This Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad is bursting with flavor! Rotini pasta tossed with crisp lettuce and crunchy croutons, tossed in a creamy Caesar dressing. Perfect for potlucks, barbecues and family dinners!
Ingredients
- Homemade Creamy Caesar Dressing
- 3 cups cooked, diced chicken (see note*)
- 1 pound rotini pasta
- 2 heads of Romain lettuce, washed and chopped (you’ll need about 4 cups)
- 4 thick slices sourdough bread (for making croutons, if using store bought you’ll need 2 cups)
- 1/2 cup shaved parmesan cheese
- Kosher salt and fresh black pepper for seasoning
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. (If making homemade croutons)
- Boil the rotini according to the package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water and set aside.
- Tear the sourdough bread into bite sized pieces and add it to a baking sheet. Season the bread cubes with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil. Toss and bake for 7-8 minutes until the croutons are brown and crispy.
- Add the lettuce and cooked pasta to a large bowl. Add the diced chicken, parmesan cheese and cooled croutons. Pour in the dressing, starting with half and tossing, then adding more ass needed. We tend to use the whole batch for this pasta salad, but add as much as you like to your taste.
- Serve immediately.
Recipe Notes
For the chicken: You can roast chicken breasts in the oven, cook them on the grill or buy a rotisserie chicken, remove the skin and shred or dice.
To make ahead of time: Make and assemble all of the ingredients for the pasta salad (except for the croutons, pack them separately) and then toss with the dressing right before serving.
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American