Description
This easy chicken caesar pasta salad is a fun, delicious mix of a classic chicken caesar salad and pasta salad.
Ingredients
Scale
For the chicken:*
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1 - 1.5 pounds)
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
For the salad:
- 12 ounces rotini pasta, cooked
- 6 cups chopped romaine lettuce (about 2 hearts of romaine)
- 1 cup croutons
- ½ cup grated parmesan
- ¾ cup Caesar dressing
Instructions
- Slice your chicken breasts in half lengthwise to create 4 thin chicken cutlets. Stir together the chicken seasonings in a small bowl and then sprinkle on both sides of the chicken pieces.
- Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook, covered, for 5-6 minutes on each side. The chicken should be cooked through and no longer pink in the middle. Set aside to cool. Once cooled, chop into bite-sized cubes.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook your pasta for 7-8 minutes, until it al dente (cooked but still slightly firm in the middle of the noodles). Drain and rinse under cold water.
- To a large bowl, add all of the salad ingredients except for the dressing.
- Drizzle the dressing on top of the salad and toss until mixed.
- Optionally, sprinkle more parmesan and black pepper on top of your salad before serving.
Notes
*For the chicken: you can substitute simple grilled chicken, shredded chicken, or pre-cooked options like rotisserie chicken or breaded chicken strips.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Salad
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/8th of recipe
- Calories: 525
- Sugar: 8.1g
- Sodium: 693mg
- Fat: 24g
- Saturated Fat: 4.8g
- Carbohydrates: 59.1g
- Fiber: 7.9g
- Protein: 20.5g
- Cholesterol: 67mg
Keywords: salad, chicken, pasta, caesar, pasta salad, chicken caesar, easy, dinner, lunch, meal prep, health, big, large