Easy Italian Chicken Pasta Salad, ready in less than 30 minutes! Toss the ingredients into a bowl, stir and eat. Perfect for a summer BBQ feast or a quick dinner with leftovers for lunch the next day!
Use this recipe for Chicken Pasta Salad, as a guide! It’s versatile! Add or exclude anything you want, you can even reduce the carbs by not adding the pasta, it makes a terrific chicken salad all on its own!
Tomatoes, olives, and broccoli are a few of the Mediterranean ingredients we love, packed with freshness, taste, and texture they’re a staple in our kitchen.
carte du jour
Ways to Simplify Making Chicken Pasta Salad
- Substitute a Rotisserie Chicken, they’re fast, flavorful and a healthy option with the skin removed.
- If you don’t have time to blanch a head of broccoli then substitute frozen broccoli nuke for a minute to get it slightly tender, or use raw broccoli, an easy, healthy addition.
- Omit the pasta altogether and cut out the additional step of prep and avoid the carbs too!
What’s the Best Pasta for Pasta Salad?
Rotini, bow tie, and macaroni are all excellent choices for this Italian chicken pasta salad recipe.
Why Not Use Fresh Herbs Instead of Dried?
We use dried herbs in this recipe in the anticipation of having leftovers. Fresh herbs bruise and become wilted and wimpy after being chopped, added and refrigerated for a few days. If you want to add fresh basil or herbs, toss in before serving and the salad will maintain OPTIMAL freshness and taste!
Chef’s Note: We’ve purposely left cucumbers out due to the fact they have a high water content. If you want to add cucumber there are a few things you can do to help reduce the leaching of water. Â
- Slice cucumbers in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds then slice into half moons.
- Put the sliced cucumbers in a large colander and toss with a heavy pinch of Kosher salt. Put the colander in the sink and let the cucumbers sit for 20 minutes, to let the water drain. Then pat dry with a paper towel.
- Add the cucumbers just prior to serving.Â
What Ingredients Can I Add to Italian Chicken Pasta Salad?
- artichoke hearts
- grilled asparagus
- corn
- sun-dried tomatoes
- salami
- celery
- chick peas (a great substitute for going vegetarian)Â
- feta cheese
- pepperoncini peppers
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How to Make Italian Chicken Pasta Salad
Easy Italian Chicken Pasta Salad, ready in less than 30 minutes! Toss the ingredients into a bowl, stir and eat. Perfect for a summer BBQ feast or a quick dinner with leftovers for lunch the next day!
- 8 ounces (227 grams) rotini pasta, sub pasta of your choice + cooked al dente
- 2 Tablespoons (30 ml) extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), for drizzling over cooked pasta
- 1 medium green bell pepper, scrubbed + small dice ¼ inch
- ½ medium red bell pepper, scrubbed + small dice ¼ inch
- ½ medium yellow bell pepper, scrubbed + small dice ¼ inch
- ½ medium red onion, topped + peeled + small dice ¼ inch
- 1 medium head broccoli, trimmed + cut into florets + blanched (raw or lightly steamed works too)
- 3 cups shredded roasted chicken, sub shredded rotisserie chicken
- 1 cup green olives, sub Kalamata or black olives
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) Italian dressing, or to taste
- 1 Tablespoon Italian herb blend, dried
- ½ Tablespoon basil, dried
- ½ Tablespoon oregano, dried
- 2 small red ripe tomatoes, washed + cored + small dice 1/4 inch
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
- Pink Himalayan Sea Salt or Kosher Sea Salt, to taste
- Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
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Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add the Rotini (or pasta of your choice) and cook until al dente, according to the package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process, transfer to a bowl and drizzle with the EVOO. Toss to coat and set aside.
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Add the diced bell (green, red, yellow) peppers and diced red onion to a large glass bowl....
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Toss in the blanched or lightly steamed broccoli...
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Next, add the shredded chicken, green olives, Italian dressing, Italian herb blend, basil, and oregano stir to combine...
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Add the tomatoes, Parmesan cheese and pasta, stir gently to blend. Taste. Then season with salt and freshly cracked black pepper to adjust flavor as desired
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Dish up, garnish with fresh basil and serve alongside dinner or as a meal itself
- Prep time is approximate
- Store in an airtight container up to 5 days in the refrigerator.
Looking for more fresh salad recipe inspiration? Then you may want to check out our Classic Blue Cheese Wedge Salad……
or try our Killer Buttermilk Ranch Dressing, perfect for salads and dipping of all kinds!
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20 comments
This pasta salad looks so good. I love the addition of the green olives in there.
Thanks, Erika! Olives add a really nice bite 🙂
That looks wonderful! I love using rotisserie chicken in recipes instead of cooking my own chicken. It’s quick and tastier that way. Lol
Also, keeps the house cooler, Colleen! Thanks so much 🙂
This looks like the kind of salad everyone hopes that somebody brought to a potluck, with all the great vegetables, pasta and chicken to boot! Interesting point about the dried herbs, too. Yum, yum.
Thanks, Beth! So glad that you like the recipe 🙂
This looks wonderful! I absolutely love pasta salad so I will definitely have to give this a try!
Great, thanks so much for checking it out Morgan! 🙂
Yum, I love pasta salad! This would be perfect to bring along to a BBQ this summer. I’m looking forward to trying it out!
Definitely, a great BBQ pasta salad since you don’t have to worry about mayo spoilage, Nicole! Thanks so much for visiting 🙂
Yum! I love pasta anyway and this looks like a wonderfully easy & healthy summer meal!
Thanks so much, Karen!! 🙂
Hi Angela! What a beautiful pasta salad. This is a “must make” and soon Thanks for sharing a great recipe.
Thanks so much, Lea Ann, so glad that you like it! 🙂
This looks like a keeper… and gorgeous pics by the way!
Thanks so much, Simone! 🙂
The chicken pasta salad looks so colorful and sounds delicious. WIll give this a try.
Thanks so much, Lathiya! Be sure to tag us at @meangreenchef to share your results with us on Facebook or IG too! 🙂
This looks super tasty. I grew up on a pasta salad just like this but we would swap out the veggies depending what’s available seasonally. One of my favorites! Can’t wait to try this one.
Exactly, Elizabeth, you can easily swap out the veg that’s in season! Thanks so much for visiting, we hope you enjoy our recipe and make it your own! 🙂