Chicken Avocado Pasta Salad

5 from 1 vote

This Chicken Avocado Pasta Salad is loaded with fresh summer ingredients and tossed in a flavorful homemade dressing. This colorful pasta salad is a great choice for a potluck menu!

Prep Time20

Cook Time10

Total Time30

Course: Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 444kcal

Author: Valerie Brunmeier

Ingredients

For the Chicken Avocado Pasta Salad

8 ounces dry rotini pasta
1 ½ cups chopped cooked chicken breast
1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
⅓ cup chopped red onion
⅓ cup chopped fresh basil
¼ cup crumbled feta cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
1 large or 2 small avocados chopped

For the Pasta Salad Dressing

½ cup extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup red wine vinegar
4 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon sugar
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper or to taste

Instructions

Boil the pasta in salted water according to the package directions.
Meanwhile combine the dressing ingredients in a small mason jar and shake well to emulsify and thicken the dressing. Set aside.
Drain the cooked pasta well and transfer it to a medium serving bowl. Pour about half of the dressing over the hot cooked pasta and toss well to coat. Let the pasta stand at room temperature for for about 20 minutes or more to cool a bit before adding the remaining ingredients. You can transfer it to the fridge if you'd like to speed this up.
Add the chicken, cherry tomatoes, onion, basil, feta, and parsley to the pasta and toss to combine. Add as much of the remaining dressing as you’d like and toss again. Gently fold in the avocado. Serve immediately or cover and chill until ready to serve (if making ahead, don't add avocado until ready to serve).

Video

Notes

Makes approximately 7 cups of pasta salad for 6 servings of slightly more than 1 cup.

Storage and Make-Ahead Tips

If you're not serving the salad immediately, omit the avocado and cover and chill the assembled salad for up to 8 hours. Gently fold in the avocado just before serving. If anything, making the salad in advance will just make the flavors more intense as the ingredients marinate in the pasta salad dressing. Since pasta has a tendency to absorb dressing, sometimes I'll reserve part to drizzle in just before serving.

Although we all know what happens to avocado once it is exposed to the air, the acid from the vinaigrette helps the leftovers fare quite well. While the avocado will not be quite as perfectly fresh, we enjoyed leftovers of this pasta salad the next day. For the best quality, I recommend storing leftovers in an airtight container and consuming them within a day or two.

Nutrition