This Italian Chicken Pasta Salad with grilled chicken and zesty Italian dressing has great flavor and is easy to make on a hot summer day!
I have been making this simple pasta salad for my family for years.
Make it ahead and stick it in the fridge when you have a busy day. It will be chilled and waiting for you when you come home famished!
To make this recipe you will need:
- rotini or similar pasta
- boneless, skinless chicken breasts (cut into thin filets)
- Italian salad dressing
- carrots
- shredded Parmesan cheese
- sliced olives (optional)
- ziplock bag
- large pot of boiling water
- colander
- grill
- mixing bowl
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Watch me make this recipe in the video below:
To begin, start a pot of water to cook a pound of rotini or similar pasta according to package directions.
Meanwhile, place the chicken in a Ziplock bag with 1/4 cup of Italian dressing. Set that in the fridge to chill for a bit.
NOTE: If you’re cooking the chicken right away, you can simply brush the dressing onto the chicken as you grill it. I like to let it marinate for an hour or so – if I have the time to do so.
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When the pasta is done cooking, drain the pasta in a colander, then run cold water over the pasta to cool it quickly. I stir it while I do this, to get the pasta cooled all the way through.
Drain it well and place the pasta in a mixing bowl. Add shredded carrots, parmesan cheese and dressing to the pasta. Add in the chicken, along with additional Italian salad dressing. Give it all a stir.
If you like, you can add some sliced olives. This is a newer addition that I have started adding, and we love it that way.
Grill your chicken over medium heat, until it is cooked through. This will only take 2-3 minutes per side.
Let the chicken cool, then cut it into bite sized pieces and add it to the pasta mixture.
Serve it now, or refrigerate to chill it all the way through and serve later.
Enjoy!
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Italian Chicken Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 1 lb rotini or ruffled pasta
- 1 lb chicken breasts, boneless, skinless, thin cut
- ¼ c Italian salad dressing
- 2/3 c Italian salad dressing
- 2 carrots, trimmed & shredded
- ½ c shredded Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 c olives, sliced (optional)
Instructions
- To begin, start a pot of water to cook a pound of rotini or ruffled pasta according to package directions.
- Meanwhile, place the chicken in a ziplock bag with 1/4 cup of Italian dressing. Set that in the fridge to chill for a bit. NOTE: If you’re cooking the chicken right away, you can simply brush the dressing onto the chicken as you grill it. I like to let it marinate for an hour or so – if I have the time to do so.
- When the pasta is done cooking, drain the pasta in a colander, then run cold water over the pasta to cool it quickly. I stir it while I do this, to get the pasta cooled all the way through.
- Drain it well and place the pasta in a mixing bowl. Add shredded carrots, parmesan cheese and dressing to the pasta. Add in the chicken, along with additional Italian salad dressing. Give it all a stir.
- If you like, you can add some sliced olives. This is a newer addition that I have started adding, and we love it that way.
- Grill your chicken over medium heat, until it is cooked through. This will only take 2-3 minutes per side. Let the chicken cool, then cut it into bite sized pieces and add it to the pasta mixture.
- Serve it now, or refrigerate to chill it all the way through and serve later.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is auto-generated and the accuracy is not guaranteed.