Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad

This chicken caesar pasta salad is quick, easy and full of protein. It stays well in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, making it great for meal prep or batch cooking!

Ahh, pasta salad season. That time of year when the August heat and humidity turns up and you just don't want to slave over the stove.

This chicken pasta salad is great for meal prep to enjoy throughout the week. It's full of lean protein and fiber and has less saturated fat compared to other chicken caesar pasta salads.

This homemade Caesar salad dressing is made with greek yogurt, fresh lemon juice and anchovy paste. It lends a zippy flavor to the pasta salad without all the added calories and saturated fat.

I originally made this Caesar salad dressing for my vegetarian healthy Caesar salad with crispy chickpeas, which you can check out through the link!

The simplest way to make the salad dressing is using an immersion blender or regular blender. Place all the ingredients inside the blender and blend until smooth. Here is what you will need for the healthy caesar dressing:

• EVOO
• Plain greek yogurt
• Lemon
• Dijon
• Garlic
• Anchovy paste – game changer, I’m telling you! It's near the canned fish section in the grocery store

• Grated parm
• Ground Pepper
• Salt

How to make

Once you have the chicken already cooked for this pasta salad, it comes together within minutes. In order to save time, I would recommend prepping the chicken first and while it's cooking, prepare the other ingredients.

My favorite way to get juicy NOT DRY chicken is to bake it. I love this recipe, flavorful chicken every time.

• Once the chicken is cooked and the dressing is made, cool the cooked pasta by running it under cold water.
• In a large bowl, pour the dressing in the bottom. Toss the pasta in with the dressing and then add shredded lettuce. I used the dark green parts of the romaine because they were more tender and mixed better with the pasta.
• Lastly, add in the cooked chicken, parmesan (if using) and croutons. Toss to coat.

Why this chicken caesar pasta salad is healthier

This chicken pasta salad is healthier compared to the store bought. The biggest difference in nutrition is from the dressing. Homemade dressings are always better for you due to the lack of preservatives, saturated fat and sodium.

If you wanted to make this chicken caesar pasta salad healthier, you could try swapping out the pasta for whole wheat or chickpea pasta. You could also omit the added parmesan cheese, since the dressing already has some parmesan cheese in it.

How to Store

I would recommend making this pasta salad and letting it sit in the fridge to marry the flavors. It can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

More similar recipes

• Chicken Pasta Salad
• Asian Pasta Salad with Ginger Turmeric Dressing
• Salmon Orzo Salad
• Greek Orzo Salad
• Roasted Red Potato Salad with Light Ranch Dressing
• Easy Asian Chicken Salad

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