Name: Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad Recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 1/2 cup low-fat mayonnaise; 1/4 cup lemon juice (fresh); 2 tbsp olive oil; 2 tsp dijon mustard; 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce; 1/2 cup parmesan cheese (grated); 2 cloves garlic; 1/4 tsp salt; 1/4 tsp black pepper; 1 lb pasta (cooked and cooled); 1 1/2 cup chicken (cooked, cubed, and cooled); 1 cup ripe cherry tomatoes (halved); 6 cup romaine lettuce (chopped); 1/2 cup parmesan cheese (grated); 1/2 cup parmesan cheese (shaved); pinch sea salt; 1/4 tsp black pepper

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This tangy, creamy chicken Caesar Pasta Salad is light and filling with all kinds of tasty fixings like chicken, lettuce, pasta noodles, tomatoes, and cheese.

With romaine lettuce and rotini, this dish is both a green salad AND a pasta salad. It makes for a stand alone meal, or a substantial side dish.

A Pasta Twist on a Classic Salad

It wasn’t until a few years ago that I fell in love with Caesar salad. I think it was the anchovies that weirded me out (you’ve probably noticed the lack of seafood here on LMS). But then I actually ordered it one day and it’s been a favorite ever since.

This version, Caesar Pasta Salad, makes a great meal or side dish. It’s loaded with crisp romaine, pasta, herbed chicken, ripe cherry tomatoes and lots of cheese!

At first I was a little unsure of the salad/pasta combo, but I have to say, I love it! We make this salad all of the time and it always gets devoured.

How to Make It

FIXINGS. To start, you’re going to need 6 cups of chopped romaine, a full pound of pasta cooked and cooled (I generally use fusilli, mini penne or bowties), a handful of cherry tomatoes, lots of parmesan cheese and chopped grilled chicken.

CHICKEN. For the chicken, we usually season ours with herbes de Provence, salt, pepper, garlic powder and paprika. Then we pan-sear it in olive oil until it comes to temperature, which usually leaves it with a nice crisp golden crust. It’s absolutely delicious!

Here are some more ideas for seasonings to use on the chicken:

Paprika
Cumin
Garlic
Coriander
Pepper
Salt

DRESSING. For the the dressing, in a small food processor, combine low-fat mayo, freshly squeezed lemon juice, olive oil, dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, grated parmesan, garlic cloves, salt and pepper. If you really like the anchovy flavor you can add one to it, but the Worcestershire is enough for me 🙂 Pulse until emulsified- when it gets thick and creamy you know it’s done!

COMBINE. Toss everything together and garnish with additional cheese and black pepper.

Make Ahead

You can make the dressing ahead of time, but we don’t recommend putting the salad together completely until 1 hour before serving.

If you assemble the salad with the dressing too far ahead of time the lettuce will wilt.

You’ll be surprised by how filling and flavorful this salad is. It’s great for parties, BBQ’s, lunch or dinner. We’re totally obsessed, and I think you’ll be too!

For more pasta salad recipes, try: