Chicken caesar pasta salad is a simple and delicious pasta salad recipe filled with delicious additions like bacon, croutons, romaine lettuce, and creamy caesar dressing.
We love bringing caesar pasta salad to potlucks and dinners, it’s always a hit with the crowd and so easy to make ahead of time!
Caesar salad gets an upgrade in this simple pasta salad recipe. You likely have everything needed on hand for a last minute dish, and we usually use leftover chicken or rotisserie chicken!
It makes the perfect barbecue side, along with twice baked potatoes or air fryer asparagus!
How To Make Caesar Pasta Salad
To make chicken caesar pasta salad:
- Boil the pasta according to package directions. We like to subtract a minute to ensure it doesn’t become mushy in the pasta salad.
- Chop all the ingredients. If you chop the ingredients slightly smaller than bite sized, you can get more ingredients in each bite!
- Toss everything together. If you are not serving the caesar pasta salad right away, don’t add the lettuce or croutons until before serving or they may become soggy. You may want to add more or less dressing.
- Allow the pasta salad to sit for about 30 minutes before serving to help combine the flavors. If you’re letting it sit overnight, you may need to add more dressing the next day.
Our Favorite Caesar Pasta Salad Additions
Here are some easy and delicious additions if you want to change things up with this caesar pasta salad!
- Avocado – add right before serving
- Grilled shrimp – a delicious substitution for chicken
- Homemade dressing – if you have time, whipping up a homemade dressing is always great!
- Lemon zest – a colorful and delicious garnish
- Spinach – a fun substitution for romaine lettuce
- Pasta – try a different variation like penne or macaroni noodles – anything bite sized will work!
We like to use any leftover chicken we may have in chicken caesar pasta salad. Cilantro lime chicken is delicious in this recipe, or something simple like old bay chicken or air fryer chicken thighs!
More Fresh Salad Recipes
- Greek Orzo Pasta Salad
- Cucumber Vinegar Salad
- Watermelon Feta Salad with Mint
- Ramen Noodle Salad
- Easy Greek Salad
- Cherry Tomato Caprese Salad
Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 8 ounces farfalle pasta
- 3 cups romaine lettuce chopped, about 2 romaine hearts
- 4 slices bacon cooked, chopped
- 1 cup croutons
- 1 ½ cups chicken leftover, chopped into bite sized pieces
- ½ cup caesar salad dressing
- ⅓ cup shredded parmesan cheese
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
Instructions
- Cook pasta in a pot of boiling salted water according to package directions until al dente. Run under cold water to immediately stop cooking.
- Meanwhile, chop cooked bacon, chicken, and romaine lettuce into bite sized pieces.
- Toss all ingredients together with dressing, lemon juice, and parmesan cheese. Allow pasta salad to sit for 30 minutes before serving.
Notes
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