Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad

8 Servings
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 8 minutes
Total Time 23 minutes

10-Minute Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad is so quick to make and so delicious you will put this cold pasta salad into your regular rotation for lunches, parties, picnics and bbqs!

chicken caesar pasta salad in blue serving dish

Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad

This delish cold pasta salad comes together in just minutes with just 6 ingredients! Cold chicken breast, Caesar dressing, croutons, Parmesan cheese and romaine lettuce are all you need to enjoy this perfect summer side dish. There isn’t a whole lot to this cold pasta salad recipe, but it is a fan favorite. We make this chicken caesar pasta salad for every party we host, and it is routinely one of the first items to be completely eaten.

Also, don’t be put off by the pre-made dressing. I know I tend not to use such items, but in this case, it is fresher and higher quality than most. (No sponsored post here, I just love certain refrigerated dressings and the Litehouse Caesar dressing is a fantastic prepared option).

A Cold Pasta Salad You can Warm up? Yep.

Meant to be eaten cold, this chicken caesar pasta salad can also be eaten warmed up. Yeah, I have been known to microwave it so the Parmesan cheese melts together. Uh huh, and guess what? The dressing is amazing warm too.

Recently I posted a Baked Chicken Caesar Pasta with a buttery cracker crust that we make often. I also mentioned that there was a cold version of the dish that is a regular in our rotation, and is so easy to make that we love making it for any occasion — this is it! We also love other cold pasta salads like Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad and Antipasto Pasta Salad.

how to make cold pasta salad like chicken caesar pasta salad

Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad Topping Ideas:

  • Buttery Crisp Topping: Add the buttery cracker crust instead of croutons.
  • Cheesy Chicken Caesar Pasta: Skip the romaine lettuce and croutons and microwave. Crumble croutons over it.
  • Brighten the flavors: Squeeze of lemon juice to brighten flavors!
  • More Protein Options: Swap out the chicken for steak or shrimp!
  • Grilled Salad: Add grilled romaine lettuce and charred lemons (this is SO flavorful!)

chicken caesar pasta salad with croutons and cheese

Homemade Caesar Dressing Recipe:

Add all the ingredients to a small food processor until smooth and creamy.

  • 3 cloves garlic, cut into quarters
  • ¾ cup mayonnaise
  • 4 anchovy fillets
  • 3 tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese
  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ¼ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper

cold pasta salad everyone loves is chicken caesar pasta salad

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Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad

10 Minute Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad is so quick to make and so delicious you will put this in your regular rotation for lunches, parties, picnics and bbqs!
Yield 8 Servings
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 8 minutes
Total Time 23 minutes
Course Salad
Cuisine American
Author Sabrina Snyder

Ingredients
 

  • 2 chicken breasts cooked and cut into chunks
  • 1 pound bowtie pasta
  • 6 cups romaine lettuce chopped
  • 6 ounces Parmesan Cheese
  • 1 1/2 cups caesar dressing
  • 1 cup croutons
  • 1/4 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper

Instructions

  • Cook pasta in salted water for one minute less than the directions on the box.
  • Let cool slightly for 3-5 minutes.
  • Add the dressing, chicken, cheese and black pepper (to taste).
  • Toss together, top with croutons and Parmesan cheese.

Nutrition

Calories: 618kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 29g | Fat: 34g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 68mg | Sodium: 971mg | Potassium: 460mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 3270IU | Vitamin C: 2.2mg | Calcium: 302mg | Iron: 2.1mg
Keyword: chicken Caesar pasta salad, chicken pasta salad, pasta salad

This post was originally published on August 18, 2015

10 Minute Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad is so quick to make and so delicious you will put this in your regular rotation for lunches, parties, picnics and bbqs! It comes together in just minutes and is just 6 ingredients!10 Minute Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad is so quick to make and so delicious you will put this in your regular rotation for lunches, parties, picnics and bbqs! It comes together in just minutes and is just 6 ingredients!

Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad
Pasta with Chicken Caesar Salaf

About the Author: Sabrina Snyder

Sabrina is a professionally trained Private Chef of over 10 years with ServSafe Manager certification in food safety. She creates all the recipes here on Dinner, then Dessert, fueled in no small part by her love for bacon.

Sabrina Snyder is a professionally trained personal and private chef of over 10 years who is the creator and developer of all the recipes on Dinner, then Dessert.

She is also the author of the cookbook Dinner, then Dessert – Satisfying Meals Using Only 3, 5 or 7 Ingredients, published by Harper Collins.

She started Dinner, then Dessert as a business in her office as a lunch service for her coworkers who admired her lunches before going to culinary school and becoming a full time personal chef and private chef.

As a personal chef Sabrina would cook for families one day a week and cook their entire week of dinners. All grocery shopping, cooking and cleaning was done along with instructions on reheating. As a private chef she cooked for private parties and cooked in family homes in the evenings for families on a nightly basis after working as a personal chef during the day.

Sabrina has been certified as a ServSafe Manager since 2007 and was a longstanding member of the USPCA Personal Chef Association including being on the board of the Washington DC Chapter of Chefs in the US Personal Chef Association when they won Chapter of the year.

As a member of the community of food website creators Sabrina Snyder has spoken at many conferences regarding her experiences as a food writer including the Indulge Food Conference, Everything Food Conference, Haven Food Conference and IACP Annual Food Professionals Conference.

Sabrina lives with her family in sunny California.

Dinner, then Dessert, Inc. owns the copyright on all images and text and does not allow for its original recipes and pictures to be reproduced anywhere other than at this site unless authorization is given. If you enjoyed the recipe and would like to publish it on your own site, please re-write it in your own words, and link back to my site and recipe page. Read my disclosure and copyright policy. This post may contain affiliate links.

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Comments

  1. Hi
    I can hardly wait to start cooking. We r going on a camp out with our grandchildren, age 5 and 7. They love to try new things and I think aom or these recipes will be a great hit.

  2. I use shrimps instead of chicken. I believe this is going to be great. Thanks again for your time and help with dinner and dessert.

  3. I love everything about this. Pasta and Caesar Salad are two of my favorites, so together is the perfect meal for me. 

  4. Love a great pasta salad and yours looks terrific! Thanks for stopping by #TryaBiteTuesday and sharing your delicious recipe! Pinned and shared – hope to see you back this week!

  5. This looks sooo good! I love chicken caesar salad but never thought to make it into a pasta dish. I have to try this, I know my husband and even the kids will love it as long as there’s extra parm!

  6. Oh yummy! My whole family would adore this. What a nice addiction to my dinner rotation. Perfect for lunch, too!

  7. Quick and easy meals are always welcomed around here. It seems we’re always so busy. Chicken Caesar Pasta or salad sounds like a winner.

  8. Although I love to cook, when it’s just me at lunchtime I often make things that aren’t all that fun. This would definitely be an easy lunch and one that I’d be excited about.

    1. Thanks Crystal! I know what you mean, my lunches when I am alone are usually bread I don’t even bother toasting with sliced chicken or deli meat.

  9. All of that delicious cheese on top! I never thought about Caesar chicken without the salad! Looks just as good

  10. Yum!! This recipe combines two of my favorite things- Caesar salads and pasta dishes… I haven’t tried Litehouse brand dressing yet and look forward to giving it a try!

    1. I stumbled across them one day a few years ago looking for Bob’s Big Boy Blue Cheese Dressing (now that is one amazing dressing) and I’ve been a fan ever since!

  11. This looks so delicious and easy to make. I will have to try making this for my BBQ. I love Caesar pasta salad.

  12. That looks delicious and loved that you gave other suggestions of shrimp, or steak. I bet my family would like it with any of those.

  13. I love cold pasta salads, especially during the summertime, this sounds wonderful and quick and easy too!

  14. I adore recipes like this. Quick, easy, and absolutely delicious. I have a few pasta salads up my sleeve that I love to throw together for parties. I’ll have to add this to that list. I see asparagus tips as a great little green addition.

    Thanks for sharing!

    xoxo
    Katie

    1. Pasta salads are the best! I hope you get to try it and that it makes it’s way on to your permanent rotation!

  15. you had me at 10 minutes – with school and activities in full swing, the faster the better, and this looks delicious

  16. Easy pasta salad is always up my alley! This looks like something my husband would devour too!! Will you share this one on the weekly link up over at my page? Looks great!!