Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad is a great way to turn a salad into a filling main dish! This Caesar salad recipe is made with rotini, crispy chicken tenders, and shredded parmesan.
We love Caesar salad, but usually serve it as a side dish. If you add pasta and chicken to the salad, you can serve the salad as the main course. You only need a few simple ingredients and less than 30 minutes of prep to make this delicious pasta salad recipe.
CHICKEN CAESAR PASTA SALAD
Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad is made with rotini and diced crispy chicken tenders. Add the noodles and chicken to some chopped romaine lettuce, along with ground pepper and shredded parmesan. Top off the salad with Caesar dressing and croutons before serving.
Ingredients in Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad
Rotini – You will need 16 ounces of rotini, cooked according to package instructions. You can use any bite-sized pasta (penne, elbows, small shells, etc).
Crispy chicken tenders – You can use any type of chicken tender for this. These can be found in the frozen section of the grocery store and then you can cook them in the oven or air fryer before dicing the chicken and adding it to the salad.
Romaine lettuce – Romaine lettuce is what is traditionally used in Caesar salad, but you can use any type of lettuce or combination of lettuces that you have on hand.
Pepper – Ground pepper adds a lot of flavor, but if you don’t love pepper, you can leave it out.
Parmesan – Use shredded parmesan or finely shaved parmesan to top the salad.
Croutons – You can’t have Caesar salad without croutons! Add as many as you’d like!
Caesar dressing – You can use any brand of Caesar dressing that you like. I usually use about 1/2 cup, but you can add a little more or less.
How to make Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad
Add cooked pasta, ¾ of the tenders, croutons, pepper, and shredded Parmesan to a large bowl. Mix well.
Add the lettuce and fold in until well combined.
Top with as much dressing as you prefer (I used ½ cup), and fold in until well combined.
Top with leftover chicken and croutons. Serve immediately or store in the refrigerator until ready to serve. If you aren’t going to be serving the salad right away, wait to add the dressing until just before serving so the salad doesn’t get soggy.
Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 16 oz rotini cooked according to package instructions
- 6 crispy chicken tenders cooked and diced
- 2 cups romaine lettuce
- 1 teaspoon ground pepper
- 1 ½ cups shredded parmesan
- 1 cup croutons
- ½ – ¾ cup Caesar dressing
Instructions
- Add cooked pasta, ¾ of the tenders, croutons, pepper, and shredded Parmesan to a large bowl. Mix well.
- Add the lettuce and fold in until well combined.
- Top with as much dressing as you prefer (I used ½ cup), and fold in until well combined.
- Top with leftover chicken and croutons. Serve immediately or store in the refrigerator until ready to serve. If you aren’t going to be serving the salad right away, wait to add the dressing until just before serving so the salad doesn’t get soggy.
Nutrition
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How to make the salad healthier
If you’re trying to cut a few calories or improve the macros, there are a few simple ways to make this recipe fit into any diet.
- Use protein pasta. You can add a lot of protein by using protein pasta. If you use chickpea pasta, you can easily make the salad gluten-free if needed. Just make sure to leave out the croutons (or find a gluten-free substitute), swap the crispy chicken with grilled chicken, and check the Caesar dressing for gluten-free certification as well.
- Use grilled chicken. Crispy chicken tenders have so much flavor, but grilled chicken works well too. You’ll save some calories this way!
- Use light dressing. I like to use yogurt-based salad dressings-they tend to have fewer ingredients and fewer calories as well. You can also reduce the amount of dressing in the salad if you’d like.
OTHER SALAD RECIPES YOU MAY ENJOY:
- How to make Chicken Salad
- Fiesta Ranch Chicken Pasta Salad
- Fancy Fruit Salad
- Orange Cream Fruit Salad
- Chicken Pasta Salad
- Cranberry Jello Salad
- Tropical Jello Pretzel Salad
- Creamy Orange Fruit Salad
- Berries and Cream Salad
- Cream Cheese Grape Salad
- Berry Spinach Salad
- Copycat KFC Coleslaw recipe
- Garden Vegetable Caprese Salad
- Spinach Chicken Pasta Salad
- Pizza Pasta Salad
- Chinese Chicken Salad
Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad is a great way to turn a salad into a filling main dish! This Caesar salad recipe is made with rotini, crispy chicken tenders, and shredded parmesan.
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