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30 30 Minutes or Less

Summer Pasta Salad with Chicken

5
/5
30 mins
15 Comments
Jump to Recipe
By: Rachel GurkPosted: 06/21/2011Updated: 06/16/2021

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

A delightful summer pasta salad full of crunchy veggies, chicken, and fresh herbs, with a light Italian dressing. This salad is a perfect lunch or dinner.

Close up image of pasta salad is shallow square white bowl, with blue striped cloth in background.

You’ll love this summer pasta salad. You could almost say it’s a clean-out-the-fridge salad. 

This is the scenario that begat this salad: I had some chicken breasts in the fridge which I had originally planned to bake. I didn’t want to make hubby grill on weeknights because he’s exhausted when he gets home from work.

But Michigan just so happened to grace us with a sunny, warm day and I didn’t feel like turning on the oven. So what was my solution? I poached the chicken and turned it into this pasta salad. If you happen to have rotisserie chicken or if you’ve meal prepped and have some chicken already cooked, you’re way ahead. 

Hubby got a whole chicken breast served alongside of his salad because he’s not really the salad-as-a-dinner type guy, even if it is a salad with pasta filling in for the leafy stuff. Everyone’s happy, right?

Over head view of pasta salad in square white dish, with fork holding one bow tie pasta. Red background.

 

About this pasta salad:

For this salad, I use these mini farfalle (or bow ties, if you prefer) which I bought because they were cute. We didn’t need pasta. Pasta wasn’t on the menu, and certainly not mini-farfalle, but they are adorable. I know, it is a very smart and economical shopping technique, not! Please don’t listen when I complain about my high grocery bills.

You can use whatever pasta you happen to have in the house. Any bite sized pasta will work, from macaroni to orzo to penne to orecchiette (“little ears”) which is really cute, too. 

This isn’t a gourmet pasta salad. Most pasta salads aren’t. If you love pasta salads as much as I do, keep reading for more recipes that I love.

If you prefer, eliminate the chicken in this recipe and add a can of beans (black, garbanzo, white…doesn’t really matter). Or leave the chicken in and add the beans, too. 

If I have feta in the house, I would probably use that instead of Parmesan. If you’re an onion fan, throw in some red onions or green onions. If you have a tomato or several grape tomatoes, by all means, add them. Chopped celery would be great too. Or green peas. 

To keep this salad really easy to make, I use bottled Italian dressing. Normally I make my own dressings and this homemade red wine vinaigrette would be perfect. If you enjoy creamier dressings, try homemade jalapeño ranch dressing or Parmesan peppercorn dressing.

Don’t save this summer pasta salad for special occasions. It’s a great lunch or dinner that you can enjoy all year round. It keeps well in the fridge for at least a few days and would be welcome at any summer gathering. 

Side view of pasta salad in same dish, with fork, and blue striped cloth in background.

 

Easy pasta salads

I love all the different ways you can make pasta salads. They are so convenient and are perfect for picnics! Try:

 

  • Tortellini pasta salad with pepperoni
  • Greek pasta salad with feta and beans
  • Bruschetta orzo pasta salad
  • Creamy southwestern orzo pasta salad
  • Orzo pasta salad with yogurt dill dressing

 

Partial close up view of pasta salad in bowl.

Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @rachelcooksblog on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!

Summer pasta salad in a round white bowl.
Recipe

Get the Recipe: Summer Pasta Salad

5 from 1 vote
Prep Time: 20 mins
Cook Time: 10 mins
Total Time: 30 mins
8 servings
Print Rate Recipe
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A delightful summer pasta salad full of crunchy veggies and fresh herbs, with a light Italian dressing. This salad is a perfect lunch or dinner.

Ingredients

  • 8 oz. mini farfalle (or any other pasta of your choice)
  • ½ English cucumber, sliced and quartered (about 1 cup)
  • 1 bell pepper (any color), chopped (about 1 cup)
  • 1 cup halved grape tomatoes (heaping)
  • 1 cup thinly sliced red onions (about ½ onion)
  • ½ cup diced radishes (about 6-7)
  • 1 cup diced sharp provolone cheese (4-5 oz.)
  • 3 oz. sliced salami, diced
  • 1 can (15.25 oz.) corn, drained
  • ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
  • ½ cup Italian dressing, or more to taste (see notes)
  • Coarsely ground black pepper or red pepper flakes, to taste

Instructions

  • Cook pasta al dente according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water. Drain well.
  • Put pasta in large bowl with all other ingredients and mix until combined.
  • Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Notes

  • Recipe revised 2/10/2022.
  • Makes 14 cups or 8 generous servings (1 ¾ cups each).
  • This salad is quite lightly dressed. Add more dressing to taste, if desired. If salad is refrigerated overnight, the pasta will soak up the dressing and more dressing may need to be added.
  • Use homemade Italian dressing or a bottled dressing of your choice.
  • Add or substitute other vegetables of your choice.
  • For a vegetarian salad, substitute a can (16 oz.) of garbanzo beans (chickpeas) for the salami.
  • Substitute feta, mozzarella, or another cheese of your choice for the sharp provolone, if desired.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1.75cup, Calories: 262kcal, Carbohydrates: 28g, Protein: 11g, Fat: 12g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 20mg, Sodium: 539mg, Potassium: 298mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 5g, Vitamin A: 950IU, Vitamin C: 27mg, Calcium: 149mg, Iron: 1mg

This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.

© Author: Rachel Gurk
Did You Make This?Be sure to upload a photo & tag me at @RachelCooksBlog. I love seeing what you made!
Share A Photo! Tag on Insta Rate It
Verdict: This summer pasta salad is exactly what I like. A light, cool, summer salad. There are endless variations possible.
Husband’s take: He likes it!
Changes I would make: More veggies, less pasta. I know, I’m a crazy lady. I love my vegetables!
Difficulty: Boil, chop, mix, eat. Sound hard?

What would you put in this pasta salad? Do you like Italian dressing or would you toss in a different vinaigrette?

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  1. Colleen says

    June 30, 2011 at 10:27 am

    Gorgeous photography on this one–it looks very professional!

    Reply
    • Rachel says

      June 30, 2011 at 10:35 am

      Thanks! :)

      Reply
  2. Simply Life says

    June 22, 2011 at 8:08 pm

    I love pasta salads – this looks perfect!

    Reply
  3. Miss Anthropist's Kitchen says

    June 22, 2011 at 9:34 am

    That looks like the perfect little salad! I love it! Thanks for sharing :)

    Reply
  4. Brittany (A Healthy Slice of Life) says

    June 21, 2011 at 6:41 pm

    Looks so wonderfully summery! And I definitely call them bowties :)

    Reply
  5. Maris(In Good Taste) says

    June 21, 2011 at 6:01 pm

    I think it looks delicious and exactly what I want in a pasta salad

    Reply
  6. jess☆ @ Multicultural Melbourne says

    June 21, 2011 at 5:50 pm

    Ohh it looks so beautiful and bright! If you can be bothered with the oven, roasting some butternut pumpking and cherry tomatoes and letting them cool before throwing them in taste great too, especially with all the other beautiful veggies (I like my veggies too :) )

    Reply
    • Rachel says

      June 21, 2011 at 6:54 pm

      Yum! That sounds great! I was definitely wishing that I had some tomatoes.

      Reply
  7. Judi Meerman says

    June 21, 2011 at 5:42 pm

    Looks yummy and could be made without the chicken for us that don’t eat meat :)

    Reply
    • Rachel says

      June 21, 2011 at 5:47 pm

      Definitely! And honestly, if I were only cooking for myself, I would probably have left the chicken out and thrown some beans in.

      Reply
  8. Brooke @ Veggie Table says

    June 21, 2011 at 5:25 pm

    The pasta is so colorful – love it! I’ll definitely be trying it soon (minus the chicken, ha) – summer in lower Alabama is miserably HOT, I could use all the easy-no-oven recipes I can get! Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  9. Rachel @ Baked by Rachel says

    June 21, 2011 at 11:14 am

    Love that there is chicken in this! I’ve been meaning to make a pasta salad post soon – thanks for the reminder :) So refreshing and summery!

    Reply
  10. megan @ whatmegansmaking says

    June 21, 2011 at 11:13 am

    beautiful pictures! This salad looks perfect for summer. :)

    Reply
  11. Geni says

    June 21, 2011 at 10:07 am

    Your salad looks scrumptious and your photos are stunning as well. One thing I will share with you that I have recently learned about myself…I LOVE to barbecue. Your chicken looks perfect as it is, but barbecuing is easier than it looks and just as much fun as cooking and i haven’t set anything on fire…yet. :)

    Reply
    • Rachel says

      June 21, 2011 at 10:14 am

      Ahhh, but if I learned how to barbecue, my hubby probably wouldn’t have to do it! I have to keep that in my arsenal for my lazy cooking days. I have a cast iron grill pan that I use inside for some grilling, but it is on the small side and could probably only fit 3 chicken breasts, max.

      Reply

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