Tender pasta, juicy grilled chicken, salty green olives, spicy pepper jack, bright tomato, and fresh broccoli come together with Italian dressing in this delicious Grilled Chicken Summer Pasta Salad Recipe. Whip this dish up ahead of time for a no-fuss meal.
Grilled Chicken Summer Pasta Salad Recipe
Pasta salads are a traditional pot luck item. They are most commonly served as a side dish, but this Grilled Chicken Summer Pasta Salad Recipe can be served as a meal as well. It contains a starch, protein, vegetable, and fat - making it a rounded meal. Pasta salads contain pasta and other ingredients tossed in a dressing.
What Do I Need To Make Summer Pasta Salad?
You'll need to add the following to your grocery list:
- chicken breast
- Mezzetta Spanish Manzanilla Olives
- pepperjack cheese
- broccoli
- cherry or grape tomatoes
- corkscrew pasta
- montreal style seasoning
- italian dressing
How Do I Prepare Pasta Salad from scratch?
- Cook pasta according to the package directions. Rinse.
- Prepare chicken by sprinkling with Montreal style seasoning.
- Grill chicken over medium heat, until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees fahrenheit, flipping once.
- Let chicken rest for 5 minutes before slicing.
- Cut broccoli into florets and steam until tender.
- Cut cheese into ½ inch cubes.
- In a large bowl, add pasta.
- Add broccoli.
- Throw in cherry tomatoes, sliced if you like.
- Add cubed cheese.
- Drain olives, and add to bowl.
- Toss with Italian dressing, and add sliced chicken to the top.
Summer Pasta Salad Q&A
What do you eat with pasta salad?
Pasta salad can be served alone, or as a side dish. Try it with Santa Maria Tri tip, or Smoked Chicken.
Should I serve summer pasta salad hot or cold?
You can do either! It can also be served at room temp.
Can I make this dish ahead?
You can make grilled chicken summer pasta salad up tp 24 hours in advance. Refrigerate until served.
How long will pasta salad last in the fridge.
Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Should I rinse the pasta?
I prefer to rinse the pasta after cooking. This brings the temperature down a bit and also removes some of the gluten goo that is left in the water.
Do you have other BBQ side dishes?
We sure do - if you are looking for a bbq side dish, try out:
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Grilled Chicken Summer Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts
- McCormick Montreal Chicken seasoning
- 1 lb tri-color cork screw pasta
- 1 block of pepper jack cheese cubed
- 2 cups broccoli chopped steamed
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved,
- 7 ounces jar of green olives drained
- ¾ bottle of store bought Italian dressing
- Instructions
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package directions, drain.
- Meanwhile, generously season the chicken with the Montreal Chicken seasoning.
- Grill chicken until juices run clear.
- Cut chicken into half inch cubes.
- Combine pasta, grilled chicken, cheese, broccoli, tomatoes, and olives.
- Toss together with dressing.
- Chill in the fridge until served.
Nutrition
Erin V says
I've seen thousands of pasta salad recipes but none have been as good as this one- love the grilled chicken