Chicken Pasta Salad

This colorful grilled Chicken Pasta Salad is sure to be a winner at all of your summer gatherings! Perfectly seasoned grilled chicken teams up with corkscrew pasta, pepper jack cheese, fresh veggies, green olives, and a quick Italian dressing for a simple dish that’s bursting with delicious flavors! Ready in about 30 minutes, this easy pasta salad is perfect as a main course or side dish.  

Why You’ll Love This Pasta Salad With Chicken

• Quick & Easy: It’s so simple to whip up this pasta salad in about 30 minutes with a few basic ingredients.
• Packed With Nutrition: This healthy chicken pasta salad has all three main macronutrients - carbs, fat, and protein as well as fiber, vitamins, and minerals for a nutritious, well-balanced meal.
• Full of Flavor: Coating the chicken with Montreal-style seasoning instead of just salt and pepper gives it a little kick which pairs nicely with the hint of spice from the pepper jack cheese and the tangy Italian dressing for a flavor-packed pasta salad everyone will love! 

For more crowd-pleasing pasta salads, check out our Pesto Pasta Salad and Healthy Pasta Salad next. 

Ingredients

Here’s a look at the simple ingredients you’ll need to make this chicken and pasta salad.

• Chicken: You’ll need two boneless, skinless chicken breasts for this recipe.
• Seasoning: The chicken gets a generous coating of Montreal-style seasoning for an amazing flavor. We love using the Montreal chicken seasoning by McCormick. 
• Pasta: We used tri-color corkscrew pasta (aka rotini). Feel free to use regular rotini pasta instead of the tri-color variety, if preferred.
• Cheese: You’ll need one block of pepper jack cheese, cut into cubes for this recipe. Feel free to use the equivalent in shredded cheese, if desired. 
• Veggies: We used a combination of fresh broccoli, cherry tomatoes, and green olives, but you can use other veggies if you prefer.
• Olive oil: The best tasting and healthiest option for salad dressings. Feel free to swap it with any neutral-flavored oil you enjoy.
• Red wine vinegar: Adds great flavor but you can replace it with white wine vinegar or white vinegar if you prefer.
• Lemon juice: Use freshly squeezed juice for the best flavor.
• Dressing seasoning: Italian herbs and garlic powder are all that's needed to make a great tasty dressing.
• Parmesan cheese: It's added to the dressing - grated is best in this case!

See the recipe card below for exact ingredient amounts, nutritional information, and detailed instructions.

Variations

• Gluten-Free: Use gluten-free rotini such as rice pasta, corn pasta, or a blend to make this dish gluten-free.
• Dairy-Free: Use your favorite non-dairy cheese in place of the pepper jack and ensure the Italian dressing you are using doesn’t contain any dairy.
• More Protein: Some great ways to give this dish a protein boost are to use chickpea or lentil rotini pasta, add cannellini beans or chickpeas, and/or mix in some crumbled bacon.
• Creamy: Make a creamy pasta salad with chicken by using your favorite creamy Italian dressing.
• Rotisserie Chicken Pasta Salad: Make this recipe even easier by swapping the chicken breasts for a store-bought rotisserie chicken. 

How to Make Chicken Pasta Salad

To get started, bring a pot of salted water to a boil and heat an outdoor grill or grill pan.

Step 1: Cook the pasta.  Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook according to package directions. 

Step 2: Cook the chicken. Generously season the chicken with Montreal-style seasoning. Place the seasoned chicken on the preheated grill and cook until the juices run clear. Allow the chicken to rest for a few minutes before slicing.

Step 3: Make the dressing. Combine the olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and salt in a jar. Shake it well.

Step 4: Steam or blanch the broccoli. Steam the broccoli until crisp tender.

Step 5: Prep the ingredients. Chop any remaining vegetables and the pepper jack cheese as indicated in the ingredient list.

Step 6: Mix the pasta and dressing. Add the dressing to the pasta.

Step 7: Assemble the salad. Add the pasta, chicken, cheese, broccoli, tomatoes, and olives to a mixing bowl.

Step 8: Toss the salad. Then toss everything with the Italian dressing until well combined.

Serving Suggestions

This dish can be enjoyed warm right after making it, cold after chilling it, or at room temperature. Here are some great ideas for serving it:

• Pack up this summer pasta salad for a picnic in the park along with some scrumptious Lemon Cake Mix Cookies for dessert!
• Take it to your next potluck party in addition to a batch of these Baked Beans. 
• This cold pasta salad with chicken is perfect for lunch on its own or for an easy weeknight dinner alongside some homemade French Bread.
• It’s perfect for summertime cookouts along with all of your grilling favorites like this Shrimp on the Barbie and a pitcher of Grilled Lemonade.

Expert Tips

• Don’t overcook the pasta: Be sure to follow the cooking instructions on your pasta and avoid overcooking as this will cause the noodles to become mushy.
• Rinse the pasta: I recommend rinsing the pasta as this helps to cool it down before mixing it with the other ingredients.
• Keep it chilled: If not enjoying it immediately, chill the pasta salad with chicken in the fridge until you’re ready to serve it.
• Store leftovers in the fridge: Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. If the cold chicken pasta salad dries out during storage, mix in a little more Italian dressing to liven it up.

Recipe FAQs

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