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Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad Recipe

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This chicken Caesar pasta salad recipe is the meal of the summer and one of our favorite salads! Tender pasta and crisp romaine lettuce are topped with a homemade Caesar dressing and finished off with grilled juicy chicken, plenty of salty Parmesan cheese, and crunchy breadcrumbs for a meal that comes together in a totally delicious way.

It’s no secret that we LOOOOOOVE Caesar salads at our house, so we’re always looking to switch things up and this is the newest version that we love for summer. Be sure to try my salmon Caesar salad or salmon Caesar pasta salad next time.

Chicken Caesar salad with pasta in a bowl

Estimated reading time: 9 minutes

What You’ll Love About Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad

  • Classic Caesar salad flavors
  • Variety of textures
  • Balanced and delicious meal
  • Made with simple ingredients
  • Easy to make, ready in about 30 minutes
  • Family-friendly meal

Ingredients

  • Pasta – I love a cavatappi noodle, but you could really use any short, curly pasta like rotini, fusilli, gemelli, etc. I typically use white pasta, but feel free to use your favorite variety – gluten-free brown rice pasta or whole wheat pasta would both work.
  • Lettuce – Because this is a chicken Caesar pasta salad, we’re using romaine as it’s the classic Caesar lettuce and we want a crisp lettuce. I typically buy romaine hearts as they are a little crunchier.
  • Parmesan cheese – I recommend grating your own Parmesan for best flavor, but you could also buy a high-quality Parmesan – look for grated (like a powder), not shredded.
  • Chicken – Use high-quality chicken breast for best flavor. I’ve used boneless skinless chicken breasts, but you could also use chicken breast tenders or chicken thighs, you’ll just need to adjust cooking time.
  • Garlic – Use fresh garlic cloves for best flavor. Because it’s a big part of the Caesar dressing, fresh is best!
  • Anchovy – You can use canned anchovies or anchovy paste, which is what I typically use as it’s easy and already in a paste, which it needs to be for the dressing.
  • Egg – Use a high-quality egg for best flavor.
  • Lemon – Use fresh lemon for the dressing. Just like the garlic, it’s a big part of the dressing, so quality is key here.
  • Dijon – The dijon mustard helps to emulsify the dressing and gives it great flavor.
  • Oil – The Caesar salad dressing uses a combination of both vegetable oil (canola or avocado) and olive oil. The vegetable oil portion is important as it is milder in flavor than olive oil and that’s what we want.
  • Butter – Use high-quality butter for best flavor. This is for toasting breadcrumbs and it imparts a lovely flavor. You could also use olive oil if you prefer.
  • Breadcrumbs – We’re using panko breadcrumbs and the type is important for this use as we want a larger flake for maximum crunch. You could also use homemade breadcrumbs if you prefer, just keep them larger than traditional breadcrumbs. If you need a shortcut, you could crush up store bought or homemade croutons.
Ingredients to make chicken caesar pasta salad recipe

How to Make Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad

This is an overview on how to make Caesar chicken pasta salad, the detailed instructions can be found below in the recipe card.

Cook pasta. Cook pasta in large pot of salted water until al dente. Drain and rinse with cold water to stop cooking and drizzle with a bit of oil to prevent it from sticking.
Make Caesar dressing. In a large bowl, add grated garlic, egg yolk, lemon juice, dijon mustard, and salt. Whisk until emulsified and smooth. *You can also add all of these ingredients to a small jar and shake until combined.
Caesar dressing in a bowl with a whisk
Make breadcrumbs. Melt butter in a small nonstick skillet and add breadcrumbs. Stir frequently and cook until panko is golden brown.
Crunchy breadcrumbs in a skillet for pasta salad
Grill chicken. Preheat grill and drizzle with chicken with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill until cooked through and it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F and let rest before dicing into bite-size pieces.
Grilled chicken diced into bite size pieces
Assemble salad. In a large serving bowl, add cooked pasta, diced chicken, and lettuce. Drizzle with dressing and toss to combine. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, breadcrumbs, and freshly cracked black pepper.
Ingredients for chicken caesar pasta salad in a bowl before mixing

FAQs

Is chicken Caesar pasta salad healthy?

Well I say everything is healthy. 🙂 Some foods are more nutritious than others, but all food serves a purpose. This chicken pasta Caesar salad
has protein, carbs, produce, and fats. OH, and FLAVOR. So I would say, yes, it’s incredibly delicious AND nutritious.

Does Caesar salad contain mayonnaise?

It depends on the dressing and recipe! This particular Caesar dressing doesn’t contain any mayonnaise. But many creamy Caesar dressing recipes will be made with mayonnaise and some are made with Greek yogurt.

If you’re looking for a shortcut, you can use store-bought dressing – use a creamy or vinaigrette – whatever version you prefer.

Storage Instructions

Store leftover chicken Caesar salad pasta components in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one day. Because the dressing has raw egg, I prefer to use it within a day or so.

How to meal prep

While I wouldn’t recommend assembling the salad until you are ready to eat it, but here are some components that can be prepped ahead:

  • Wash and dry lettuce
  • Grill chicken (slice right before serving so it doesn’t dry out)
  • Make crunchy breadcrumbs
Chicken Caesar pasta salad in a bowl with parmesan cheese

What to Serve with Caesar Pasta Salad

This pasta salad with chicken contains all of the components I would look for in a meal and I typically serve it as a main course, but if you want to stretch it or add a few sides, here are some ideas:

How to Feed Caesar Pasta Salad to the Whole Family

I get it, feeding kids can be tough! But following the Division of Responsibility and knowing your job and your child’s job makes it SO much more enjoyable. You’ll be able to feed your kids any meal, which will help ensure that they are eating a variety of nutritious foods – with plenty of play food sprinkled in.

I would recommend serving the Caesar pasta salad with grilled chicken
deconstructed a bit if you need to. You can serve the pasta and lettuce with dressing and then let everyone add their own chicken, Parmesan cheese, and breadcrumbs. Serve the meal with a few items you know your kids will eat, like fruit, milk, and/or bread and butter.

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Chicken caesar pasta with salad in a bowl with a spoon

More Salad Recipes

If you like this chicken Caesar pasta salad recipe, you might also like these other salad recipes:

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Chicken Caesar pasta salad in a bowl with a spoon.

Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad Recipe

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Description

This delicious chicken Caesar pasta salad is made with pasta, romaine, homemade dressing, grilled chicken, Parmesan, and crunchy breadcrumbs.


Ingredients

Units Scale

For the Pasta Salad

  • 8 oz. cavatappi pasta (or other curly pasta)
  • 1 head romaine lettuce or 2 hearts (about 68 cups sliced)
  • grated parmesan cheese for serving (shred yourself with microplane zester)
  • 1 lb. chicken breast tenders
  • 1/2 tsp. sea salt
  • 1/8 tsp. black pepper
  • 2 Tbsp. butter
  • 3/4 cup panko bread crumbs

Caesar Dressing:

  • 1 clove of garlic
  • 1 Tbsp. anchovy paste
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 4 Tbsp. lemon juice (about 1 lemon, ok if it’s less)
  • 1 tsp. dijon mustard
  • 2 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 2 Tbsp. canola oil

Instructions

  1. Cook pasta in salted boiling water according to package directions to al dente. Drain, rinse with cold water, and drizzle with a little bit of olive oil so it doesn’t stick together.
  2. Make dressing. Grate garlic with microplane zester into a medium bowl or jar. Add egg yolk, lemon juice, dijon, and salt. Whisk together and then slowly whisk in olive oil and canola oil until emulsified. (If using a jar, shake until emulsified.)
  3. Make breadcrumbs. Melt butter in a small nonstick skillet over medium-low heat and add panko bread crumbs. Stir frequently and cook until golden brown, removing from heat and transferring to a bowl immediately to stop cooking.
  4. Grill chicken. Preheat the grill to medium-high heat.
  5. Drizzle chicken with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill for about 4-5 minutes per side, or until cooked through and and reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. Let rest and then dice into small pieces.
  6. While chicken is cooking, thinly slice romaine lettuce. Add cooked pasta, chicken, and lettuce to a large serving bowl. Drizzle with dressing and toss together. Top with grated Parmesan cheese, crispy breadcrumbs, and flaky sea salt and black pepper to taste.


Notes

  • Caesar dressing shortcut – Use your favorite bottle Caesar dressing if you prefer.
  • Breadcrumb shortcut – Use your favorite store bought or homemade croutons and crush them up a bit.

Food styling and photography by Loren Runion.

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