This chicken pasta salad is about to be your new best friend. It’s FULL of all the tastiest mix-ins, creamy, and oh-so-DELISH!
This chicken pasta salad is creamy, zingy, and full of incredible indulgent veggies like asparagus and sun-dried tomatoes. Pucker-up buttercup! You’ll want to print this one out and put it in the rotation with your other pasta recipes.
Pasta salad recipes are common at picnics and potlucks, but chicken pasta recipes are a nice new twist on an old classic. Try my antipasto salad, taco pasta salad, and my very unique, authentic Hawaiian macaroni salad!
Be prepared though, it’ll quickly become one of your most requested recipes…
What I Love About This Recipe
Well, first I love that it’s not a chicken recipe you come across often. This chicken pasta salad is cold and creamy but also made with Italian seasoning for a lively, refreshing flavor. Here are some other reasons to love it:
- Protein-packed
- Lots of fresh fragrant herbs
- Totally versatile
- Zesty homemade dressing
- Wholesome ingredients
Chicken Pasta Salad Recipe Notes
- Chicken: This chicken pasta salad calls for about 4 cups of cooked chicken which is equal to a whole young chicken or 4-5 breasts. Feel free to cook your own or use leftovers from last night’s grill.
- Grilled chicken adds layers of succulent flavor to your pasta salad recipe. I actually love using rotisserie chicken for this recipe but if you’re short on time canned chicken works just fine. See… versatile!
- Pasta: It also calls for farfalle pasta, otherwise known as the fun and playful bowtie. Bowtie pasta works great for this chicken pasta salad because there is plenty of valuable real estate to soak up all that yummy dressing, but rigatoni, rotini, and penne work well, too.
- Veggies. You’ll want to julienne your herbs and veggies (except for asparagus) both for aesthetics and flavor. It adds an incredible visual appeal to your already beautiful chicken pasta salad. Chopping all the veggies and herbs approximately the same size also helps ensure that you get a myriad of textures in every tangy bite!
- Dressing: It also helps to make the dressing first in the largest mixing bowl you have. This recipe feeds 12 people, so it makes quite a bit. Set it aside while cooking the pasta and the asparagus.
Cooking Tips
Cooking your pasta al dente is recommended and it should take about 7-9 minutes. You’ll have to follow the package instructions if you decide to use a different type of pasta.
Your asparagus will also need just a little time in about an inch of boiling water, but you still want it just a little crunchy. When it’s finished cooking you’ll want to let it come to room temperature before putting it in the chicken pasta salad.
Storing + Freezing + Make-Ahead
- How Long Will This Last In The Fridge? According to the USDA, your chicken pasta salad should keep in the fridge for 3-5 days but once people know it’s in there it disappears! Of course, it must be properly stored at or below 40 degrees F for safe handling.
- Can You Freeze This? Nope, sorry. This pasta salad recipe has mayo in it, so it just doesn’t freeze well. Besides, all the beautiful veggies turn to mush when they thaw.
- Make-Ahead Tips: You can chop all the veggies ahead of time. The asparagus can be cooked ahead of time, too. Make the dressing can be made 2 days ahead and stored in the fridge.
- Food Safety: If you’d like more info on food safety check out this link.
More Pasta and Macaroni Salad Recipes
- Tuna Pasta Salad
- Dill Pickle Pasta Salad
- Classic Macaroni Salad
- Tortellini Salad
- Chicken Macaroni Salad
- Caesar Pasta Salad
- Southern Macaroni Salad
Chicken Pasta Salad
Chicken pasta salad is a cold pasta recipe with plenty of indulgent veggies, refreshing herbs and a wholesome blended dressing that is zestalicious!
Servings: 12 servings
Ingredients
Dressing:
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/3 cup water
- juice of 2 lemons
- zest of 1 Lemon
- 3 teaspoons Italian Seasoning
- 1 teaspoon dry mustard
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/3 cup, plus more as needed olive oil
Salad:
- 1 bunch asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2 inch pieces
- 1/4 cup green onions, thinly sliced
- 1 red bell pepper, julienned
- 1/3 cup sun dried tomatoes in oil drained (not rinsed) and julienned
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, shredded
- 1 bunch basil, julienned
- 1 bunch chives, finely chopped
- 4 cups cooked chicken cut into 1/2 inch cubes
- 16 ounces farfalle pasta cooked according to package instructions, and drained
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk all ingredients together until dressing is well combined and smooth.
- In a large skillet bring I inch of water to a boil. Add asparagus (1 bunch) pieces and cook for about 3 minutes, or until still a little crunchy. Drain and rinse with cold water. Cool to room temperature.
- In a large bowl combine all ingredients and add dressing and toss well. Chill for 4 hours. Toss salad. Add 2-4 tablespoons of olive oil, as needed, if the dressing has been absorbed into the pasta. Serve.
Fans Also Made:
Notes
- Chicken: This chicken pasta salad calls for about 4 cups of cooked chicken which is equal to a whole young chicken or 4-5 breasts. Feel free to cook your own or use leftovers from last night’s grill.
- Grilled chicken adds layers of succulent flavor to your pasta salad recipe. I actually love using rotisserie chicken for this recipe but if you’re short on time canned chicken works just fine. See… versatile!
- Pasta: It also calls for farfalle pasta, otherwise known as the fun and playful bowtie. Bowtie pasta works great for this chicken pasta salad because there is plenty of valuable real estate to soak up all that yummy dressing, but rigatoni, rotini, and penne work well, too.
- Veggies. You’ll want to julienne your herbs and veggies (except for asparagus) both for aesthetics and flavor. It adds an incredible visual appeal to your already beautiful chicken pasta salad. Chopping all the veggies and herbs approximately the same size also helps ensure that you get a myriad of textures in every tangy bite!
- Dressing: It also helps to make the dressing first in the largest mixing bowl you have. This recipe feeds 12 people, so it makes quite a bit. Set it aside while cooking the pasta and the asparagus.
Nutrition
Serving: 1/12 of the recipe | Calories: 298kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 6mg | Sodium: 429mg | Potassium: 244mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 750IU | Vitamin C: 18.6mg | Calcium: 78mg | Iron: 1.8mg
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Perfect for Memorial day!!
Absolutely! Thanks, Susan!
Yum! Looks like my dinner tonight! 🙂
Enjoy! 🙂