Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad
Updated May 31, 2026
Easy Caesar pasta salad recipe with fusilli, cooked chicken, romaine, and a creamy no-whisk dressing. Ready in about 30 minutes.
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My Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad is Soo Good!
I could eat Caesar salad every single week without getting tired of it, but it never keeps me full on its own. So I started adding pasta to it, and now this chicken Caesar pasta salad is the version I make when I want a full meal. The dressing blends together in a food processor, so the garlic and capers fully incorporate and coat everything evenly. The croutons are made from sourdough instead of the bagged kind, and they are soo good.
I bring this caesar pasta salad to potluck lunches and family gatherings a lot because the components can all be made a day ahead. Keep the dressing in a sealed jar, the croutons at room temperature, and the pasta and chicken in the fridge, then toss everything together right before we eat so the romaine stays crisp. The whole thing comes together really fast once I’m ready to serve.
Happy Cooking!
– Yumna
Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad Ingredients
- Chicken: I use cooked chicken breast cut into cubes, but you can go with shredded chicken breast or chicken thighs, if you prefer. If you’re short on time, rotisserie chicken will even work! Just make sure to discard the skin and bones.
- Pasta: You can use any pasta shape you like. Fusilli or rotini are my top choices, but bow tie or penne will also work nicely. Make sure to cook it al dente. If it’s overcooked, it’ll get mushy. Check out my guide on how to cook pasta to get the just-right al dente texture. And make sure to cool your pasta completely before adding the other ingredients. You don’t want the lettuce to get soggy!
- Croutons: Cut the sourdough into even cubes so they bake at the same rate. Aim for pieces small enough to fit on a fork with the pasta but sturdy enough to hold up once the dressing goes on. Any firm, crusty bread works if you do not have sourdough.
- Romaine: Chop it fairly small so it mixes evenly with the pasta, and you get some in every bite. Pat it dry after washing so the dressing actually sticks to the leaves. For help, see my tips on how to cut romaine lettuce.
- Caesar Dressing: Avocado mayonnaise, shaved Parmesan, garlic, capers, Dijon mustard, lemon (zested and juiced), and black pepper all go into the blender at once. Drain the capers well before adding so the dressing does not get too salty. If you prefer to use a traditional Caesar dressing, see my recipe. When you zest the lemon, stop before you hit the white pith underneath, or the dressing will turn bitter. Read my tips on how to zest a lemon. Regular mayonnaise works as a swap for the avocado mayonnaise.
How to Make Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad
The photos below walk you through each step of putting this salad together. For the full ingredient list and detailed instructions, jump to the → Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad Recipe
1. Add Dressing Ingredients
Everything for the dressing goes in at once: the mayonnaise, Parmesan, garlic, capers, mustard, lemon zest, lemon juice, and black pepper. A food processor or high-speed blender both work well since the volume is small.
2. Blend the Caesar Dressing Well
Run it until the dressing looks completely smooth with no visible pieces of garlic or caper. Give it a taste before setting it aside and adjust the pepper if needed.
3. Assemble Caesar Pasta Salad
Add the cooled pasta, croutons, romaine, and chicken to a large bowl. Hold off on the dressing until right before you eat so the romaine stays crisp and the croutons do not go soft.
4. Toss everything until well coated
Pour the dressing over the salad and fold everything together until the pasta and romaine are evenly coated. Serve right away. If anything is left over, store the dressing, croutons, and romaine separately from the pasta and chicken.
Full Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad Recipe
Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad Recipe
Video
Ingredients
For the Dressing
- ⅓ cup avocado mayonnaise
- ⅓ cup shaved Parmesan cheese plus more for serving
- 2 large garlic cloves
- 1 tablespoon capers drained
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 lemon zested and juiced
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
For the Salad
- 8 ounces fusilli pasta
- 3 slices sourdough cubed
- Kosher salt to taste
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 head romaine chopped, about 4 cups
- 1 ½-2 cups cooked chicken breast chopped
Instructions
- In a small blender or food processor, blend the mayonnaise, parmesan, garlic, capers, mustard, lemon zest, lemon juice and black pepper.
- Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions and drain.
- Preheat oven to 400°F. On a baking sheet, toss cut sourdough bread with oil and kosher salt. Bake until golden brown, 15 minutes.
- In a large bowl, mix pasta, croutons, romaine lettuce, chicken, and dressing. Season to taste and serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
Recipe Tips
- Make it even quicker. To save on time, you can use store-bought croutons and a rotisserie chicken to make this recipe in minutes. It just needs assembly. Don’t skip the homemade Caesar dressing, though!
Serving Ideas
- Add bread. Even with a pasta salad, it’s always nice to have some hearty bread on the side. Try my garlic knots, my olive bread, or my French bread dinner rolls.
- Pair with potatoes. My kids love eating garlic smashed potatoes, air fryer sweet potato fries, or oven-baked French fries with this chicken Caesar pasta salad.
- Serve with soup. For a soup and (pasta) salad combo, I love making roasted tomato soup, creamy cucumber gazpacho, or roasted red pepper soup to pair.
Comments
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.
Love the swaps you made! Thank you so much, Lara—I’m glad you liked it!!
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!
Thank you so much, Katie!
I can’t stop making this dressing! I’ve been using air fryer crunchy chickpeas instead of croutons and it so SO GOOD!
It’s so good! Love the sound of chickpeas in this too!
Fresh and delicious!!!
Thank you!
I would definitely add celery, mini sweet colored peppers and cucumbers to this delicious salad.
Yummy yummy yummy 😋
I love the sound of that!
Is this accurate, per serving is 626kcal, so over 2,500 calories in the whole batch?
Yes, that’s correct.
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.
I’m so glad you gave it a try! Yay!! You’re so welcome!