Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad

It’s this time of year salads are my go-to for lunches and dinners. Honestly, I eat them year round but during the summer they become what I eat almost daily. There are so many amazing and flavorful salads out there but this CHICKEN CAESAR PASTA SALAD has to be my favorite.

I love this salad for many reasons. It’s super easy to whip up, healthy and packed with flavor. I love the homemade caesar dressing that comes with this recipe. It is so delicious! But when I’m crunched for time or just feeling lazy I use bottled Caesar (Brianna’s brand is my fave) and it works fine.

I remember first eating this salad at Emma’s baby shower 9 years ago! My sisters Tiff and Lin served it with pizza factory breadsticks, cookies and a crystal light/sprite drink. It was perfect and so yummy. It’s been my favorite ever since! My picky-eating kids even eat this salad, but with ranch dressing, of course. haha. If you’re not a Caesar fan you could definitely use ranch too. It’ll still be an awesome salad no matter what.

Just a quick note- as for the chicken in this recipe I like to cook 2 chicken breasts in a skillet and season them with a little lemon-pepper. It gives the salad extra flavor! Then I chop them up and add them to the salad. You could always use a rotisserie chicken too and that makes it even easier! I love buying the ones at Costco.

• 12 ounces pasta (any shape you like. I use rotini)
• 2 cups cooked chicken, diced or shredded ( I season mine with a little lemon-pepper seasoning)
• 1 to 2 large hearts Romaine lettuce, rinsed, dried then chopped
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced
• 1 cup seasoned croutons
• ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• For dressing: Use your favorite Caesar salad dressing (we love Brianna's brand of dressing)
• OR use this Homemade Caesar Dressing recipe below:
• 1 cup light mayonnaise
• ⅓ cup sour cream
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• juice of 1 lemon
• 2 teaspoons anchovy paste
• 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
• ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper

1. FOR HOMEMADE DRESSING: Whisk together all of the dressing ingredients. Cover and chill in fridge until ready to use.
2. FOR SALAD:
3. Boil pasta in a large pot of water until al dente. Drain water and rinse noodles under cold water to cool.
4. In a large serving bowl combine cooked chicken, tomatoes and cooled pasta. Chill until ready to serve. When ready- add the romaine lettuce, croutons and as much or little Caesar dressing you prefer to bowl. Gently stir to combine everything. Top with Parmesan cheese. Serve and enjoy!

RECIPE ADAPTED FROM: BUTTER YOUR BISCUIT

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