Italian Pasta Salad with Chicken is a delicious and satisfying dish made with boiled pasta. You can use any type of Italian pasta, like Penne fusilli, grilled or roasted chicken breast, and a variety of fresh vegetables, like cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, and red onions.
It’s typically paired with a zesty Italian dressing consisting of vinegar, olive oil, and herbs such as oregano and basil, with a dash of honey or mustard for sweetness. To suit your tastes, you can add extras like Parmesan cheese, olives, or artichoke hearts. It’s a light and tasty supper on its own or a great addition to gatherings and picnics.
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How to Make an Italian Pasta Salad with Chicken
The recipe is given below, along with a detailed ingredient list and instructions for each step, but first, let’s review the basic concepts.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Serving: 4
What is an Italian Pasta Salad with Chicken?
Pasta salad with chicken is a colourful and aromatic meal that combines cooked pasta, usually fusilli or penne, with soft chicken chunks. A medley of fresh veggies, including bell peppers, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, and red onions, enhances it. Fresh herbs like parsley and basil, as well as black olives, are frequently used as salad garnishes because they provide the meal with depth and colour.
The dressing, a zesty concoction of extra virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic, Dijon mustard, and maybe a dash of honey for sweetness, is what makes it so good. Not only does this dressing coat the chicken and pasta, but it also infuses each bite with a harmonic fusion of flavours inspired by Italy. Ideal for meals and picnics.
Why You’ll Love This Italian Pasta Salad With Chicken
- This easy and quick-to-make pasta salad recipe is perfect for lunch and dinner.
- You can customise it with your favourite vegetables and seasonings.
- Italian Pasta Salad with Chicken is also ideal for busy weeknights or get-togethers because of its simplicity.
- The combination of fresh vegetables, chicken, and a dressing creates a burst of flavours in every bite.
- It’s a completely satisfying dish that will keep you full for a longer time.
- It’s packed with nutritious ingredients like vegetables and lean protein from chicken.
Italian Pasta Salad Ingredients
Pasta: Select a simple pasta shape, such as rotini, fusilli, or penne. Because they hold the dressing and other ingredients properly, these forms are perfect.
Cooked chicken breasts: A cooked chicken breast enhances the salad’s protein content and fillingness. The chicken can be diced or shredded after it has been baked, grilled, or fried.
Cherry tomatoes: A zesty and sweet taste burst is offered by cherry tomatoes. By halving them, you can make sure they spread equally over the salad.
Vegetables: Add vegetables to the Italian pasta salad to enhance the taste and flavour of the salad. Vegetables such as cucumbers, red onions, black olives, and roasted red peppers will balance the taste and texture of the salad.
Extra virgin olive oil: add olive oil as the base of the dressing and add richness to the salad.
Dressings: Use Dijon mustard and honey for the salad dressing. Dijon mustard will add light tanginess, and honey will balance the overall taste of the Italian Pasta Salad with Chicken.
Seasonings: Add Italian seasonings like oregano, herbs, salt, and pepper. Seasonings will enhance all the flavours of the salad.
How to Make a Homemade Pasta Salad with Chicken
- Cook the pasta and prepare the salad dressing.
- Combine all the ingredients together and add seasonings and dressing.
- Chill, serve, and enjoy.
Ingredients
- 225 g pasta such as fusilli, penne, or rotini
- 2 cups cooked chicken breast, diced or shredded
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1/2 cup cucumber, diced
- 1/2 cup bell pepper (any colour), diced
- 1/4 cup red onion, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup black olives, sliced
- 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
For the dressing:
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon honey
- Salt and pepper, to taste
How to Make an Italian Pasta Salad with Chicken
Instructions:
1. Heat a big saucepan of salted water until it boils. After adding the pasta, cook it as directed on the package until it is al dente, which should take 7 to 10 minutes, depending on the type of pasta.
2. To stop the pasta from cooking and to cool it down, drain it in a strainer and rinse it under cold water. This keeps it from getting too soft.
3. Prepare the chicken by: You can cook the chicken while the pasta boils. Leftover chicken breasts can be baked, roasted, or grilled. Cut the cooked chicken into bite-sized pieces by dicing or shredding. If not seasoned previously, add some salt and pepper.
4. The cherry tomatoes should be cleaned and cut in half. Cut the red onion, bell pepper (any colour would do), and cucumber into small pieces. Cut the black olives into slices. Finely chop the parsley and fresh basil leaves.
5. Prepare the dressing: Mix the extra virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, minced garlic, honey (if using), salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Mix and whisk the dressing until it is combined.
6. Put the salad together: The cooled pasta, diced chicken, cherry tomatoes, diced cucumber, diced bell pepper, chopped red onion, sliced black olives, chopped basil, and chopped parsley should all be combined in a large mixing dish.
7. Over the salad stuff in the bowl, pour the prepared dressing. Gently toss everything together until everything is evenly coated with dressing, using salad forks or two big spoons.
8. To allow flavours to blend, chill: To let the flavours combine, cover the bowl with a lid or plastic wrap and chill the pasta salad for at least half an hour. This step improves the salad’s flavour.
9. Serve: Gently mix the salad once more to re-distribute the dressing before serving. Taste and add additional salt and pepper if needed to adjust the seasoning. Before serving, feel free to add some more fresh parsley or basil leaves as a garnish.
10. As a main dish or a side dish, serve the cool or room-temperature Italian pasta salad with chicken. It’s great as a filling lunch or dinner, or for gatherings, picnics, and parties.
Serving Suggestions
Top the chill Italian Pasta Salad with Chicken with freshly grated Parmesan cheese, if you want, and a dusting of chopped parsley and basil leaves. The Italian Pasta Salad with Chicken is a delightful dish.
Serve this homemade pasta salad with side dishes like juicy grilled chicken, fish, or chicken streaks immediately after making it while it’s delicious and flavourful for a better taste and flavour.
You can also serve it with garlic bread, a glass of wine, etc. Feel free to add your own personalised servings of delightful Italian Pasta Salad with Chicken.
How long can you store the Italian Pasta Salad?
You can store the leftover pasta salad. Transfer the leftover Italian Pasta Salad with Chicken into an airtight container and refrigerate for about 3–4 days; it will maintain its quality and flavour. It’s better if you consume the pasta salad within 2–3 days. Enjoy an Italian pasta salad with chicken at home.
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