusilli or rotini pasta
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ¾ pound boneless, skinless thin-sliced chicken breast
- 2 teaspoons garlic pepper
- 1 lemon, halved
- 2 cups romaine lettuce, well chopped
- 1½ cups cherry tomatoes, halved
- ½ cup thinly sliced green onions
- ⅓ cup chopped fresh basil
- ⅓ cup finely grated Parmesan cheese, plus additional for garnish (grated or shaved)
- ⅓ cup Caesar salad dressing, store-bought or homemade
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
- 1½ cups croutons, homemade or store-bought
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta, according to the package directions for al dente.
- Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a nonstick skillet over MEDIUM heat. Cook the thin-sliced chicken for about 3 to 4 minutes per side, seasoning with garlic pepper as it cooks. When the chicken is cooked through and no longer pink in the center, remove it from the heat and transfer it to a cutting board. Chop the chicken into small bite-size pieces and squeeze the juice from half a lemon over the top. Allow the chicken to cool while prepping the salad ingredients.
- Once the pasta has finished cooking, immediately transfer it to a colander and rinse it with cold water until cool to the touch. Drain it well and transfer it to a large bowl.
- To the bowl with the cooled pasta, add the cooled chicken, romaine, tomatoes, green onion, basil and Parmesan cheese and toss lightly to combine. Add the Caesar salad dressing and and a little lemon juice, to taste, and toss until the dressing is well incorporated throughout the salad. Season with freshly ground black pepper and the top with the croutons and toss lightly again. Garnish with additional Parmesan and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated using generic ingredients, and is an estimate not a guarantee. For more accurate results, please refer to the labels on your ingredients at home.
Like this? Please rate & comment below!
Hi I would love to make this for my husbands potluck at work tomorrow. I would have to make it tonight so he can take early with him. It wouldn’t get eaten until about 11am. Is there a way to keep it fresh and crisp over night?
I’d prep everything ahead of time and keep it stored separately in the fridge. Just toss everything together before he heads off in the morning and it should be just fine. If you want to combine some of the ingredients the night before you can but definitely hold off till morning to add the lettuce, dressing, and croutons.
Valerie, made this salad over the weekend. Such a good good salad. Easy to come together and I made the homemade croutons (first time for me) and they were so so good. My son’s girlfriend has already ask this for her birthday dinner next month! Thanks Valerie!
Wonderful! I’m so happy to hear that the salad worked out for you. There’s no going back after you’ve made homemade croutons 🙂
Congratulations on #2’s grad school graduation!!! You’re going to be super busy this weekend, but it’ll be a wonderful family re-union! 🙂 I love this salad… We’ve been eating out this week and I need great salad like this!!!!
My daughter and I love Caesar salad. This pasta salad version looks delicious and is a complete meal in one. It makes such a great summertime lunch or dinner when you don’t want to eat anything heavy. Enjoy your time with your children!
What a perfect summer salad! Thanks for the recipe Valerie, I cant wait to make it!
Yeah, we are on the cusp of being empty nesters in this house too and I’m not loving it much. lol Got a couple of graduations this year for my kids too…one high school and one collage. Great twist on a pasta salad. Looks wonderful. I love homemade croutons too.
The nest is not quite empty yet 🙂 Good luck to your kids!
Love that you just combined two of my summertime faves- caesar salad and pasta salad- into one tasty salad! 🙂 This looks delicious!
I LOVE pasta salad! This is the perfect side to a bbq or just the perfect summer evening salad! thanks for sharing!
What a wonderful salad…this would be perfect for Memorial Day. Such great texture and flavors. xo, Catherine
Maybe not singing and dancing, but I bet your boys will be enjoying mom’s home cooked meals! This is a great pasta salad to feed a crowd! Pinning!
Haha…thanks Sandra!
This looks like such a great pasta salad!! I know we’d love it!! Perfect for summertime!
Thanks Sheena!
I think I was getting Cooking Light in 1997. Love their magazine. I adore the croutons in the salad. Great crunch.
I love it too, Christie. I was getting it then and still get it now!