Nothing says fresh quite like the vibrant flavors in this easy pasta salad.It’s my go-to meal prep option when the weather gets warm. I love that it’s full of chicken, pasta, fresh veggies, cheese, and pesto, so I’m getting both flavor and nutrition. And I especially love to bring it to summer BBQs and potlucks and for my homemade packed lunches.
I Like to serve it as a main dish most of the time
Not only is this protein and veggie-packed salad flavorful, but it’s also easy to make. True, it could be served as a side salad, but it’s truly a main dish, with enough protein, carbs, healthy fats, and fiber to fuel you through the day. It also works well as a side dish.
For this reason, I love to make a big batch to keep on hand for quick, easy meals that my whole family will eat. It’s truly a game-changer when life gets busy and I love that my kids clean their plates when I make it even though they don’t love vegetables.
Recipe Highlights
This chicken pesto pasta salad is a recipe I make on repeat when the weather gets warm. Here are a few reasons why:
- With minimal prep time and just 12 minutes of cooking time, the entire dish comes together in just about 30 minutes, meaning I can get in and out of the kitchen fast.
- It calls for simple ingredients, including store-bought pesto sauce.
- It tastes great served warm or cold, so it comes in handy on my busiest of days.
- I can easily mix and match the ingredients to satisfy different preferences and use up any extra protein or veggies I have on hand.
- Leftovers store well so I can prepare a big batch once and enjoy it for days.
- It features seasonal ingredients, making it budget-friendly and nutritious.
What You’ll Need
- Diced cooked chicken – use leftover grilled chicken, shredded chicken, chicken breasts, precooked chicken breasts strips, or rotisserie chicken.
- Cavatappi pasta – any small to medium-sized pasta shapes such as penne, rotini, or bow-tie pasta will work. Use gluten-free pasta, if needed.
- Fresh mozzarella – I use ciliengine or mozzarella pearls. However, you can also use a large ball of fresh mozzarella and cut it into bite-sized pieces
- Persian or mini cucumbers – may sub English cucumbers
- Grape or heirloom cherry tomatoes
- Red onion
- Pesto – I use this homemade basil pesto, but any store-bought pesto will taste great
- Parmesan cheese – for the best taste and texture, buy a block of parmesan and grate it yourself.
How To Make It
- Combine the cooked chicken and pasta in a large bowl.
- Add the remaining ingredients, and mix gently to combine.
- Garnish with fresh basil leaves and additional parmesan, if desired.
- Serve immediately, or transfer the chicken pesto pasta salad to the fridge to cool.
For the Best Texture
Be careful to cook the pasta just to al dente according to the package instructions. Then, immediately rinse it with cold water to stop the cooking process. Otherwise, the pasta is likely to become mushy.
Change It Up
Here are some ways I like to customize this recipe:
- Swap the chicken with tuna or shrimp
- Add in spinach or baby arugula for extra greens
- Combine the pesto sauce with heavy cream or cream cheese to create a creamy chicken pesto pasta salad recipe
- Include sun-dried tomatoes
- Replace the mozzarella and Parmesan with crumbled feta
Make It Dairy-Free
Omit the cheese and use dairy-free pesto to keep this pasta salad dairy-free.
Make It Gluten-Free
Use your favorite gluten-free pasta, cooking it just until al dente. Some of our favorites that we’ve tested in this salad are garbanzo-based cavatappi, gluten-free rotini, and the brown rice and quinoa fusilli from Trader Joe’s.
How To Store
Store any leftover pasta salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Give the mixture a good stir to redistribute the ingredients before serving. The pesto may darken a bit but it’s still safe to eat and plenty delicious.
The Perfect Side Or Main Dish
This pasta salad pairs well with a variety of main dishes such as grilled flank steak, grilled salmon kabobs, and grilled bacon burgers if you want to add a bit more protein to the meal.
However, it’s also great to serve as a complete meal on its own. If you’re looking for ways to bulk up the meal, try pairing it with sides like cornbread muffins and fruit salad.
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Chicken Pesto Pasta Salad Recipe
A light, bright and flavorful twist on pasta salad. Studded with tender bites of chicken and a host of fresh veggies, this salad is great for make-ahead lunches or a light dinner.
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups diced cooked chicken (12 ounces)
- 6 ounces cavatappi pasta, cooked according to package directions, drained and cooled to room temperature (about 16 ounces cooked; Use gluten-free if needed)*
- 8 ounces fresh mozzarella pearls
- 2 cups sliced persian or mini-cucumbers
- 6 ounces (~ 1 cup) grape or heirloom cherry tomatoes, halved (multi-colored tomatoes are nice!!)
- ⅓ cup finely diced red onion
- ½ cup prepared pesto (please use one that is refrigerated so that it’s bright green in color)
- ¼ cup shredded Parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish
- Optional: Fresh basil leaves, for garnish
Instructions
- Combine cooked and cooled pasta and chicken in a large mixing bowl.
- Add mozzarella cheese pearls, cucumbers, tomatoes, onion, pesto, and Parmesan cheese. Mix gently to combine.
- Garnish with fresh basil leaves and additional Parmesan, if desired.
- Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
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Notes
For gluten-free, we’ve tested and like these brands of pasta when served cold: Banza, Barilla Gluten-Free, and Trader Joe’s Brown Rice & Quinoa Fusilli.
Nutrition Information
- Serving Size: 1 3/4 cup
- Calories: 340
- Fat: 17 g
- (Sat Fat: 6 g)
- Sodium: 350 mg
- Carbohydrate: 22 g
- (Fiber: 2 g
- Sugar: 2 g)
- Protein: 24 g
- Cholesterol: 65 mg
Dietary
The photos in this blog post were taken by Rachel Cook of Half Acre House.
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Really great lunch recipe. I added some red pepper
Great Gayle!
Thank you for an incredible recipe that was easy to throw together! It is delicious with or without chicken! I topped with fresh basil feom the garden!
Awesome Michelle!
I have a question. Is 6 oz of pasta correct? That means less than half of a 1-lb box? I’m trying to picture that amount, and it seems like wouldn’t be enough to result in 8 servings.
Hi Shannon, yes 6 oz (uncooked/dry) is correct. Jess, who developed this recipe, says that 8 ounces was a bit too much pasta:veg/chicken ratio when she tested it 4x last summer. A lot of GF brands are 12 oz boxes, so 6 ounces would be half of that. Of course, you CAN use 8 oz but you’ll want to use a bit more pesto too.
Absolutely delicious! We’ll be making this one often, I’m sure!
Fabulous Liz!
Such a yummy summer salad!! Made this dairy free by omitting the mozzarella and replacing the parm with my homemade vegan parm. Made it gluten free by using the Barilla chickpea penne (thanks for the brand recommendations in your tips!). I used the pesto recipe on this website to make the pesto. The only annoying thing is the recipe calls for a little less than a full box of the pasta, and I didn’t want to waste any pasta (I could have set some aside for another use but didn’t consider that til after the fact) so I used it all and there was kind of too much pasta. But that was my doing, not a fault of the recipe.
Thanks for the feedback and 5-star review Taylor!