Name: Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 4 slices bacon; 2 chicken breasts (cut in half lengthwise); 1 tbsp olive oil; 1 tsp salt; 200g / 7 oz pasta (approximately 2 cups of short pasta) (cooked al dente (I used Messicani)); 1 head romain lettuce (or 2 heads little gem lettuce); 80 g garlic and herb croutons (prepared or homemade); 115g / 1/2 cup mayonnaise; 1/2 clove garlic (pressed); 1 tsp Dijon mustard; 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce; 1 tbsp lemon juice; 25g / 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese; Salt; Pepper; 2 tbsp water (to thin it out (optional))

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Chicken Caesar pasta salad is the old iconic salad with added pasta appeal! Succulent slivers of chicken breast dripping with a mouthwatering mayo and mustard-based dressing, lie on a crisp lettuce bed with crunchy croutons and bite-sized pasta. Move over Emperor Caesar and make way for bulky, belly-filling Brutus!

Adding pasta to the classic chicken Caesar was always going to go down well with the family. So why not salmon Caesar pasta salad too? Yes, it could be seen as a bit of a sneaky trick to work more fish into picky eaters’ diets. Guilty!

Top down view of chicken Caesar pasta salad on a serving platter

The classic 101-year old Caesar salad recipe is just five simple ingredients: chicken breast, romaine lettuce, croutons, Parmesan cheese and fishy Caesar dressing. It’s a light salad most often served as a main course.

And it’s very sophisticated. Sadly, less grown up palates and hungry tummies tend not to appreciate such a refined dish. No names mentioned!

But because I love it, and want to eat it all summer, I’ve made a few adjustments to make it more universally appealing and family friendly.

Chicken and bacon pasta salad

Traditionally, the recipe calls for chicken breast only. But over time, cheeky bacon strips have worked their way in too- and I’m certainly here for that! Their familiarity, crispy texture and saltiness is another tempting element for the hard sell.

Then the big twist- pasta. Does anyone refuse a bowl of pasta? Not in my house. Plus, it makes a salad dinner seem like less of a disappointment to the leaf-dodgers. They are more likely to overlook the greenery if it’s loaded with chicken, bacon, pasta, croutons and dressing.

Lastly, the dressing. The original Caesar dressing recipe is an emulsification of egg yolks, olive oil, garlic, mustard, Parmesan, lemon juice and anchovies- phew! It’s even more work than the chicken pasta salad itself! And it contains anchovy- not everyone’s favourite fish.

In this recipe, I’ve skipped the salty little swimmer entirely, using a dash of Worcestershire sauce in its place, and made a quicker Caesar sauce from store-bought mayo and mustard. OK, so you could just buy a ready-made Caesar salad dressing, but homemade will be fresher and contain fewer preservatives and additives.

And the best bit? This easy chicken pasta salad recipe is ready in around half an hour making it a midweek dinner winner.

Close up shot of chicken Caesar pasta salad topped with grated Parmesan

Recipe tips and notes

Pasta salad requires balance. To avoid a claggy mouthful of sticky pasta, I’ve cooked 250g/1/2lb only, so the chicken salad is front and centre.
I’ve used a messicani pasta shape (also known as ‘flying saucers’!), these small discs are easily tossed in salad and will catch and cradle the Caesar sauce. You could also use orrechiete or conchigliette.
Use a big bowl so nothing goes overboard when tossing the ingredients. This will also ensure an even coat of creamy dressing.
This version offers a speedy Caesar sauce recipe using store-bought mayo. For a from-scratch dressing and vegetarian Caesar salad recipe, follow this one.
You can also cut kitchen time by slicing the chicken breasts in half lengthways for a quicker cook. They’ll be sliced to bitesize later on so there’s no need to keep them whole.
As I mentioned, you can switch up your Caesar salad with salmon.
Personally, I would hold the croutons in this chicken pasta salad. However, the rest of my family are avid crouton advocates, so, being outnumbered I made some quick croutons using a slowly hardening homemade rye crust. I have to say, the thriftiness was hugely satisfying!
UK-based cooks, bust out the streaky bacon. Back bacon is a bit too weighty for tender salad.

Process shots of chicken being grilled and salad dressing prepared

Serving suggestions

Standard Caesar salads might need a sidekick in carb form, like a well-buttered slice of sourdough or a cheesy garlic bread, but chicken Caesar pasta salad needs no support.

This well-rounded recipe has it all; starchy pasta, chicken and bacon for protein, crisp romaine lettuce, a snowdrift of Parmesan, and a lip-smacking Caesar sauce.

All that’s lacking is an Emperor-worthy dessert. Stay on theme with something cool, creamy and summery; crowd-pleasing pistachio ice cream or elegant salted caramel affogato (that’s a grown up double threat of espresso and ice cream btw).

Storage and leftovers

Regular readers will know I’m not a keeper of leftover pasta. Rubbery leftovers are unpalatable, and when it takes less than 10 minutes to make fresh- why wouldn’t you?

However, this chicken with Caesar dressing deserves a second chance! If it’s possible to do so, separate the pasta from the rest of the salad and discard it.

Store the remaining chicken salad in an This is an affiliate link.airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. The leftover chicken and bacon salad will make for a bountiful baguette filling.

Finally, if you have plenty of Caesar dressing leftover, save that too! It will work in many a sandwich as a slick spread; try it with tuna salad or deli meats on focaccia in place of pesto, or on a hot ham and cheese toastie.