Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad is a complete meal in one bowl! Perfect for summer or meal prep.
Tender pasta, chicken, croutons, bacon, and romaine lettuce are all tossed in a quick and creamy Caesar dressing.
Serve with lemon wedge for a new family favorite.
Your Family Will Crave This Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad Because….
- This is a full meal in just one bowl and it’s crazy good!
- It’s perfect for meal prep, as a summer dinner, or for lunch.
- Adding pasta turns a chicken Caesar salad into a hearty meal that will keep you satisfied.
- The dressing is super delicious and easy to make.
- Skip the chicken to serve as a side dish or swap it for grilled shrimp to change it up.
What You’ll Need For Caesar Pasta Salad
Lettuce: I use romaine lettuce for this recipe, but you can also use chopped kale. You’ll need a sturdy lettuce that can hold up to the dressing and the pasta so a greens mix is not the best option.
Pasta: Choose a medium shaped pasta with curves or holes to grab the dressing. Penne, fusilli, bowtie, and rotini pasta are all great options.
Chicken: I like using chicken breasts or thighs in this recipe and adding cajun seasoning for extra flavor.
Dressing: This easy dressing is made with ingredients likely already in the fridge. Worcestershire sauce has lots of flavor, if possible, fresh lemon is recommended for the flavors of a traditional Caesar salad dressing.
Croutons: You can buy croutons but I like to make my own, they’re so easy!
Variations: Bacon, shredded cheddar, sliced kalamata olives, or sundried tomatoes.
How to Make Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad
This Caesar pasta salad is a full meal deal.
- Make Caesar dressing and refrigerate (recipe below).
- Cook noodles to al dente. Drain, rinse, and set aside.
- Season and grill chicken breasts. Once cool, chop or slice as desired.
- Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and toss with dressing. Serve immediately.
More Caesar Salad Inspiration
Chicken Caesar Salad Nachos
Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad
Kale Caesar Salad
Did you enjoy this Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad Recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below.
Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad
Equipment
Ingredients
- ¾ pound penne or other medium pasta
- 1 ¼ lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts about 3 small or 2 medium breasts
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon cajun seasoning or ¾ teaspoon salt or to taste
- 6 cups romaine lettuce chopped
- 1 cup croutons
- ½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- 6 slices bacon cooked and crumbled
- lemon wedges for serving
Dressing
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- ½ cup plain Greek yogurt or sour cream
- ⅓ cup Parmesan cheese shredded
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice more to taste
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon anchovy paste
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- ¼ teaspoon salt or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
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To make the dressing, in a medium bowl, whisk mayonnaise, Greek yogurt, Parmesan, lemon juice, garlic, anchovy paste, dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper. Refrigerate.
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To make the salad, cook the pasta al dente in salted water according to the package directions. Drain well and rinse under cold water to stop it from cooking.
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Preheat the grill to medium heat.
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Pound the chicken breasts to ½-inch thick. Rub the chicken breasts with olive oil and season with cajun seasoning or salt and pepper taste.
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Grill over medium heat 5-6 minutes per side or until juices run clear and the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F. Cool completely and then chop into bite size picess.
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In a large salad bowl, combine pasta, chicken, romaine, croutons, parmesan cheese, and bacon. Add the dressing a bit at a time and toss well to coat, you may not need all of the dressing.
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Serve immediately with lemon wedges.
Video
Notes
- Prepare the dressing first so the flavors can blend. I often double the dressing to have Caesar salad later in the week too.
- Homemade dressing can be replaced with bottled dressing.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Main Course, Pasta, Salad, Side Dish
Cuisine American
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I’m a recent widow , so I have been eating more chicken and fish than previously
I found your recipe and it called for literally everything I love !
Lots of great ingredients, takes me awhile, but the end result has really helped with my self confidence, and is delicious beyond words!
Hello Liz. I am happy that you enjoyed this recipe. It is truly a creamy and filling salad that is great for lunch or dinner. I also hope that you will keep finding recipes that you enjoy! Happy cooking and have a superb rest of your day.
Wow, this was wonderful. I love Marzetti Caesar dressing so I used that. This is a definite repeater, maybe with salmon next time.
Hi Linda. I am happy to hear that you enjoyed this salad. Let me know how it turns out with salmon.
Sounds like a great “meal” for older (87 years) senior because it is easy and complete. (I am also a widow & diabetic…so chicken is a good source of protein
which is important..(doctor’s orders for me).
We hope you enjoy it, Valerie!
I’ve made this several times and love it!
It’s one of our favorites too, I’m so glad you loved it!
This is going to be good; made the dressing ahead of time for supper Monday night.
Then I realized I have pasta planned for Tuesday night and I generally don’t do pasta 2 nights in a row. So I’m subbing baby potatoes for the pasta! And I did 50% whole milk Greek yogurt and 50% mayo for the dressing. A bit lighter but still really delicious! Everything on this blog is delicious.
What a great idea, I haven’t thought of serving it that way Erin. Enjoy!
Made this for supper last night and it was the perfect change from a classic Caesar salad. Thanks for the easy and delicious recipe! SWP Employee
You’re welcome Samantha, so glad you love the recipe!
Sounds good! At the top it says it can be prepared ahead, but at the bottom it says serve immediately.
Is there any advice on how to prepare ahead? Like make the chicken and pasta? Or only the chicken and combine the rest the day you’re serving?
Prep all ingredients in advance, and toss them together before serving Kelly. Enjoy!
Does this serve 8 main dish servings or 8 side dish servings? Thank you.
This will make about 8-10 cups of pasta salad.
Are you really adding 6 cups of romaine lettuce in a pasta salad?
You bet! It’s delicious.
The dressing is out of this world, Amazing! My family and I loved this recipe. I made it just as directed, delish! Thank you for this recipe!
Thank you so much Jaime! I am thrilled that your family enjoyed this salad!
This looks delicious!! What is the serving size? Is the nutritional value for the entire salad or per serving? I may have missed this info. Thanks
This recipe serves 8 so the serving size would be ⅛th of the recipe, approximately 1 ¼ cups. The nutritional information is for 1 serving.
I skipped putting in the Romaine and put in broccoli . Yum, even my dad who hates broccoli ate it! bravo !!
Yum is right Julie!
To change this up I sometimes add shrimp in place if chicken..awesome!
So glad you love it!
This is that one dish that I have been looking for, to make yummy salads for my kids!