Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad

5 from 81 votes

This Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad is a fun twist on the classic caesar salad made with lettuce, pasta, croutons, chicken in a homemade dressing

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Deliciously creamy and full of flavor, this chicken Caesar pasta salad recipe is quick and easy to make and is a delicious summer lunch or dinner. Tossed in a homemade Caesar dressing, it’s full of texture and will leave you feeling full and satisfied.

Chicken Caesar pasta salad in a large bowl with homemade croutons
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Ingredients & substitutions

  • Chicken: Cooked chicken breast cut into cubes provides the protein in this meal. You can use shredded but cubes add a nice texture and heartiness. You can use chicken thighs if you prefer.
  • Lettuce: Romaine lettuce is nice and crisp and provides the base of this pasta salad. Other crisp lettuce, like iceberg, will work well.
  • Pasta: You can use any shaped pasta you like. Fusilli or rotini are top choices, but bow tie or penne will work nicely too. You can use whole wheat of gluten-free pasta too.
  • Bread: Sourdough makes for great homemade croutons that have a nice crunchy bite to them. They are simply seasoned with oil and salt before being baked in the oven. You can also use store-bought croutons.
  • Dressing: The Caesar dressing for this pasta salad is made with mayonnaise, parmesan, garlic, capers (to add saltiness instead of anchovies!), mustard, lemon and black pepper. Everything is combined together quickly in a food processor.
Ingredients to make the recipe

How to make chicken caesar pasta salad

make the dressing

  • Add the ingredients for the dressing to a food processor or blender.
  • Blend until smooth.
2 image collage to show how to make the dressing in a blender

toss the salad

  • Add all of the ingredients for the pasta salad in a large bowl. Pour over the dressing right before you’re ready to serve and toss to combine.
Pouring the homemade caesar dressing over the pasta salad

Tips for making the caesar salad

  1. Cook the pasta al dente. If it is overcooked, it will be too soft and will break apart when mixed with the other ingredients.
  2. Let the pasta cool before mixing with the other ingredients. Because the dressing contains mayonnaise, the pasta needs to be at room temperature or it can separate and become oily. The heat from the pasta can also wilt the romaine lettuce.
  3. Feel free to add in other salad ingredients. Red bell pepper, celery or diced cucumber will add a nice crunchy texture.
  4. Make it quicker. To save on time, you can use store bought croutons and use a rotisserie chicken to make this recipe in minutes. It just needs assembly. Don’t skip the homemade Caesar dressing though…it’s a game changer!!

Frequently asked questions

Can you make it ahead of time?

The salad is best served as soon as you make it so that the dressing doesn’t wilt the lettuce or make the croutons soggy. However, you can easily get ahead of things by cooking the chicken, making the dressing and baking the croutons in advance.

Baked croutons will keep well in an airtight container for up to a week, cooked chicken breast will keep in the fridge for up to 4 days and the Caesar dressing will stay fresh in the fridge for around 5 days in a sealed jar or bottle.

How long will it keep?

Once tossed with the dressing, this salad is best eaten on the same day. The undressed salad can be kept covered and refrigerated and it will keep well for around 3 days. Because the dressing contains mayonnaise, once dressed, the salad shouldn’t sit at room temperature for more than 2 hours.

What do you serve it with?

This chicken Caesar pasta salad is a great meal all by itself, with a good mix of portions, carbs and fats, for a fuller meal, it’s great served alongside some garlic bread. Smaller portions can be served as a sit down appetizer, or as a side at cookouts and picnics.

Bite taking bite of chicken caesar pasta salad

This chicken Caesar pasta salad is so easy to toss together, and is perfectly creamy, hearty and filling. So simple, but always a real crowd pleaser!

More pasta salads:

If you try this healthy-ish feel good Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad recipe or any other recipe on Feel Good Foodie, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave a comment below! It helps others who are thinking of making the recipe. We would love to hear about your experience making it. And if you snapped some shots, share it on Instagram so we can repost on Stories!

Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad

This Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad is a fun twist on the classic caesar salad made with lettuce, pasta, croutons, chicken in a homemade dressing
5 from 81 votes
Servings 4 servings
Calories 626
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
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Video

Ingredients
  

For the Dressing

For the salad

  • 8 ounces fusilli or rotini pasta
  • 3 slices sourdough cubed
  • Kosher salt to taste
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 1 head of romaine chopped, about 4 cups
  • 1 ½-2 cups cooked chopped chicken breasts

Instructions

  • Make the dressing. In a small blender or food processor, blend the mayonnaise, parmesan, garlic, capers, mustard, lemon zest, lemon juice and black pepper.
  • Cook the pasta. Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions and drain.
  • Make the croutons. Preheat oven to 400°F. On a baking sheet, toss cut sourdough bread with oil and kosher salt. Bake until golden brown, 15 minutes.
  • Assemble salad. In a large bowl, mix pasta, croutons, romaine lettuce, chicken, and dressing. Season to taste and serve immediately.

Notes

Make ahead: You can cook the chicken ad croutons and make the dressing ahead of time.
Storage: Undressed, the salad will keep well covered in the fridge for around 3 days. Don’t dress the salad until you are ready to serve it.

Nutrition

Calories: 626kcal, Carbohydrates: 73g, Protein: 33g, Fat: 22g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 10g, Monounsaturated Fat: 6g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 58mg, Sodium: 619mg, Potassium: 398mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 4g, Vitamin A: 708IU, Vitamin C: 15mg, Calcium: 155mg, Iron: 3mg

Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.

Cuisine American
5 from 81 votes (76 ratings without comment)

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Comments

  1. Lara says:

    Another hit from Feel Good Foodie! Such an easy but satisfying recipe! I don’t eat chicken so I used shrimp and that was really good too. I also swapped the mayo with Greek Yogurt and that was a good swap as well.

    1. Yumna J. says:

      Love the swaps you made! Thank you so much, Lara—I’m glad you liked it!!

  2. Katie says:

    Made this for dinner! This salad is just fantastic, taste so fresh and good! I didn’t have avocado mayo, so I used regular, love ❤️ this dressing!
    I think it would be really good with grilled salmon too!

    1. Yumna J. says:

      Thank you so much, Katie!

  3. Robin says:

    I can’t stop making this dressing! I’ve been using air fryer crunchy chickpeas instead of croutons and it so SO GOOD!

    1. Yumna Jawad says:

      It’s pretty addicting! Love the sound of chickpeas in this too!

  4. Macarena says:

    Fresh and delicious!!!

    1. Yumna Jawad says:

      Thank you!

  5. Linda Swoveland says:

    I would definitely add celery, mini sweet colored peppers and cucumbers to this delicious salad.
    Yummy yummy yummy 😋

    1. Yumna Jawad says:

      I love the sound of that!

  6. Tina Williams says:

    Is this accurate, per serving is 626kcal, so over 2,500 calories in the whole batch?

    1. Yumna Jawad says:

      Yes, that’s correct.

  7. Joanne Perry says:

    I never would have thought of adding lettuce to pasta, but it was delicious. Did not use croutons in order tocut down on carbs, & it was still delicious . Thanks for a great idea.

    1. Yumna J. says:

      I’m so glad you gave it a try! Yay!! You’re so welcome!