This recipe for Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad is mixed with my favorite Caesar dressing, a generous amount of Parmesan cheese, and the most delicious garlicky breadcrumbs out there.
As far as I can remember, one of my favorite foods will always and forever be a delicious Caesar salad. On the other hand, I am just as delighted at this time of year to prepare a mouthwatering dish of its cousin, a chicken Caesar pasta salad, which is high in carbohydrates.
Tossed with cold and chewy al dente pasta, it is virtually everything that we all love about a good chicken Caesar: chicken that has been perfectly seasoned, Romaine leaves that are crisp, a Caesar dressing that is robust and tangy, and a generous shower of freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Once that is done, I prefer to make a quick batch of breadcrumbs that are crunchy, salty, and garlicky to sprinkle on top of the dish instead of using standard croutons. It’s a tried-and-true recipe for spaghetti salad that never fails to exceed expectations and is really simple to put together.
In the event that chicken is not your thing, you are free to substitute any other type of protein that you choose in this recipe. Some wonderful alternatives are shrimp, salmon, bacon, Italian sausage, or even chickpeas that have been roasted over an open flame. And if you happen to have some roasted vegetables on hand, you are more than welcome to bring them here and enjoy them as well. If you would like to save some time and use a bottle of store-bought Caesar dressing, you may absolutely do so. If you do choose to use a bottle of store-bought Caesar dressing, Ken’s or Marzetti are two brands that I usually recommend. I just have to admit that I have a soft spot for my favorite homemade Caesar dressing.
Regardless of how you prepare it, I guarantee that this traditional Caesar pasta salad dish will always be a complete success.
CHICKEN CAESAR PASTA SALAD INGREDIENTS
For your convenience, here are some quick notes regarding the ingredients that you will need to make this recipe for pasta salad:
- Chicken: The chicken breasts that I use are often boneless and skinless, and they are seasoned with a substantial amount of fine sea salt and black pepper before being sautéed in olive oil. However, if you would like, you are free to top the chicken with any other spices or seasonings that you choose!
- Pasta: In these images, farfalle, often known as bow-tie pasta, is utilized; but, any little pasta shape that you have on hand would work quite well in this context.
- Romaine hearts: One should look for a batch of Romaine lettuce hearts that are crisp and lovely to the touch. To incorporate it into the salad, we will cut it coarsely.
- Caesar dressing: It is highly recommended that you make a batch of my favorite homemade Caesar dressing; but, if you would want to save time, you are free to purchase your favorite Caesar dressing from the supermarket.
- Parmesan: As far as the amount of freshly grated Parmesan that you sprinkle over this salad is concerned, the more, the better! Its richness, which is characterized by saltiness, nuts, and umami, is always the ideal complement to the flavor of Caesar dressing, which is savory.
- Garlic breadcrumbs: Finally, rather than using standard croutons, we will top the pasta salad with a handful of garlicky breadcrumbs. These breadcrumbs are produced by combining butter, garlic, Panko breadcrumbs, salt, and pepper. In the event that you are preparing the pasta salad in advance, it is advisable to store the breadcrumbs in a separate location and then add them right before serving. This will ensure that they maintain their crispiness and flavor.
PASTA SALAD TIPS
In addition to the detailed instructions that are contained in the recipe that can be found below, here are some additional pointers that you should keep in mind when preparing this pasta salad.
- Generously salt the pasta water. Always be sure to add a large amount of salt to the water that is boiling for the pasta before adding the pasta. Due to the fact that this is the only opportunity you have to season the pasta itself, the water ought to be lovely and salty.
- Season the chicken properly. Similarly, in order to bring out the full potential of the chicken’s flavor, be sure you season the exterior of the chicken with a generous amount of salt and pepper.
- Don’t overcook the pasta. To get the desired texture, the pasta should be properly al dente, which means it should be chewy and somewhat hard to the biting. It is common for pasta packages to overestimate the amount of time that is necessary for cooking. Therefore, it is important to conduct a taste test on the pasta during the last few minutes of cooking. As soon as the pasta is ready to be served, strain it and quickly rinse it with cold water to prevent it from becoming soggy.
- Use freshly-grated Parmesan. Purchase a block of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and grate it by hand using a microplane. This is something that I always recommend doing before anything else. When compared to utilizing pre-grated cheese that is purchased from a supermarket, the flavor will be far more robust and bursting with freshness.
- Add breadcrumbs just before serving. In the event that you are preparing the pasta salad in advance, it is advisable to store the garlicky breadcrumbs in a separate location and then sprinkle them on the salad right before serving. This will ensure that the breadcrumbs maintain their crunchiness.
RECIPE VARIATIONS
With this recipe for Caesar pasta salad, you are free to experiment with a few different changes, which are as follows:
- Use a different protein: Replace the chicken with your preferred cooked protein, such as salmon, shrimp, steak, bacon, Italian sausage, or roasted chickpeas. Other options include roasted chickpeas.
- Add veggies: Add the vegetables that you enjoy the most after they have been cooked, such as zucchini, green beans, bell peppers, eggplant, or asparagus.
- Add mix-ins: Incorporate your preferred mix-ins, such as olives, pepperoncini slices, or sun-dried tomatoes, into the mixture.
- Add nuts or seeds: Pepitas, pine nuts, or sliced almonds are some examples of nuts or seeds that can be toasted and added.
- Add mozzarella: Incorporate burrata or miniature mozzarella balls.
- Add pesto or basil: A swirl of basil pesto or fresh basil leaves that have been chopped should be added to the salad. An additional option is to incorporate certain herbs, such as minced rosemary, into the breadcrumbs that have a garlicky flavor.
COOKING PROCESS
INGREDIENTS
PASTA SALAD INGREDIENTS:
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
- fine sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound uncooked pasta (I used farfalle)
- 3 Romaine lettuce hearts (12 ounces), roughly chopped
- 1 1/2 cups Caesar dressing*
- Parmesan cheese, for topping
GARLIC BREADCRUMBS INGREDIENTS:
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
- 1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs
- fine sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper
INSTRUCTIONS
- Prep the pasta water. Over high heat, bring a big saucepan consisting of water that has been thoroughly salted to a boil.
- Cook the garlic breadcrumbs. As this is going on, melt the butter in a big sauté pan by heating it over medium heat. The garlic should be added and sautéed for one minute while being stirred constantly. When the breadcrumbs have been added, along with a liberal dose of salt and pepper, sauté them for two to three minutes while tossing them often until they have a golden color. Place the breadcrumbs in a basin and set them away for later use. Wipe the sauté pan down for a few seconds until it is clean.
- Cook the chicken. In a generous manner, season the chicken with salt and pepper on both sides simultaneously. The oil should be heated over medium-high heat until it shimmers, and the sauté pan should be used for this. To ensure that the chicken is cooked through and no longer pink on the inside, add it and cook it for four to five minutes on each side. After transferring the chicken to a clean cutting board and allowing it to rest for five to ten minutes, slice it very thinly into pieces that are suitable for snacking.
- Cook the pasta. Just before it reaches the al dente stage, cook the pasta in the salted water. Place the pasta in a colander and strain it. After that, rinse it with cold water until it is completely chilled.
- Toss the pasta salad. In a large mixing bowl, combine the pasta, lettuce, chicken, and Caesar dressing. Toss the ingredients together gently until they are uniformly distributed.
- Serve. The garlic breadcrumbs, a generous amount of Parmesan cheese, and a few additional twists of black pepper should be sprinkled on top before serving immediately. Alternately, place something in a container that is sealed and place it in the refrigerator for up to four hours.
