This Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad is a whole meal in a bowl! Tender pasta pieces with seasoned chicken, parmesan shavings, bacon, lettuce and croutons tossed in a homemade Caesar dressing!

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Spring is here and I’m embracing fresher foods and Salads once again. And I thought combining a tradition caesar salad with a pasta salad would be a wonderful idea! Any chicken salads like the Easy Rotisserie Chicken Salad and the Grilled Cajun Chicken Salad are a great way to make dinners easy through the warmer months. Anyway, this salad did not disappoint and I ate it for lunch three days in a row…lol. Let’s take a look and see what it’s like!

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What is This Pasta Salad Like

• Difficulty – This is a pretty simple salad to make. It uses easy to find ingredients and you can use either precooked chicken or cook the chicken just before putting the salad together.
• Taste – A great pasta salad with a lighter version of caesar dressing using a mix of Greek yogurt and mayonnaise. I opted out of anchovy paste in this recipe but feel free to add it in if you love the flavour.
• Serving – This salad will make between 4 – 6 servings easy.

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Ingredients

• Homemade dressing – I made my own dressing by combining Greek yogurt, mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, parmesan cheese, lemon juice, lemon zest, garlic powder and salt.
• Chicken – I cooked chicken tenders for this salad. They cook quickly, are easy to cut up and work great in salads.
• Seasonings – The chicken was seasoned with salt and black pepper.
• Olive oil – A small amount of olive oil is used to cook the chicken tenders.
• Pasta – I used fusilli pasta for this salad.
• Bacon – You can use either store bought bacon bits or cook and crumble your own bacon. Even large cut up pieces of bacon will be great.
• Parmesan shavings – You can cut your own shavings with a grater or a pairing knife (carefully!). Or you can often buy them pre cut up in the chiller section of your supermarket.
• Romaine lettuce – I used both the dark green and lighter green parts of the lettuce. I cut mine into strip and then cut them a little smaller.
• Croutons – Again you can use store bought or make your own.

NOTE, The full recipe and ingredient list can be found in the recipe card at the end of the post.

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Instructions

1. Make salad dressing – Make the salad dressing by combining the Greek yogurt, mayonnaise, mustard, parmesan cheese, lemon juice, lemon zest, garlic powder and salt. Stir well to combine and set aside.
2. Cook the chicken – Season the chicken tenders with the salt and black pepper. Heat a large skillet over high heat and add the olive oil. Add the chicken tenders and cook for about 3 – 4 minutes. Flip over and cook for a further 3 – 4 minutes until golden and cooked through. Remove from heat and transfer to a cutting board. Cut the chicken into small pieces and set aside.
3. Cook the pasta – While the chicken is cooking, cook the pasta in boiling water for about 8 minutes or until al dente. Drain and set aside.
4. Assemble salad – In a large salad bowl combine the cooked pasta, cooked chicken, bacon, parmesan shavings and the dressing. Toss really well to combine. If serving right away, add the lettuce and croutons and toss again to incorporate. Serve fresh.

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Recipe Tips

• Cooking pasta – Pasta salads are best with al dente pasta. This means the pasta will still have a bit of a bite to it and not be falling apart soft. I cooked this pasta al dente in 8 minutes. But remember, all pasta brands are different.
• Cooking bacon – If you would like to cook your own bacon for this recipe, here’s how to do that! The easiest way to cook bacon is on a baking sheet. Line it with parchment paper or aluminium foil. Place the bacon strips on the baking sheet and cook in a preheated 375 degree F/190 degree C oven to desired doneness. I like to cook it well to crumble and it took about 12 minutes.
• Make it in advance – This salad is best the day it’s made but can easily keep overnight in the fridge to take to a potluck or serve at a barbecue the following day. IMPORTANT, If you are making it in advance, don’t add the lettuce until just before serving.

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Substitutions

• Chicken tenders – You could a store bought rotisserie chicken or even try my recipe for Oven Roasted Rotisserie Chicken. Any leftover chicken cut up will work for this recipe.
• Fusilli pasta – You can use penne or bowtie pasta.
• Croutons – Either homemade or store bought will work.
• Bacon – You can use store bought bacon bits or cook and crumble your own bacon. Try crumbling Baked Bacon with Brown Sugar for an elevated flavour.

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Serving and Storage

• Serving – This is a great salad to serve as a lunch or even a light dinner through the warmer months. Make it a bigger meal by serving the Homemade Garlic Knots or the Cheesy Garlic Fingers on the side.
• Storage – If making this in advance to store, don’t add the lettuce or croutons. Store it in an airtight container up to three days and add the croutons and lettuce just before serving.

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Frequently Asked Questions

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Thanks For Stopping By & Hope To See You Soon!