Bruschetta Chicken Pasta Salad Recipe
I wouldn’t be surprised if this bruschetta chicken pasta recipe becomes your new summer favorite! When the tomatoes are ripe and abundant, this bruschetta pasta recipe needs to be in your rotation. It’s easy (ready in less than 30 minutes!), super flavorful (hello, summer tomatoes!) and so many options for if you want to turn it into a bruschetta pasta salad, make it vegetarian or vegan, or make it gluten-free.
This easy bruschetta chicken pasta is a great meal to serve family-style, so you can put everything out and let everyone build their own plates.
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Table of Contents
- What is Bruschetta Chicken Pasta?
- What You’ll Love about Bruschetta Pasta Recipe
- Bruschetta Chicken Pasta Ingredients
- How to Make Bruschetta Chicken Pasta
- 5 Grilling Secrets You Need to Know!
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Storage Instructions
- Substitutes + Nutrition
- More Summer Pasta Recipes
- Helpful Tools to Make Bruschetta Chicken Pasta Recipe
What is Bruschetta Chicken Pasta?
Bruschetta chicken pasta is a delicious summer twist on pasta with tomato sauce! Instead of a cooked marinara sauce, we’re making a quick and fresh classic bruschetta topping of tomatoes, garlic, basil, and olive oil but instead of serving it over crostini, it’s served over pasta along with some grilled chicken and fresh mozzarella.
What You’ll Love about Bruschetta Pasta Recipe
- Fresh tomato, garlic, and basil flavors
- Easy to chill and serve as a pasta salad
- Ready in less than 30 minutes
- Easy to make!
- Kid-friendly and perfect to serve family-style and let everyone top their own
Bruschetta Chicken Pasta Ingredients
This grilled chicken bruschetta pasta is made with simple ingredients:
- Chicken breast tenders – You can also use regular chicken breasts, they’ll just take longer to cook
- Olive oil
- Italian seasoning
- Sea salt
- Short pasta like rotini
- Tomatoes – Use fresh and perfectly ripe tomatoes
- Grape tomatoes – You can also use all regular tomatoes
- Garlic – Use fresh for best flavor
- Fresh basil
- Mozzarella balls – You can also use a log of fresh mozzarella, just tear into small pieces
- Flaky sea salt – Let everyone season their bruschetta chicken and pasta with flaky sea salt
How to Make Bruschetta Chicken Pasta
This Italian grilled chicken and pasta comes together quickly, here’s how to make it:
- Grill chicken. Season chicken with olive oil, sea salt, and Italian seasoning. Grill for 2-3 minutes per side, or until it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. Let chicken rest and then thinly slice.
PRO TIP: IF you use regular chicken breasts, they’ll take 6-8 minutes per side.
- Cook pasta. Salt pasta water and cook until al dente.
- Mix bruschetta pasta sauce. Dice tomatoes, slice grape tomatoes, mince garlic, and cut basil into chiffonade (ribbons). Stir together gently and season with olive oil and sea salt.
- Assemble pasta. Layer pasta onto plates or bowls and top with bruschetta sauce, grilled chicken, and fresh mozzarella. Season with flaky sea salt to taste.
5 Grilling Secrets You Need to Know!
Get the quick-start guide so you can grill like a pro without going to culinary school.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you make this into a pasta salad?
Yes! And it’s actually delicious as a chilled pasta salad. Simply cook and chill the pasta and then serve, it couldn’t be easier.
Can you make this vegetarian?
Yes! This bruschetta chicken pasta recipe is so flavorful, that you may find you don’t even need the chicken. You can serve it on the side or omit completely.
Storage Instructions
The bruschetta sauce mixture is best day-of, but you can refrigerate it for a day, but not longer.
The pasta, chicken, and mozzarella will last for 3-4 days in the refrigerator.
You can also prep this ahead by cooking the pasta and chilling in the refrigerator – it’s delicious served as a pasta salad, too!
Substitutes + Nutrition
If you want to swap out any of the ingredients and toppings, here are a few ways you can add even more nutrition into this meal:
- Gluten-free – Use a gluten-free pasta.
- Dairy-free – Simply omit the mozzarella cheese, you won’t miss it!
- Vegetarian – Serve without chicken, this sauce is so good you don’t need it!
More Summer Pasta Recipes
If you like this healthy bruschetta chicken pasta recipe, you might also like some of these other summer pasta recipes:
- Chicken Peanut Pasta Salad
- Thai Beef Noodle Stir Fry
- Caesar Salmon Pasta Salad
- Shrimp Stir Fry with Noodles
- Cherry Chicken Pasta Salad
Helpful Tools to Make Bruschetta Chicken Pasta Recipe
- Flaky sea salt – Because the bruschetta pasta salad is made with such simple and seasonal ingredients, a touch of flaky sea salt makes it that much better!
- Instant read meat thermometer – The only way to know when your grilled chicken and pasta is cooked perfectly.
Bruschetta Chicken Pasta Salad Recipe
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 16 minutes
- Total Time: 26 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Grill
- Cuisine: Italian
Description
This bruschetta chicken pasta recipe is perfect when tomatoes are juicy and ripe! You can easily turn it into a bruschetta pasta salad, too!
Ingredients
- 1 lb. chicken breast tenders
- 3 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
- 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
- 3/4 tsp. sea salt, divided (plus more for pasta water)
- 12 oz. rotini pasta
- 1 lb. ripe tomatoes
- 1 cup grape tomatoes (about 5 oz.)
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1/2 oz. fresh basil
- 8 oz. fresh mozzarella pearls
- flaky sea salt
Instructions
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Bring pot of water to boil.
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Drizzle chicken with 1 tablespoon olive oil and sprinkle with Italian seasoning and ½ teaspoon sea salt.
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Preheat grill over medium-high heat. Grill chicken for 2-3 minutes per side, or until it reaches an internal temperature. Standard breasts will take 6-8 minutes per side. Set chicken aside to rest.
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Salt pasta water and cook pasta to al dente, according to package instructions.
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While pasta cooks, mix up bruschetta. Dice large tomatoes and slice grape tomatoes in half. Discard some of the seeds if there is a lot of them, and add to a small bowl. Grate garlic with microplane zester and add to tomatoes.
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Thinly slice basil and set aside. Slice chicken into thin strips and set aside.
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Drizzle tomatoes with remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and remaining ¼ teaspoon sea salt and stir gently to combine. Stir in basil, saving a small amount for garnish.
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Serve pasta on plates or in bowls and top with tomato and basil mixture, fresh mozzarella, and sliced chicken. Garnish with basil. Season with flaky sea salt and black pepper to taste
Notes
- This is also delicious served as a pasta salad, just cook pasta ahead, lightly drizzle with olive oil and chill until you’re ready to eat.
I left the chicken off and we didn’t miss it at all!