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Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad

Caesar pasta salad made with penne or rotini, diced grilled chicken, chopped romaine, and cherry tomatoes tossed in creamy Caesar dressing. This main dish salad chills for an hour so the flavors meld, then gets a fresh crunch from croutons right before serving.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
chilling 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 35 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Italian-American
Calories: 650
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Penne or rotini pasta
  • 1 lb penne or rotini pasta
Grilled chicken
  • 2 cup grilled chicken breast, diced
Romaine
  • 4 cup romaine lettuce, chopped
Caesar dressing
  • 1 cup Caesar dressing
Parmesan
  • 0.5 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
Croutons
  • 1 cup croutons
Cherry tomatoes
  • 0.5 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
Salt and pepper
  • 0.25 Salt and pepper to taste
Lemon wedges
  • 1 Lemon wedges for serving

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Cook the pasta
  1. Cook penne or rotini pasta according to package directions, then drain and rinse with cold water until cool to the touch. This helps the pasta salad stay firm and prevents clumping.
Build the salad
  1. Combine cooked pasta, diced grilled chicken breast, chopped romaine, and halved cherry tomatoes in a large bowl. Toss gently to distribute everything evenly.
  2. Add Caesar dressing and toss until every piece of pasta and lettuce is lightly coated. Scrape the bottom so no dry spots remain.
  3. Sprinkle grated Parmesan cheese over the salad, then season with salt and pepper to taste. Mix just enough to blend the cheese and seasoning in.
Chill
  1. Refrigerate the pasta salad for at least 1 hour, covered if possible. The flavors will meld as it chills.
Serve
  1. Top the chilled pasta salad with croutons just before serving to keep them crisp. Add lemon wedges for serving on the side.

Notes

For best texture, rinse the pasta with cold water until fully cooled and keep croutons separate until serving. Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days (add croutons when reheating or refreshing to maintain crunch); freezing is not recommended. Swap for a lighter option by using reduced-fat Caesar dressing or a Greek-yogurt Caesar style if you want fewer calories while keeping the same tangy coating.