Summer Pasta Salad with Chicken
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.
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?
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.
Easy pasta salads
I love all the different ways you can make pasta salads. They are so convenient and are perfect for picnics! Try:
Summer Pasta Salad
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.
Ingredients
- 16 oz. box of mini farfalle (or any other pasta of your choice)
- 1 carrot, peeled and very thinly sliced
- 1/2 of English cucumber, sliced and quartered
- 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
- 1/2 yellow bell pepper, chopped
- 1/2 orange bell pepper, chopped
- 3-4 chicken breasts, cooked and diced into cubes (preferably cooled)
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
- 15.25 oz can corn, drained
- 1/4 cup chopped, fresh parsley, or more to taste
- 1/2 cup Italian dressing, or more to taste
Instructions
- Cook pasta al dente according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water. Drain again.
- Put pasta in large bowl with all other ingredients and mix until combined.
Notes
- This salad is quite lightly dressed because that is the way we like it. Add more dressing (little by little, stirring as you go), until it is how you like it.
- Use homemade or a bottled dressing of your choice.
- Add other vegetables of your choice.
- Omit chicken, and add a can of rinsed, drained beans such as garbanzo.
- Substitute feta, mozzarella, or cheese of your choice for the Parmesan.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1 main course saladAmount Per Serving: Calories: 433Total Fat: 14gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 107mgSodium: 725mgCarbohydrates: 34gFiber: 4gSugar: 10gProtein: 44g
RachelCooks.com sometimes provides nutritional information, but these figures should be considered estimates, as they are not calculated by a registered dietitian. Please consult a medical professional for any specific nutrition, diet, or allergy advice.
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?
15 Comments on “Summer Pasta Salad with Chicken”
Gorgeous photography on this one–it looks very professional!
Thanks! :)
I love pasta salads – this looks perfect!
That looks like the perfect little salad! I love it! Thanks for sharing :)
Looks so wonderfully summery! And I definitely call them bowties :)
I think it looks delicious and exactly what I want in a pasta salad
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 :) )
Yum! That sounds great! I was definitely wishing that I had some tomatoes.
Looks yummy and could be made without the chicken for us that don’t eat meat :)
Definitely! And honestly, if I were only cooking for myself, I would probably have left the chicken out and thrown some beans in.
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!
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!
beautiful pictures! This salad looks perfect for summer. :)
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. :)
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.