This healthy chicken caesar pasta salad is super quick, easy, healthy, and delicious! Loaded with whole wheat penne, rotisserie chicken, hard boiled eggs, onion, pepper, romaine lettuce, parmesan cheese, croutons, and my secret ingredient: store-bought greek yogurt caesar salad dressing!
Summer side dishes are the best, you’ll also love: easy bruschetta, fruit salad with honey walnuts, and grilled potato salad.
Caesar salad just got a make over. Enter: chicken caesar pasta salad. Bonus: it’s made with better for you ingredients, so it’s actually a healthier pasta salad you can enjoy during these deathly hot summer months. Double bonus: if you’re vegetarian, I think you could totally ditch the chicken and use chickpeas instead.
Not only is this recipe healthy and delicious, it’s also SUPER EASY.
Tips for chicken caesar pasta salad:
- Use whole wheat penne – this healthy, hearty pasta holds up REALLY well with the thick dressing
- I really don’t think you can tell it’s whole wheat pasta, because there are so many other textures and flavors going on.
- Use a pre-made greek yogurt caesar dressing – this is the BEST, healthy shortcut
- Feel free to make your own, but I love using Bolthouse Farms Caesar Dressing. It’s healthy, flavorful, and WAY quicker than making your own dressing.
- Not sponsored, just a huge fan of their healthy greek yogurt dressings for quick, easy, healthy deliciousness!
- Use rotisserie chicken – again, this is a great shortcut and store bought rotisserie chickens are always packed with great flavor.
- Vegetarian? Omit the chicken. I think adding chickpeas would be delicious, although make sure you adjust the seasonings, because chickpeas won’t have as much flavor as a rotisserie chicken.
- Make this in advance. As with all pasta salads, making this in advance saves time and gives the salad a chance to build flavor!
- Buy extra dressing and add the croutons *right* before serving.
- Have extra dressing to add before serving in case the pasta salad dries out a little.
- Nobody like soggy croutons, so add them right before serving so they stay nice and crunchy!
Do you have other tips for the best pasta salad? Let me know in the comments below. Until then, let’s make some pasta salad, shall we?!
Since it’s officially July, it’s officially summer, which means, it’s officially pasta salad season . . . which we all know is the best season.
Some people don’t like pasta salad and I just don’t understand those people. I am a HUGE pasta salad lover. I’m also a huge lover of “mash up” recipes and super quick and easy recipes, so as you can imagine, I’m absolutely head over heels for this healthy chicken caesar pasta salad.
If chicken caesar pasta salad isn’t your thing . . .
Other pasta salad recipes you’ll enjoy:
- Asian Pasta Salad
- Pesto Pasta Salad
- Caprese Pasta Salad
- Greek Tortellini Pasta Salad
- Mexican Pasta Salad
- Broccoli Salad
PSST – I have more pasta salad recipes coming your way, so stay tuned!
If chicken caesar pasta salad IS your thing . . .
Place cooked pasta, cooked chicken, hard boiled eggs, red onion, green pepper, romaine lettuce, and parmesan into a large bowl. Toss to combine. Stir in greek yogurt caesar dressing. Taste and re-season. Store in the fridge until ready to serve or add croutons and serve immediately!
Quick, easy, healthy, and loaded with all your favorite caesar flavors . . . this summer pasta salad really couldn’t get more perfect.
– Jennifer
Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad
Equipment for this recipe
Ingredients
- 1 (16 oz) box whole penne pasta cooked
- 3-4 cups chopped cooked chicken (1 1/2 pounds cooked - about 1 rotisserie)
- 4 large hard boiled eggs chopped
- ½ cup diced red onion
- 1 green bell pepper diced
- 4 cups chopped romaine lettuce
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 (14 oz) bottles greek yogurt caesar salad dressing I used Bolthouse
- salt to taste
- 2 cups croutons plus more if desired
Recipe Video
Instructions
- Place pasta, chicken, eggs, red onion, bell pepper, romaine, and parmesan into a large bowl.
- Toss to combine.
- Pour in ONE bottle of dressing and toss to combine.
- Taste and season with salt.
- If serving immediately: stir in croutons and enjoy!
- If serving later: cover and place in fridge to chill. Stir in croutons right before serving. Taste and re-season, if necessary. If dry, stir in more dressing.
- Store leftovers, covered, in the fridge.
- Take 5 seconds to either rate this recipe below and/or PIN it. We greatly appreciate it!
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Nutrition Information
*Note: Nutrition information is estimated and varies based on products used.