Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad
Easy pasta salad with chicken, loaded with tomatoes, lettuce, and tossed with a homemade caesar dressing.
Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 8 ounces pasta
- 2 tsp olive oil
- kosher salt & pepper to taste
- 1 lb. chicken breast
- 1 romaine lettuce chopped
- 1- pint cherry tomatoes - or grape tomatoes halved
- 1/3 cup freshly grated or shaved Parmesan cheese
- 1 1/2 cup homemade Caesar or Ranch dressing
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to the package direction.
- Once the pasta is done, drain well in a colander and run under cold water to stop the cooking process.
- Season the chicken breast with some salt and pepper. Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil and heat until shimmering.
- Place the chicken breast into the hot pan and sear each side until nicely golden-brown about 4 to 6 minutes per side.
- While the chicken is cooking, chop the lettuce into bite-size pieces and cut the tomatoes in half.
- Once the chicken is done, place it on a cutting board and then slice it into bite-size pieces.
- Next, place the cooked pasta, sliced chicken, lettuce, and tomatoes in a large salad bowl.
- Drizzle dressing on top and toss well to combine. Garnish with grated parmesan cheese.
- Serve the salad cold or at room temperature.
Notes
- Use cold leftover chicken or you may use rotisserie chicken which works great in this pasta salad recipe.
- 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.
- Use a high-quality and freshly grated parmesan cheese. It will be able to taste the difference!
- Use any Pasta of choice. Whole wheat, gluten-free, or lentil pasta will work just fine.
- To make this pasta salad vegetarian, skip the chicken.
- Enjoy this chicken pasta salad at room temperate or chill in the fridge for 30-60 minutes.
Nutrition
Calories: 583kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 40g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 75mg | Sodium: 896mg | Potassium: 485mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 878IU | Vitamin C: 19mg | Calcium: 108mg | Iron: 2mg