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Chicken Pasta Salad

This dual purpose Chicken Pasta Salad can be served as an entree or a side dish. In it, grilled chicken pairs beautifully with fresh chevre cheese and rotini pasta making it a dish you can enjoy for a family dinner or when entertaining friends.

Pasta Salad with Grilled Chicken

Easy Chicken Pasta Salad Recipe

Pasta is always a winning choice for keeping the family happy and your budget on track. This salad is filled with vibrant colors as well as texture and flavor. The addition of grilled chicken allows this pasta salad to be served two ways adding to its versatility. How to make simple Chicken Pasta Salad Recipe: (Scroll down for full printable recipe.)

  • Pasta – Cook rotini pasta in salted water per the package instructions until al dente. Drain well.
  • Chicken – Season chicken pieces with 1/2 tsp garlic salt and pepper.
  • Cook – In a grill pan over medium high heat, cook chicken in olive oil until juices run clear, about 6-8 minutes on each side. Adjust depending on thickness. Rest for 5 minutes, then cut into bite size chunks. (Likewise, to grill outside, oil grill grates then grill chicken over medium heat for 8 minutes per side)
  • Combine – In a large bowl, place pasta, chicken, cherry tomatoes, olives, red bell pepper, green bell pepper, red onion, green onion, parsley, red pepper flakes and reserved garlic salt.
  • Pesto and Dressing – Add dressing and basil pesto. Toss until well coated.
  • Cheese – Add chevre cheese in chunks. Gently mix through, the pasta.
  • Chill – Place into an airtight container and chill for at least 4 hours or overnight.
  • Serve garnished with additional parsley and Parmesan cheese.
how to make Pasta Salad with Chicken

How to Make the Best Chicken Pasta Salad Recipe

  • Ingredients you’ll need to make homemade Chicken Pasta Salad: One pound rotini pasta, boneless skinless chicken breasts, olive oil, black olives, cherry tomatoes, red onion, red bell pepper, green bell pepper, green onions, Chevre cheese, basil pesto, bottled Italian dressing, garlic salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes, dry Italian seasoning, basil pesto and grated Parmesan cheese.
  • Kitchen gadgets you’ll need: A pasta pot or deep pot to cook the rotini, mixing bowl, measuring cups and spoons, large spatula or spoon for mixing everything together, sharp knife and cutting board, cheese grater and a skillet or grill pan to cook the chicken.
  • What is Chevre? Chevre is goat cheese in French and is often used when referring to fresh goat cheeses in particular. Fresh goat cheese, or chevre, features a bright, tart, tangy, and delicious flavor profile. It adds to the flavor of this salad lending a creaminess to the dressing.
  • Please note, goat cheese comes in all shapes, sizes, seasoned or unseasoned. You can use any of your favorite varieties of goat cheese such as a simple crumbled feta for this salad, if you prefer.
  • For ease of preparation, it’s perfectly fine to use a quality bottled Italian dressing for this salad. For your convenience, I’ve added a homemade version in the Cook’s notes. I’ve done it both ways and either way it’s a winner.
  • The chicken for this salad is prepared per the recipe. For a shortcut you could use rotisserie chicken or roasted chicken in its place.
  • To lighten this salad, a lower fat bottled dressing can be used.
  • You can also add chopped artichokes or pepperoncini peppers to this salad.
  • While you could make this recipe using other varieties of pasta, rotini is preferred as it really grabs onto the dressing.
  • Store Chicken Pasta Salad chilled in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
easy Pasta Salad with Chicken

More Southern Style Pasta Salad Recipes to Make

Whether you’re planning a casual meal, backyard soiree with friends or heading out for a summer picnic. pasta salad in some form should always be on the menu. A few other recipes you may like to try:

Italian Pasta Salad with Chicken

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Helpful Kitchen Items:

Chicken Pasta Salad

Prep Time25 minutes
Chill time4 hours
Total Time4 hours 25 minutes
Course: Main Course, Poultry, Salad, Side Dish
Cuisine: American, Southern
Keyword: easy-pasta-salad-recipe, Italian-pasta-salad, pasta-salad-with-chicken
Servings: 12 servings
Calories: 407kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 lb box rotini pasta
  • 2 8 oz boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 1/2 tsp garlic salt divided
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper adjust to taste.
  • 1 pint cherry tomatoes halved
  • 1 7 oz jar whole pitted black olives drained
  • 1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
  • 1/2 cup diced green bell pepper
  • 1 small red onion thinly sliced
  • 4 `medium green onion thinly sliced
  • 2-3 Tbsp fresh Italian parsley
  • 1 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 6 oz chevre goat cheese broken into chunks
  • 2 tsp prepared basil pesto
  • 1 16 oz bottled Italian dressing (i.e. Ken's Marzetti's or Marie's) (See Cook's note for homemade dressing)
  • 1 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

  • Cook rotini pasta in salted water per the package instructions until al dente. Drain well.
  • Meanwhile, season chicken pieces with 1/2 tsp garlic salt and pepper. In a grill pan over medium high heat, cook chicken in olive oil until juices run clear, about 6-8 minutes on each side. Adjust depending on thickness. Rest for 5 minutes, then cut into bite size chunks. (Likewise, to grill outside, oil grill grates then grill chicken over medium heat for 8 minutes per side)
  • In a large bowl, place pasta, chicken, cherry tomatoes, olives, red bell pepper, green bell pepper, red onion, green onion, 2 Tbsp parsley, red pepper flakes and reserved 1 tsp garlic salt. Add dressing and basil pesto. Toss until well coated.
  • Add chevre cheese in chunks. Gently mix through, the pasta.
  • Place into an airtight container and chill for at least 4 hours or overnight.
  • Serve garnished with additional 1 Tbsp parsley and Parmesan cheese.

Notes

Homemade Italian dressing: (Easily doubles. If using adjust amount of salt in recipe to taste)
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 1/4 cup white or red wine vinegar 
  • 1-2 tsp granulated sugar or honey
  • 3 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 1/2 tsp dry Italian seasoning
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper 
  • 1/2 tsp dried oregano
  • 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
Place all ingredients into a jar or a stand blender. Shake or pulse until well blended. Taste and adjust seasonings to taste.
 

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 407kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 7mg | Sodium: 980mg | Potassium: 221mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 682IU | Vitamin C: 24mg | Calcium: 43mg | Iron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @melissassk or tag #melissassk!

4 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    This was awesome! Thank you. It was getting kind of chilly this evening so I heated my portion in the micro for reheat #1 and it was EXTRA delicious!!!!. When I let everyone try mine, they all wanted theirs to be heated, as well.

    Easy, breezy and extra scrumptious.

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