This Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad is loaded with croutons, parmesan cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, pasta, and chicken; all smothered in a creamy Caesar dressing. Serve this cold pasta salad as a side for your next BBQ, or as an easy weeknight dinner!
Looking for more pasta salad recipes? I love this Italian Pasta Salad, Creamy Pesto Tortellini, and Teriyaki Pasta Salad!
Why I love this recipe:
- Quick and Fresh: Done and ready to eat in just 30 minutes! Bursting with fresh ingredients, this easy pasta salad is fresh, tasty, and I just love the crunch from the lettuce and croutons!
- On the Go – No heating and no mess, I love to make this for BBQ’s, picnics, or to toss in my kid’s lunches!
How to make Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad:
Cook Pasta: Follow instructions on package to cook pasta. Drain water then set aside to cool.
Combine Ingredients: Chop the grilled chicken breasts into small chunks. In a large bowl, toss together chicken, cooked penne pasta, lettuce, cucumber, carrot, green onion, cherry tomatoes, Parmesan cheese and croutons.
Add Dressing: Drizzle with desired amount of Caesar salad dressing then toss to coat. Serve.
Make Ahead and Storage Instructions:
To Make Ahead: The chicken can be cooked and all the ingredients can be chopped ahead of time. Wait to add the dressing until ready to serve.
To Store: This creamy chicken pasta salad is best served fresh, but it will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for a day or two. To make it work for meal prep I’d suggest storing the lettuce separately, and mixing it in just before eating.
Recipe Variations:
- Dressing – You can make homemade Caesar dressing, or buy a good quality creamy Caesar dressing from the store. I like Newman’s Own or Brianna’s brand.
- No Chicken – I love how the chicken makes it more filling, but you can leave it out.
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Recipe
Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 6 ounces penne pasta
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts , grilled
- 4 cups Romaine lettuces , chopped
- 1/2 medium size cucumber , chopped
- 1 carrot , shredded
- 1/4 cup green onion , thinly sliced
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes , halved
- 1/3 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup croutons (optional)
- Caesar salad dressing , to taste
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain water and set aside to cool.
- Chop the grilled chicken breasts into small chunks.
- In a large bowl toss together chicken, cooked penne pasta, lettuce, cucumber, carrot, green onion, cherry tomatoes, Parmesan cheese and croutons.
- Drizzle with desired amount of Caesar salad dressing and toss to coat.
Notes
Macros Recipe Adaptation
1 cup carrots, 20 croutons, 1 cup cucumber, Kens Lite Caesar Dressing.Per Serving Amount
2.6 oz. cooked chicken, 3.3 oz. cooked noodles, ¼ cup carrots, cucumber, ½ cup cherry tomatoes, ⅛ cup Kens Lite Caesar Dressing, 5 grams green onion, 1 cup romaine lettuce, 5 croutons, 1 Tbsp parmesan cheese.Macros
401kcal, Fat: 14g, Carbs: 24g, Protein: 43g (serves 4) | MFP: Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad (TBFS Macros)Nutrition
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*I originally shared this recipe May 2014. Updated June 2018 and July 2022.
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Great meal! We loved it as written. – and I kept some components separate for my picky kid!
This is super. I seasoned chicken with Greek seasoning, which was just icing on the cake.
Love the recipe. Love how easy it was to make. I used canned chicken that I rinsed and the fam had no idea. We used California pizza kitchen Caesar salad dressing. Was excellent. One small change, we added dried blueberries.