Description
A twist on a classic Caesar salad, this Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad is hearty, creamy, and perfect for a quick lunch or dinner. Juicy chicken, crisp lettuce, and crunchy croutons come together with tender pasta and tangy dressing.
Ingredients
- 2 whole chicken breasts, skinless boneless
- ¾ tsp salt
- ¾ tsp ground pepper
- ¾ tsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 8 oz. dry penne pasta
- 1½ cup croutons
- 3 cups romaine lettuce, chopped
- ¾ cup Caesar dressing
- ⅓ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
Instructions
1. In a bowl season the chicken breast with salt, garlic powder and pepper.
2. Heat olive oil in a medium skillet on medium heat, add the chicken breast, and sear on both sides until golden and cooked through for 8–10 minutes. Once done remove the chicken from the skillet and set it aside.
3. Once the chicken breasts are cooled down, cut them into cubes and set them aside.
4. Meanwhile, prepare the pasta according to the package instructions and keep it aside for cooling it down.
5. In a large salad mixing bowl combine the chicken cubes, cooked pasta, croutons, lettuce, Caesar dressing, and Parmesan cheese. Mix them all together until well combined.
6. Transfer the pasta salad to a bowl and serve immediately.
Notes
If you want to make this even faster, you can use a store-bought rotisserie chicken instead of making your own. This way, all you have to do is cook up some pasta and combine everything in a bowl!
If you’ve got the grill fired up, you can grill the chicken instead!
Feel free to swap the chicken breasts for chicken thighs or chicken tenderloin if you prefer.
When cooking the pasta, use enough water so once the pasta begins to expand, there will still be plenty of room for the noodles to move freely.
As soon as you drop the pasta in the water, stir it so the pasta doesn’t stick.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 621
- Sugar: 3g
- Sodium: 1247mg
- Fat: 34g
- Saturated Fat: 6g
- Unsaturated Fat: 26g
- Trans Fat: 1g
- Carbohydrates: 54g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 24g
- Cholesterol: 61mg