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This Chicken Caesar Pasta combines tender grilled chicken, crisp romaine lettuce, savory parmesan, and crispy bacon, all tossed in a creamy Caesar dressing. It’s like your classic Caesar salad and comforting pasta dish had a baby—and it’s delicious. Perfect for a hot summer day when you’re craving something hearty but don’t want to turn on the oven. Whether you’re feeding a crowd at a summer BBQ or whipping it up for a quick weeknight dinner, this recipe is a huge hit.
Why You’ll Love This Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad
This Chicken Caesar Pasta is the perfect balance of fresh, creamy, and savory. The juicy grilled chicken adds protein, while the romaine lettuce brings a nice crunch. The bacon and parmesan? Well, we all know cheese and bacon make everything better. Plus, it’s easy to make, with ingredients you likely have on hand. Skip the usual chicken pasta salad recipe and try this instead. It’s the ultimate main dish that can also double as a cold pasta salad for those summer BBQs or a quick grab-and-go lunch.
Ingredients Needed For Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad
This might just be my favorite pasta salad! Make sure you have these ingredients on hand:
- Pasta – A shortcut pasta like farfalle or rotini pasta works great. Cook until al dente according to the package directions.
- Chicken breasts – Grilled to perfection after marinating in lemon zest, garlic, and olive oil.
- Romaine lettuce – Chopped fresh and crisp for that perfect Caesar salad vibe.
- Bacon – Crispy, savory bacon brings it all together. Oven baked bacon is so easy!
- Parmesan cheese – Freshly shaved or grated for extra flavor.
- Croutons – Adds crunch to the salad.
- For the chicken marinade – Extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and black pepper.
- For the dressing – Mayo, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, anchovy paste (optional but recommended), parmesan, garlic, and black pepper.
A Note About Anchovies
If you are allergic to anchovies, you can leave these out of the recipe, but be sure to add salt (to taste). Anchovies have a high salt content, which is why I left salt out of the dressing ingredients. If you think you won’t like the taste, don’t worry – you can’t even tell they’re in there. They just give this dressing the essential umami, salty flavoring.
Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad Variations
- Swap grilled chicken with rotisserie chicken for an even quicker option.
- Use rotini or penne instead of bowtie pasta.
- Use cheddar cheese for a different cheesy twist.
- Crush the croutons to give the whole salad texture.
- Skip the anchovies if you’re allergic or not a fan, and adjust the salt in the dressing.
- Add cherry tomatoes, red onion, red peppers or feta cheese for extra veggies and flavor.
- Try a creamy ranch dressing instead of Caesar for a different twist.
How To Make Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad
You can skip the marinating and grilling of the chicken if you have precooked chicken on hand, either from leftovers, meal prep, or a store-bought rotisserie chicken. For full recipe details, including ingredient measurements, see the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post. Here are my step by step instructions for making this pasta salad:
1. Cook the Pasta
Boil water in a large pot of salted water. Cook pasta until al dente following the package directions. Drain, rinse with cold water (to prevent sticking as the pasta cools to room temperature), and set aside.
2. Marinate the Chicken
In a small bowl, combine olive oil, lemon zest, garlic, salt, and black pepper. Add chicken breasts and coat well. Let marinate while prepping other ingredients.
Pro Tip: Marinate the chicken for at least 30 minutes for maximum flavor.
3. Grill the Chicken
Preheat your outdoor or indoor grill to medium-high heat and cook the chicken until it reaches an internal temperature of 165° F. Cut into bite-sized pieces.
4. Make the Dressing
Blend all dressing ingredients in a blender until smooth. (You can also whisk all ingredients in a small bowl if you don’t have a blender.)
5. Assemble the Salad
In a large serving bowl, combine pasta, romaine, chicken, bacon, parmesan, and croutons. Drizzle with dressing and toss to combine. Season with more freshly cracked black pepper, if desired and serve.
Storage + Make Ahead Directions
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge. It’ll stay fresh for up to 3 days. I don’t recommend freezing this recipe. The romaine and pasta don’t hold up well after thawing.
To Make Ahead: You can make this chicken pasta salad recipe a couple of hours ahead. Just keep the dressing and croutons separate until you’re ready to serve.
Love Caesar Pasta Salad? Try These Other Caesar Recipes
- Grilled Romaine Caesar Salad with Chicken
- Caesar Salad Recipe without Anchovies
- Caesar Avocado Dressing
- Brussel Sprouts Caesar Salad
This recipe is perfect for family dinners, potlucks, and even as a cold chicken pasta salad on a hot summer day. It’s easy, versatile, and guaranteed to be a crowd-pleaser!
If you make this recipe, I would really appreciate it if you would give it a star rating and leave your review in the comments! If you have a picture of your finished dish, post it on Instagram using the hashtag #laurenslatest and tagging me @laurens_latest.
Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad
Ingredients
for the salad-
- 3/4 lb pasta shortcut like farfalle or rigatoni
- 1 1/2 cups romaine lettuce washed, dried, and chopped
- 1 lb chicken breasts
- 10 slices bacon cooked and roughly chopped
- 3 tablespoons parmesan cheese shaved, optional
- 1 cup croutons
*for the chicken marinade-
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 lemon zested and juiced (about 3 tablespoons)
- 1 clove garlic minced
- salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
for the dressing-
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice juice of about 1 whole lemon
- 2 whole anchovies** canned, or anchovy paste
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese freshly grated
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper freshly cracked + more to taste
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt generously and cook pasta according to box instructions for al dente. Drain, rinse with cold water and set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, salt and black pepper.
- Trim chicken breasts of any excess fat and cut into thin strips. Place in bowl with marinade ingredients and set aside while preparing other recipe elements.
- Preheat indoor or outdoor grill to medium to medium-high heat.
- Add the chicken to the grill and cook about 1-2 minutes per side or until internal temperature reaches 165° F. Remove chicken from the grill and cut into bite-size pieces. Set aside.
for the dressing-
- Add all dressing ingredients to a small blender and blend until smooth. (You can also whisk all ingredients in a small bowl if you don't have a blender.)
to assemble-
- Place cooked pasta, romaine, grilled chicken, bacon, parmesan cheese shavings, and croutons in a large salad bowl. Drizzle with the caesar dressing and toss to combine well. Season with more freshly cracked black pepper, if desired and serve.
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