Whip up a 20-minute meal in-a-bowl with a refreshing recipe for Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad starring DIY dressing.
Chicken Caesar salad, meet pasta salad. Pasta salad, meet chicken Caesar salad.
Now that everyone’s acquainted, allow me to introduce you to the greatest matrimony since peanut butter and jelly: Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad.
Look at all that goodness in a bowl!
Crisp Romaine lettuce, store-bought rotisserie chicken (time-saver of the century!), crunchy croutons, Parmesan cheese shavings and rotini noodles, all tossed in a creamy homemade Caesar salad dressing.
The anchovy paste is totally optional, although it does give this Caesar its characteristic flavor oomph. But the real secret to the best DIY Caesar salad is the addition of grated Parmesan cheese whisked right into the dressing.
I love dicing up a store-bought rotisserie chicken to make this a complete meal, but you could easily leave out the poultry to make this the ultimate side salad for potlucks, casual weeknight spreads or weekend bashes.
Roasted salmon, grilled shrimp or my personal fave, skirt steak, would also be welcome additions.
To save a few more minutes (from this 20-minute dish!), whip up the dressing and salad separately then stash them in the fridge. When ready to serve, toss ’em together and grab the forks.
I’m no stranger to stellar pasta salads, but this one just gave my Greek Pasta Salad a run for its money on my list of all-time faves!
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Ingredients
For the dressing:
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 3/4 cup mayonnaise
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon anchovy paste
- 1/3 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
For the pasta salad:
- 8 oz. uncooked pasta, such as rotini or penne
- 2 hearts of Romaine
- Shredded rotisserie chicken or chopped chicken breasts
- Croutons (optional)
- Parmesan cheese, for serving
Instructions
Make the dressing:
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the Dijon mustard, lemon juice, Worcestershire, mayonnaise, minced garlic and anchovy paste until well combined. Stir in the grated Parmesan cheese and ¼ teaspoon pepper then set the dressing aside while you make the salad.
Make the pasta salad:
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente, about 10 minutes. Drain the pasta and transfer it to a large serving bowl.
- Cut the Romaine hearts into 1-inch pieces then add them and your protein of choice to the bowl with the pasta.
- Add the prepared dressing and toss to combine. Add the croutons (optional) and garnish with Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately or refrigerate, covered, until ready to serve.
- ★ Did you make this recipe? Don't forget to give it a star rating below!
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Recipe by Kelly Senyei of Just a Taste. Please do not reprint this recipe without my permission. If you'd like to feature this recipe on your site, please rewrite the method of preparation and link to this post as the original source.
Absolutely delicious! I love the homemade dressing!!! I made this as-is with herb & garlic roasted chicken and shrimp. Perfect for the 90 degree I’m having in my area. I cooked the pasta first thing in the morning, cooled it, added some of the dressing and refrigerated it until ready to assemble everything for dinner. Thank you for the recipe!
You are so welcome, Lauri! I’m thrilled you enjoyed the recipe!
If this 20-minute meal is all I have to do to get romaine and grilled chicken (and shrimp) into the teens, you got me!!!! Absolutely fabulous flavor and my hubs still kisses me when I add extra garlic.
Another hit!
Woohoo! I’m so thrilled to read this, Karen!
This salad sounds so yummy! I’m trying to find a new go-to for camping, and I think I found it! How many would you say this feeds? I want to make the dressing ahead of time at home and throw the salad together at the camp when we are ready to eat. I would need to know if i have to double the dressing recipe as I won’t have the ingredients with to make more. Thanks for any suggestions!! I can’t wait to try this.
Hi Kelli! This recipe yields 10 servings :) Looking forward to reading your results!
I would love to serve this for a large family gathering, do you have any suggestions for a side dish to accompany this salad?
Hi Theresa! My Secret Ingredient Cheesy Garlic Bread would be excellent served alongside this pasta salad! Here’s the link to the recipe: https://www.justataste.com/cheesy-garlic-bread/ Looking forward to reading your results!
Thank you so much for sharing this yummy sounding salad recipe and I cannot wait to make it for my family. I have never used Anchovey paste and maybe I can get away without adding it judging some of the comments. I already gave you 5 stars as I am sure this recipe is easily going to get 5 stars in my book. I am using fresh cooked Prawns instead of chicken.
You can absolutely omit the anchovy paste, Bev! I hope you enjoy the pasta salad!
Love, love, love the Caesar Salad recipe. Absolutely delicious. Left out the chicken and served it with a grilled pork tenderloin roast and steamed broccoli for a low cal healthy dinner for friends. Rave reviews
Amazing! I’m so thrilled you enjoyed the recipe, Lana!
I made it for Mother’s Day a day ahead and I’m trying it out now and OMG. So good! I can’t wait for everyone to taste it! Thank you for the recipe. I decided to not put the croutons on until tomorrow at my mom’s house as to not make the croutons soggy.
I’m so thrilled you enjoyed the recipe, Ariel!
This was delicious..went down a treat with my whole family. I used bow tie pasta, seasoned my chicken with Montreal Chicken seasoning and garlic powder… everyone reached for a second helping. Thank you!
Yay! This is what I love to read, Kris!
This was great! I took to our family Easter dinner and everyone loved it. It was so easy.
I doubled the recipe and used Penne for the pasta. Dropped my bottle of Worcestershire sauce before I was able to add it but it was great without it. Thank you for a new family favorite.
I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe, Patricia!
SO DELICIOUS!! Wonderful recipe! I will definitely be making this caesar dressing for other meals and telling my friends about this recipe. Thank you Kelly! :)
You are so welcome! I’m thrilled you enjoyed it!
Wonderful! My husband said it’s the best salad he’s ever had : )
Thank you so much for this recipe!
You are so welcome, Shelley! I’m thrilled to read this!
Delicious and so quick to make! Soooo satisfying!
I’m so thrilled you enjoyed the recipe, Sally!
So easy, simple, and delicious! Thanks for sharing!!
You are so welcome, Hayley! I’m thrilled you enjoyed the recipe!
Delicious! Made for dinner tonight. Quick and easy yet so tasty and satisfying! Have also made for a party and it got rave reviews! Thank you for a recipe that will definitely be made many times in this house!
I’m thrilled you’ve been enjoying the recipe, Catherine!
Made for the first time and it was delicious and quick to put together! Thanks for the recipe!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe, Stormi!
I bet this will be good
kelly
I hope you enjoy it!
SO DELICIOUS! Made it with salmon and it was perfect! Left out the anchovy paste for fear it would turn off my kids. They went crazy for it and have already asked me to make it again. Thank you!
Woohoo! This is what I love to read, Tamara!
I went beef style. I think steak and Parmesan cheese go bomb together. Sliced Ribeye is what I used but skirt steak and tri tip chunks would be delish too
YUM! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe, Michelle!