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Delicious Greek Chicken Pasta Salad packed with juicy tomatoes, fresh cucumbers, zippy red onion, smoky kalamata olives, and tangy feta cheese. This easy pasta salad is a great side or main dish for BBQs, parties, and potlucks.
Pasta salads are some of our favorite recipes for sharing, and this Greek Chicken Pasta Salad recipe is no exception. It’s perfect for making ahead of time and bringing to potlucks or BBQs. It’s such a crowd-pleasing dish, loaded with flavor and freshness.
You can serve it as a side dish or even a main course. It also travels well, so make a large batch for lunches throughout the week! If you like creamy-based chicken pasta, then check out our Tuscan Chicken Pasta recipe. We think you will love it.
Why you should make this recipe
- Packed with flavor: This Greek Chicken Pasta Salad is loaded with bold flavors and is so tasty. You are sure to love it!
- Great for meal prep: This salad is great enjoyed cold or at room temperature, making it an ideal choice for packed lunches all week long. And the flavors get even better over time!
- Healthy & balanced: With veggies, lean protein, and a light vinaigrette, this pasta salad is plenty satisfying and can be enjoyed guilt-free!
Ingredients needed
This Cold Greek chicken pasta is filled with flavor, colors, and textures that make it irresistible. Here’s everything you’ll need to make it:
- Chicken: Seared chicken breasts add delicious flavor and protein.
- Olive tapenade: For marinating the chicken and giving it that classic Greek flavor.
- Pasta: Feel free to use any pasta you’d like! We love fusilli, cavatappi, or bowtie noodles.
- Veggies: We’re adding colorful cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, red onion, and kalamata olives.
- Balsamic vinegar: Along with olive oil, dresses the salad.
- Feta cheese: Crumbled feta cheese is a must in any Greek salad!
- Seasoning: A simple mix of salt, pepper, and oregano perfectly seasons the salad.
How to make this recipe
- Marinate the chicken: Place the chicken in a ziplock bag together with the tapenade and a generous pinch of salt and pepper; mix through the bag to evenly coat and allow it to marinate over the counter for 15-20 minutes.
- Boil the pasta & prep the vegetables: Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to the package directions and chop the veggies.
- Cook the chicken: Heat a large pan over medium heat and drizzle with 1/2 tablespoon of oil. Cook the chicken until the internal temperature reaches 165ºF, about 8-10 minutes per side. Once the chicken is done cooking, remove it from the heat and rest for 10 minutes, or just until ready to handle.
- Toss the salad. Place the cooked pasta in a large bowl. Add the veggies, and olives, and drizzle with the remaining tablespoon of oil and balsamic vinegar. Slice or chop the chicken and add it to the bowl together with the feta cheese.
- Finally, serve: Sprinkle everything with dried oregano and stir to combine. Enjoy!
Expert Tips
- To save time, you can use leftover chicken or rotisserie chicken.
- Be sure not to overcook the pasta. Al dente pasta is ideal. Also, make sure you drain and rinse the pasta to stop the pasta from cooking further.
- To make this gluten-free pasta salad, use gluten-free pasta. Also, you may use other healthier pasta options like Whole wheat, chickpea, or lentil pasta also works great.
- To make this pasta salad vegetarian, skip the chicken.
Frequently asked questions
A traditional Greek salad consists of tomatoes, cucumbers, red onion, olives, and feta cheese. For this pasta salad recipe, we’re adding in chicken and pasta to make this filling extra flavorful.
Pasta salads, like this one, are usually served chilled or at room temperature. If you’d like to serve this chilled, pop it in the fridge for about an hour before serving.
We prefer short, twisty pasta shapes known as fusilli, rotini, and cavatappi for pasta salads. Bowtie or penne pasta also works great.
Storage recommendations
This pasta salad will stay fresh in an airtight container in the fridge for about 3 to 4 days, so feel free to prep it the night before a picnic or BBQ, or prep it for your weekday lunches. Before serving again, give it a good stir, taste, and season again as needed.
More pasta salad recipes
- Greek Pasta Salad
- Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad
- Shrimp Pasta Salad
- Caprese Pasta Salad
- Southwest Pasta Salad
- Vegetarian Pasta Salad
- Creamy Tuna Pasta Salad
- Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad
Other recipes you may like
- Taco Soup Recipe
- Cheese Burger Casserole
- Healthy Tuna Casserole
- Southwest Chicken Alfredo
- Homemade Beef Stew
- Baked BBQ Chicken Breast
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Greek Chicken Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 2 tbsp olive tapenade
- Kosher salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil, divided
- 12 oz pasta
- 1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
- 4 seedless cucumbers, diced
- 1/2 red onion, sliced
- 1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives, halved
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
- 1 tsp dried oregano
Instructions
- Place the chicken in a ziplock bag together with the tapenade and a generous pinch of salt and pepper; mix through the bag to evenly coat and allow it to marinate over the counter for 15-20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to package directions and chop the veggies.
- Preheat a large pan over medium heat and drizzle with 1/2 tablespoon of oil. Cook the chicken until the internal temperature reaches 165ºF, about 8-10 minutes per side.
- Once the chicken is done cooking, remove it from the heat and rest for 10 minutes, or just until ready to handle.
- Place the cooked pasta in a large bowl. Add the veggies, olives, and drizzle with the remaining tablespoon of oil and balsamic vinegar. Slice or chop the chicken and add it to the bowl together with the feta cheese.
- Sprinkle everything with dried oregano and stir to combine.
Notes
- Storing leftovers. Place leftover salad in an airtight container in the fridge for about 3 to 4 days. Before serving again, give it a good stir, taste, and season again as needed.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
