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This Easy Chicken Pasta Salad is loaded with chicken and veggies and packed with flavor. This is a quick weeknight dinner recipe to serve your family, ideal for parties and picnics, and perfect for meal prepping.
This chicken pasta salad is made with fresh herbs, pasta, chicken, and a few simple ingredients, and then tossed in a homemade pasta salad dressing. My kids love it so much that they ask me to make it all the time. It is a healthy and simple pasta salad that has become a family favorite. Great for those who meal prep, too.
You may also love my Buffalo Chicken Pasta salad or my Greek Chicken Pasta Salad.
Recipe Overview
Ingredients and substitutions
Here are the ingredients you will need to make this chicken pasta salad. You can skip right to the recipe card for the full recipe.
- Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts: I do prefer chicken breasts because they are leaner, but you may also use chicken thighs if you prefer.
- Oil: Olive Oil works great in salads, and it’s best here for the best flavor.
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Pasta: Any short pasta works. Penne or Fusilli Pasta, whole grain pasta, or gluten-free. Want to keep this high protein? Use a high-protein pasta option like lentil or chickpea pasta.
- Herbs: Fresh Thyme and Oregano
- Cherry Tomatoes, or grape tomatoes, are best because they have a nice crunch and sweetness.
- Yellow Bell Pepper: Red or green also works fine.
- Green Olives: I love the flavor of green olives in this salad, but other varieties are fine, like black or Kalamata olives.
- Red Onion: Works best for salads, or you can use white sweet onions. Sometimes I like to soak the red onions in cold water to reduce their harsh flavor.
- Ground Parmesan Cheese: freshly grated or store-bought.
- Arugula: The flavor of arugula is great here, but spinach will make a good substitute.
For the Chicken Pasta Salad Dressing
The dressing used for this pasta salad is quite simple. Add the following ingredients to a bowl and mix well to combine before pouring over the salad.
- 4 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp. white wine vinegar: Needed for the dressing; you can also use apple cider or balsamic vinegar.
- 1 tsp honey: Needed to balance out the acidity of the dressing, but if you do not want to add it, no worries here. Just skip it.
- 1 garlic clove: Do not try to use garlic powder here instead. It’s just not the same.
- Kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes
How To Make Chicken Pasta Salad
Step 1: In a small bowl, whisk together all the dressing ingredients until well combined. Set aside.
Step 2: Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, according to the package directions. Drain, rinse, and transfer to a large mixing bowl. Set aside.
Step 3: While the pasta is cooking, prepare the chicken. Slice the chicken breasts crosswise to create long (0.5-inch thick) strips.
Step 4: In a large bowl, combine 1 tablespoon of olive oil with the thyme, oregano, garlic, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Add in the chicken pieces and stir to coat.
Step 5: Heat a large non-stick pan over medium heat. Add the chicken in a single layer, and cook for 6-8 minutes, or until cooked through and golden on the sides.
Step 6: Transfer the chicken, along with any accumulated juices, to the pasta bowl. Add the pepper and onion, cherry tomatoes, olives, parmesan, and arugula. Pour over the dressing and toss to combine. Season to taste, adding more salt and pepper if necessary, and serve warm or chilled.
Common Questions
A vegetarian pasta salad lasts 4-5 days in the fridge when stored in a tightly sealed container. If your pasta salad has a protein like chicken or fish, it should last about 2-3 days. Store in an airtight container.
I recommend eating this salad while it’s fresh and stored in the fridge. It does not freeze well.
Some pasta salads are meant to be served cold. In that case, you can cook the pasta a couple of hours ahead and let it cool before adding the other ingredients. For this easy chicken pasta recipe, you can serve it either warm or cold.
Instead of chicken, you can use shrimp or steak bites. For a vegetarian option, use tofu.
More Pasta Salads
- Mediterranean Chickpea Salad
- Greek Orzo Salad
- Creamy Tuna Pasta Salad
- Cowboy Pasta Salad
- Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad
- Vegetarian Pasta Salad
- Greek Pasta Salad
Thanks for stopping by and trying one of my recipes. If you enjoyed it, please leave a rating and share your thoughts in the comments. It really helps, and I love hearing from you
Chicken Pasta Salad
Video
Ingredients
- 4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
- 1½ tablespoons Olive Oil
- 4 Garlic Cloves, minced
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 12 ounce Dry Penne or Fusilli Pasta, use whole grain pasta, or gluten-free
- 2-3 tablespoons Chopped Fresh Thyme
- 2 tablespoons Fresh Chopped Oregano, or dried
- 2 Cups Cherry Tomatoes, halved
- 1 Yellow Bell Pepper, seeds removed, thinly sliced
- ½ Cup Green Olives, sliced in half
- 1 medium Red Onion, thickly sliced
- ⅓ Cup Ground Parmesan Cheese
- 3 Cups Packed Arugula, roughly chopped
Dressing
- 4 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 2 tablespoons White Wine Vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Honey
- 1 Garlic Cloves, pressed or minced
- Pinch crushed red pepper flakes
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- In a small bowl, add all the dressing ingredients ( 4 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 2 tablespoons White Wine Vinegar, 1 teaspoon Honey, 1 Garlic Cloves, Pinch crushed red pepper flakes, and Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper) and whisk until well combined. Set aside.
- Meanwhile, cook the 12 ounce Dry Penne or Fusilli Pasta in a pot of boiling salted water, according to the package directions. Drain, rinse with cold water, and transfer to a large mixing bowl. Set aside.
- While the pasta is cooking, prepare the chicken. Slice the 4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts crosswise to create long (0.5-inch thick) strips.
- In a mixing bowl, combine 1 tablespoon of the 1½ tablespoons Olive Oil with the 2-3 tablespoons Chopped Fresh Thyme, 2 tablespoons Fresh Chopped Oregano, 4 Garlic Cloves (minced), and a pinch of Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Add in the chicken pieces and stir to coat. Heat a large non-stick pan over medium heat. Add the chicken in a single layer, and cook for 6-8 minutes, or until cooked through and golden on the sides.
- Transfer the chicken along with any accumulated juices to the pasta bowl. Add the 1 Yellow Bell Pepper (chopped) and 1 medium Red Onion (diced), 2 Cups Cherry Tomatoes (halved), ½ Cup Green Olives (halved), ⅓ Cup Ground Parmesan Cheese, and 3 Cups Packed Arugula.
- Pour over the dressing and toss to combine. Season to taste with more salt and pepper, if necessary, and serve warm or chilled.
Notes
- Any shape or type of pasta. Use whole grain or whole wheat. You may also use lentil pasta.
- Spinach in place of arugula
- Any olives
- Maple syrup in place of honey
- Any tomatoes cut small.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Want to try this but trying to grasp where the 20g of fat is coming from? What can I substitute to bring that down?
Hi there. It will be a combination of a few ingredients. Mostly the olive oil. But there is some in the chicken, the parmesan cheese, olives, and olive oil.
I’ve been looking for healthy new ways to cook chicken. This recipe is delicious and new favourite of ours! Fresh, clean and healthy. Thank you 😊
Thanks for the feedback, Rich. I appreciate you.
Absolutely love this recipe!!
Thank you. Glad you loved it
So delicious!!
Looks delicious! Could you lost some veggies that don’t freeze well? Thank you!
How much sodium does it have in it?
❤️❤️❤️
I don’t have any honey would syrup substitute?
What kind of syrup? maple syrup is fine
Very flavorful
Thanks Flor
Made this for the first time and my family loved it !!! So much flavor !
So glad you loved it!
Made this for dinner tonight after seeing it on your Instagram and it is SO good. I seriously can’t stop eating it, and it’s not even dinnertime yet! Thank you!
Hi there, I am so glad you liked it! It’s one of our favorites meals
Healthy Fitness Meals is literally the best! I read your blogs every day and think they are amazing. You have helped me so much on my healthy eating journey.
Thank you.