Description

Made in under an hour, this Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad is a twist on a classic recipe, featuring pasta loaded with juicy chicken, crisp lettuce, and croutons!

Ingredients

2 whole chicken breast, skinless boneless
¾ tsp salt
¾ tsp ground pepper
¾ tsp garlic powder
1 tbsp olive oil
8 oz. dry penne pasta
1½ cup croutons
3 cups romaine lettuce, chopped
¾ cup caesar dressing
⅓ cup parmesan cheese, grated

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Instructions

1. In a bowl season the chicken breast with salt, garlic powder and pepper.

2. Heat olive oil in a medium skillet on medium heat, add the chicken breast, and sear on both sides until golden and cooked through for 8-10 minutes. Once done remove the chicken from the skillet and set it aside.

3. Once the chicken breasts are cooled down, cut them into cubes and set them aside.

4. Meanwhile, prepare the pasta according to the package instructions and keep it aside for cooling it down.

5. In a large salad mixing bowl combine the chicken cubes, cooked pasta, croutons, lettuce, caesar dressing, and parmesan cheese. Mix them all together until well combined.

6. Transfer the pasta salad to a bowl and serve immediately.

Notes

If you want to make this even faster, you can use a store-bought rotisserie chicken instead of making your own.

If you’ve got the grill fired up, you can grill the chicken instead.

Feel free to swap the chicken breasts for chicken thighs or chicken tenderloin if you prefer.

When cooking the pasta, use enough water so once the pasta begins to expand, there will still be plenty of room for the noodles to move freely.

As soon as you drop the pasta in the water, stir it so the pasta doesn’t stick.