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Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad combines tender pasta with parmesan, crispy bacon, juicy chicken, croutons, and crunchy romaine before drizzling them with caesar and ranch dressings. It’s perfect for summer and makes a great meal prep option for work lunches.
Behind This Caesar Pasta Salad Recipe
This has been a caesar salad summer. From caesar wraps to crispy caesar sandwiches to caesar salad chicken rice bowls, this is the flavor of the season and we are here for it. In the latest viral caesar recipes, I’ve seen this delicious combination of fusing pasta salad with caesar salad. In all its simplicity, this chicken caesar pasta salad just might be one of the best things I’ve eaten in a long time.
During these hot summer months, any recipe that skips the oven is automatically #1 on my list. Anything that can be enjoyed chilled and works for meal prep is an extra bonus. And that’s exactly what you get with this chicken caesar pasta salad. Al dente pasta and all the classic chicken caesar fixin’s are drizzled with a combination of ranch and caesar dressing. It’s a low maintence, incredibly delicious, and satisfyingly crunchy pasta salad.
Tips from My Kitchen
- Rinse the pasta. To stop the cooking process, rinse the pasta as soon as it’s drained. It also helps speed up the cooling down process.
- Wait to add the lettuce & croutons. This salad is best when the lettuce and croutons are both super crunchy, so it’s best to wait to add them until just before serving.
- Use leftover chicken. If you have any leftover chicken in the fridge, this recipe is a great way to use it up. Rotisserie chicken also works.
- Don’t skip the seasoning. The thing that sets this chicken caesar pasta salad apart from others is the Salad Supreme Seasoning sprinkled on top. That stuff is just downright addicting! It adds so much flavor to the salad with no effort.
- Use either dressing. I use a combination of caesar dressing and ranch dressing to top this salad. Feel free to use entirely caesar dressing or just ranch if that’s your preference. I highly recommend trying the combination of the two, though!
Key Ingredients
When it comes to homemade recipes, it doesn’t get much easier than this chicken caesar pasta salad. Here is the short list of ingredients needed (be sure to review the recipe card below for measurements).
- Chicken – Tenderloins or chicken breasts work great. In a pinch, you can use rotisserie chicken but so much flavor is added when you cook it from scratch.
- Seasonings – Use whatever poultry seasoning you prefer for the chicken. I like lemon pepper or cajun seasoning.
- Bacon – Strips of bacon are diced up and cooked until crispy. What’s a caesar salad without it?
- Pasta – Any short pasta will work like fusilli, bow tie, rotini, etc.
- Lettuce – Just like in a classic caesar salad, crunchy romaine leaves and hearts add bulk to this salad.
- Parmesan – Freshly shredded or grated always has more flavor and no fillers.
- Croutons – Garlic and butter croutons or your favorite ones. We partially crush these so they are easier to eat.
- Salad Supreme seasoning – Perfect Pinch brand salad supreme seasoning is essential in this recipe! It adds so much incredible flavor without the work.
- Caesar dressing – Grab a bottle of your favorite brand at the store or use my homemade dressing recipe below.
- Ranch dressing – You could just use more caesar dressing but I like the creaminess and extra flavor added by the ranch.
How to Make Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad
This pasta salad is quick and easy to prepare. The printable instructions can be found in the recipe card below.
- Cook the bacon. Dice the bacon and cook over medium low until crispy on both sides. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.
- Cook the chicken. Remove most of the bacon grease from the pan, add the olive oil, and cook the chicken for about 3-4 minutes per side. The internal temp should be 165F.
- Cook the pasta. Prepare the pasta in a large pot of salted water per the package instructions. Cook just to al dente. Strain and rinse with cold water.
- Combine. Add the cooled pasta, chicken, bacon, parmesan, salad supreme seasoning, and dressing in a bowl. Toss to coat.
- Enjoy. Just before serving, add the croutons and romaine. If you plan to have leftovers, keep them separate. Top with extra parmesan and salad seasoning. Enjoy!
Make It Meal Prep Friendly
This chicken caesar pasta salad is great for meal prep and makes the perfect work lunch. Here are some tips for packing it up so that it stays fresh and crunchy.
- Keep things separate. If you are making this for meal prep, do not add the romaine and croutons when you combine the ingredients. Instead, store the romaine for each salad in a small ziploc bag and the croutons in a condiment cup.
- Pack. Add the desired portion of the prepared pasta salad to the food container. Sprinkle on the extra salad seasoning and extra parm. Keep the lettuce in ziploc bags and croutons and extra dressing in condiment cups on the side.
- Enjoy. When ready to eat, empty the romaine, extra dressing and croutons into the container. Place the lid on and shake until fully combined.
How Long Does This Last In The Fridge?
Leftover chicken caesar pasta salad will last in the fridge for up to 4 days. Just keep in mind that the romaine lettuce and croutons will begin to lose their crunch immediately, so it’s best to keep those separate if you plan to have leftovers. If you need to refrigerate the fully assembled salad, I recommend enjoying within a day or so.
Looking For More Pasta Salad Recipes?
I hope you enjoyed this recipe for this meal prep friendly chicken caesar pasta salad! Be sure to comment below with any questions or feedback!
If you make these or any other recipes, don’t forget to tag me on IG @BadBatchBaking to be featured on my story. Seeing your recreations makes my day!
Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 1.5 pounds chicken breasts or tenderloins, diced
- 2 tablespoons poultry seasoning like cajun, lemon pepper, etc.
- 8 strips bacon diced
- 1 box rotini or other short pasta like fusili
- 12 ounces romaine lettuce chopped
- 1/2 cup parmesan freshly shredded (plus more for topping)
- 1/2 cup garlic butter croutons partially crushed
- 1 teaspoon salad supreme seasoning, or to taste Perfect Pinch brand
- 1/2 cup caesar dressing
- 1/3 cup ranch dressing
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Optional Homemade Caesar Dressing
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 3 cloves small garlic chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
- 3/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano freshly grated
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Instructions
- Season chicken pieces liberally on all sides with your desired seasoning, I use cajun or lemon pepper.
- In a skillet over medium low, add in the diced bacon. Cook until crispy on both sides, remove and place on a paper towel lined plate to absorb the grease. Remove most the bacon grease from the skillet.
- Add 2 tablespoons olive oil and cook the chicken about 3-4 minutes per side until internal temp reaches 165 degrees.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add in the pasta and cook to al dente according to package instructions. Strain pasta in a colander and rinse with cold water.
- In a large bowl, add cooled pasta, chicken, bacon, parmesan, salad supreme seasoning, and dressing. I don’t advise adding in the croutons or romaine to the entire bowl if you plan to have leftovers, romaine will wilt in a few hours and croutons get mushy.
- To serve, top with some extra parmesan and salad supreme seasoning.
So excited, toing to make this tonight. Do you think it would be good warm? Warm noodles and chicken, then add in romaine right before eating?
Sautéed the chicken in the bacon grease. So delish! Love this recipe. The family ate it up!
added extra garlic and it was perfect
brought this to a BBQ and it was one of the first things gone
I love this recipe! I found it on instagram and she showed to pack the lettuce, pasta portion, and sauce separately which was a fantastic idea; It kept the lettuce nice and crunchy! I like to crush the garlic croutons into bits and put it on the salad instead of cubes.
This was a great meal prep and I love your other recipes also
Thank you so much 🙏
Meal prepped this for lunch tomorrow for my family of four. I snuck a taste and already know it’s going to be a hit.
Made this for the first time tonight and my husband loved it! Said it needs to be a weekly meal. The only thing I changed was I didn’t add any ranch. Soooo good!
Hey girl! So happy to hear this, still so good without ranch! Glad you guys loved it.