This creamy Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad combines the best of both worlds: the best salad on the planet (the caesar!) and pasta salad! If you love a good creamy pasta salad with a combination of flavors and textures then this is going to be your new favorite. The creamy homemade caesar dressing pulls together the crisp veggies, tender chicken, pasta, and crispy chickpeas for the absolute perfect bite. You’re going to love this recipe so much!
Oh, You’re Going to LOVE This Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad
There a couple of reasons why this just might be one of my favorite pasta salad recipes:
- It’s the perfect combination of textures and flavors – you’ve got cool, creamy, crispy, crunchy and the bold flavor of caesar dressing really pulls everything together.
- It’s higher protein than most pasta salads – the addition of pan seared chicken breast makes this pasta salad a bit higher in protein than most. You could also swap the pasta for your favorite protein pasta to increase the protein content even more.
- It’s easy to make – just like most of my recipes, this pasta salad is easy to throw together! and the leftovers are delicious.
A Quick Overview of the Ingredients
Chicken: you’ll need one pound of boneless, skinless chicken breast for this recipe. To ensure that the chicken cooks evenly (and quickly!) split the chicken breast in half lengthwise before seasoning and cooking.
Pasta: you can use whatever kind of pasta you prefer in this recipe. I love using whole wheat but you could also use gluten free, chickpea, or traditional pasta.
Veggies: this recipe uses a combination of cherry tomatoes, English cucumber, and romaine lettuce.
Parmesan Cheese: like any good Caesar salad there is plenty of parmesan cheese in this pasta salad.
Crispy Chickpeas: this is optional but the crunch tastes so good in the pasta salad!
Helpful Swaps Just In Case You Need Them
- Pasta – you can use your favorite gluten free pasta if needed to keep this recipe gluten free.
- Coconut aminos – don’t have coconut aminos? you can swap them for Worcestershire sauce.
- Greek Yogurt – if you would like to keep this recipe dairy free then you can swap the Greek yogurt for your favorite dairy free plain greek yogurt or just use mayo instead.
- Mayo – don’t love mayo? leave it out and just use equal parts Greek yogurt instead.
My Best Tips for the Perfect Caesar Pasta Salad
- Don’t over cook your pasta. Cook the pasta al dente so that it still has a bit of bite and holds up to the dressing.
- Drain and rinse the pasta under cold water to remove any excess starch before adding it to your mixing bowl.
- Salt your water while cooking the pasta to ensure that it has plenty of flavor.
- Feel free to get creative and add other veggies to this pasta salad that you love. Chopped zucchini, yellow squash, and red onion would all be delicious.
More Really Delicious Pasta Salad Recipes You’ll Love
- Tuna Pasta Salad
- Pesto Orzo Pasta Salad
- Greek Broccoli Pasta Salad
- Pesto Pasta Salad
- BLT Pasta Salad
- Italian Pasta Salad
- Taco Pasta Salad
Get all of my best pasta salad recipes, here!
I hope you give this Caesar Chicken Pasta Salad a try! It’s delicious, flavorful, and so easy to make!
If you do give this recipe a try, I want to know! Leave a comment with a star rating below. You can also snap a photo & tag @allthehealthythings on INSTAGRAM. Your reviews help support All the Healthy Things and make it possible for me to continue to create the recipes you know and love.
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Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: Lunch
- Method: stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Description
This creamy Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad combines the best of both worlds: the best salad on the planet (the caesar!) and pasta salad! If you love a good creamy pasta salad with a combination of flavors and textures then this is going to be your new favorite. The creamy homemade caesar dressing pulls together the crisp veggies, tender chicken, pasta, and crispy chickpeas for the absolute perfect bite. You’re going to love this recipe so much!
Ingredients
For the Chicken
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast (split in half lengthwise)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
For the Pasta Salad
- 2 cups dry pasta (cavatappi)
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
- 1/2 cup diced English cucumber
- 3 cups chopped romaine lettuce
- 1/2 cup shaved parmesan cheese
- 1/3 cup crispy chickpeas (optional)
For the Caesar Dressing:
- 1/3 cup mayonnaise
- 1/3 cup whole milk greek yogurt
- 2 cloves garlic, finely minced or pressed
- 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon coconut aminos
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon salt, plus more to ta
Instructions
- Cook the Chicken: Season the chicken breast on both sides with salt, garlic powder, and pepper. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the olive oil and then add the chicken breast. Cook for 5 minutes per side until the chicken is golden brown and internal temperature is 165 degrees.
- Make the Dressing: Add the dressing ingredients to a mixing bowl and whisk together until well combined.
- Assemble the Pasta Salad: Add the chicken and pasta salad ingredients to a large mixing bowl. Pour on the dressing and then toss until well combined. Serve and enjoy!
Photography by: Sasha Hooper
Super easy, dressing is delish! Loved the whole meal!
glad you loved it, Emma!
Another perfect lunch meal prep recipe!! It’s so easy to prep for a few days lunches ahead of time and absolutely delicious. I’m a sucker for a salad with warm ingredients. I swap regular pasta for protein pasta to help me reach my macros.
I’m so glad you were able to make this one work for you, Lindsey! Thanks for leaving a review!
Really liked this salad. I had salami to use up so I added that and some sunflower seeds on the top. Quick and easy. The dressing as delicious!
That sounds so good, Sheleena! Thanks for leaving a review!
So easy to throw together and makes a great side with dinner! And you can use leftovers for lunch the next day.
so glad you loved it, Jenna!
This was a hit!! will be making again for sure! Thank you for sharing!!!
I meal prepped this for last week’s lunches and it was phenomenal! Highly recommend. Will make again!
Made this last night, and it was a big hit! Simple, quick, and delicious – perfect for summer evenings. The dressing is especially good, and I’ll be making it for other salads going forward!
Really enjoyed this recipe! It will definitely be going in to my summer rotation next year. I adjusted it to suit my preferences by using GF rotini and red peppers in place of the cherry tomatoes. Really easy meal, especially when using left over chicken breast or bbq chicken ;).
I made this tonight and it was amazing! It was exactly what I didn’t know I was craving all summer long!! Thank you for sharing!