Chicken Caesar Salad Pasta Best Of Both Worlds

Craving the freshness of a salad, but the satisfaction of a bowl of pasta? Chicken Caesar Salad Pasta combines the two to create a pasta + lettuce salad that’s packed with protein and flavor! The mixture of fresh and crispy salad with tender pasta, sizzling chicken, and creamy caesar dressing is craveable, and I am always so sad when the last bite is gone. It is that good.

Chicken Caesar Salad + Pasta

I love that this recipe is hearty enough to serve in the colder months, but light and fresh too. It’s perfect for serving as a spring dinner, or bringing along to a summer BBQ or potluck. There’s something so satisfying about adding rotini pasta to a classic caesar salad. Much better than croutons, IMO! This chicken caesar salad with pasta is a cinch to throw together and, if you are indeed serving it for dinner, it’s a complete meal in one so no need for extra side dishes. Whole grains, lean protein, and lots of veggies: check, check, and check!

Ingredients Needed

Here’s what you’ll need for this easy chicken caesar pasta salad recipe:

Gluten free rotini. I love Jovial Brown Rice Pasta not just because the ingredient list is brown rice flour and water, but also because brown rice pasta doesn’t become hard and crumbly in the refrigerator like corn/rice-blend GF pasta does. If you don’t need to eat gluten free, you can use traditional rotini. Chicken breast. Are grilled then chopped into bite sized pieces and folded into the pasta salad. Feel free to use rotisserie chicken, Air Fried Chicken, or Baked Chicken Breast if that’s easier. Romaine lettuce. I buy the bags of whole romaine hearts then chop them myself, but you could use a bag of pre-chopped romaine. Cherry or grape tomatoes. I like juicy cherry or grape tomatoes, but Romas are great too. Red onion. Adds zip, crunch, spice, and a beautiful pop of color. Parmesan cheese. 99% of the time I advise you freshly grate parmesan cheese before adding it to one of my recipes, but for this dish I recommend pre-shredded parmesan cheese so it doesn’t melt into the dish. I’ll show you my go-to brand below. Capers. Capers are tiny but pack an enormous flavor punch to each bite of this pasta salad recipe. Caesar Salad Dressing. I’m here to make your life easier so I recommend using store-bought dressing to dress this salad with. I’ll share my favorite brand of bottled Caesar Salad Dressing below.

Recipe Variations

While I truly feel like the combination of ingredients and flavors I’m sharing is chef’s kiss, feel free to try these recipe variations: Alrighty – ready to feast?

Try this Fresh Pasta Salad

How to Make This Recipe

Start by adding gluten free rotini (also called fusilli) to a large pot of salted water then boil until tender. Drain the noodles then rinse under cold water until they’re completely cold and set aside.

Meanwhile, pound chicken breasts into an even thickness to ensure even cooking then season with pepper and homemade seasoned salt on both sides.

Place the chicken inside a grill pan over medium-high heat then grill for 3-4 minutes per side or until the chicken is cooked through. Let rest for 10 minutes before chopping into bite-sized pieces. Alternatively you could grill the chicken on a gas or charcoal grill, or simply saute in a pan. I do REALLY love the grill flavor it adds to the chicken caesar pasta salad though!

To a large mixing bowl add the drained cold pasta plus chopped romaine lettuce, grape or cherry tomatoes, red onion, capers, shredded parmesan cheese, and lots of freshly cracked black pepper.

Here’s the shredded parmesan cheese I love and recommend. It’s so convenient to not only add to this dish, but any other foods that benefit from a sprinkle of parm on top at the end before serving, like pasta!

Last step is to add your favorite bottled caesar salad dressing – I love Ken’s Creamy Caesar, which is of course gluten free. It’s thick, and savory, and cheesy – MMM!

Last step is to add the grilled chicken then devour! You can serve this dish immediately or chill for a couple of hours before serving. Again, if you’re using brown rice pasta, it stays softer in the fridge vs a corn/rice blend gluten free pasta. I hope you love this super-tasty, must-try take on chicken caesar salad! Enjoy!