Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad
Inspired by the classic caesar salad, this chicken caesar pasta salad is packed with chicken, lettuce, croutons, shaved parmesan, and pasta, all tossed together with homemade or store-bought caesar dressing. It's a simple yet delicious dish for your next BBQ or cookout that can easily feed a crowd!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Total Time: 22 minutes
- Yield: 6-8 servings
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
Ingredients
Units
- 1 pound short dry pasta (such as busiate, rotini, farfalle, or fusillini)
- 3 romaine lettuce hearts (about 12 ounces), rinsed and chopped
- 3 cups chopped or shredded cooked chicken
- 2 1/2 cups croutons
- 3/4 cup shaved parmesan cheese
- 1 1/2 cups caesar dressing
- 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice, about half a lemon
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil (I usually use 1 Tablespoon salt.) Add the pasta and cook as directed– I usually cook just slightly after al dente. Drain the pasta and let it cool for 5 minutes.
- Pour the pasta into a large bowl. Add the chicken, lettuce, croutons, 1/2 cup parmesan cheese (reserving 1/4 cup for topping), and lemon juice. Pour the dressing over the pasta salad and gently toss to combine.
- Top with remaining parmesan cheese. Serve immediately. Leftovers stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions: You have two options: 1) The pasta salad can be made up to 1 day in advance without the dressing or croutons. If refrigerating for longer than a few hours, let it sit on the counter for 30 minutes minutes before serving to loosen up the chilled pasta. Then, add the croutons and gently toss together the dressing. 2) The entire pasta salad can be made up to 1-2 hours in advance. Reserve 1/4 cup dressing to gently toss just prior to serving.
- Pasta: I highly recommend using short pasta for this pasta salad such as busiate, rotini, farfalle, or fusillini– you need 1 pound.
- Chicken: To keep this recipe on the quicker side I use rotisserie chicken. You can also chop up leftover chicken or cook a 2-3 chicken breasts.
- Caesar Dressing: You can use homemade or store-bought, I've done both and it's delicious either way!
- Parmesan Cheese: It's best to freshly shave the parmesan cheese, but you can also buy pre-shaved or shredded. If using shredded parmesan, reduce the amount to 1/2 cup.
Find it online: https://runlifteatrepeat.com/chicken-caesar-pasta-salad/
