Hen Caesar Pasta Salad – Lauren’s Newest

September 27, 2024

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This Hen Caesar Pasta combines tender grilled hen, crisp romaine lettuce, savory parmesan, and crispy bacon, all tossed in a creamy Caesar dressing. It’s like your traditional Caesar salad and comforting pasta dish had a child—and it’s scrumptious. Good for a scorching summer time day whenever you’re craving one thing hearty however don’t need to activate the oven. Whether or not you’re feeding a crowd at a summer time BBQ or whipping it up for a fast weeknight dinner, this recipe is a big hit.

Hen Caesar Pasta Salad – Lauren’s Newest

Why You’ll Love This Hen Caesar Pasta Salad

This Hen Caesar Pasta is the right stability of recent, creamy, and savory. The juicy grilled hen provides protein, whereas the romaine lettuce brings a pleasant crunch. The bacon and parmesan? Properly, everyone knows cheese and bacon make all the pieces higher. Plus, it’s simple to make, with components you possible have readily available. Skip the standard hen pasta salad recipe and do this as a substitute. It’s the last word primary dish that may additionally double as a chilly pasta salad for these summer time BBQs or a fast grab-and-go lunch.

Components Wanted For Hen Caesar Pasta Salad

This may simply be my favourite pasta salad! Be sure to have these components readily available:

Pasta – A shortcut pasta like farfalle or rotini pasta works nice. Prepare dinner till al dente based on the package deal instructions.
Hen breasts – Grilled to perfection after marinating in lemon zest, garlic, and olive oil.
Romaine lettuce – Chopped recent and crisp for that excellent Caesar salad vibe.
Bacon – Crispy, savory bacon brings all of it collectively. Oven baked bacon is really easy!
Parmesan cheese – Freshly shaved or grated for additional taste.
Croutons – Provides crunch to the salad.
For the hen marinade – Further virgin olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and black pepper.
For the dressing – Mayo, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, anchovy paste (optionally available however really useful), parmesan, garlic, and black pepper.

A Word About Anchovies

If you’re allergic to anchovies, you may go away these out of the recipe, however you should definitely add salt (to style). Anchovies have a excessive salt content material, which is why I left salt out of the dressing components. For those who suppose you gained’t just like the style, don’t fear – you may’t even inform they’re in there. They simply give this dressing the important umami, salty flavoring.

Hen Caesar Pasta Salad Variations

Swap grilled hen with rotisserie hen for an excellent faster possibility.
Use rotini or penne as a substitute of bowtie pasta.
Use cheddar cheese for a special tacky twist.
Crush the croutons to offer the entire salad texture.
Skip the anchovies should you’re allergic or not a fan, and alter the salt within the dressing.
Add cherry tomatoes, purple onion, purple peppers or feta cheese for additional veggies and taste.
Attempt a creamy ranch dressing as a substitute of Caesar for a special twist.

How To Make Hen Caesar Pasta Salad

You may skip the marinating and grilling of the hen you probably have precooked hen readily available, both from leftovers, meal prep, or a store-bought rotisserie hen. For full recipe particulars, together with ingredient measurements, see the printable recipe card on the backside of the submit. Listed here are my step-by-step directions for making this pasta salad:

1. Prepare dinner the Pasta

Boil water in a big pot of salted water. Prepare dinner pasta till al dente following the package deal instructions. Drain, rinse with chilly water (to forestall sticking because the pasta cools to room temperature), and put aside.

A black colander filled with cooked farfalle pasta, surrounded by lemon halves, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic cloves, and romaine lettuce on a light-colored surface.

2. Marinate the Hen

In a small bowl, mix olive oil, lemon zest, garlic, salt, and black pepper. Add hen breasts and coat effectively. Let marinate whereas prepping different components.

Professional Tip: Marinate the hen for a minimum of half-hour for max taste.

3. Grill the Hen

Preheat your outside or indoor grill to medium-high warmth and cook dinner the hen till it reaches an inside temperature of 165° F. Lower into bite-sized items.

Grilled chicken strips in a black pan surrounded by garlic, romaine lettuce halves, Caesar dressing, lemon slices, sundried tomatoes, and cheese on a light countertop.

4. Make the Dressing

Mix all dressing components in a blender till clean. (You can even whisk all components in a small bowl should you don’t have a blender.)

Food processor containing ingredients including mayonnaise, garlic, mustard, Parmesan cheese, anchovies, lemon juice, and black pepper, surrounded by garlic bulbs, lemon halves, and lettuce.

5. Assemble the Salad

In a big serving bowl, mix pasta, romaine, hen, bacon, parmesan, and croutons. Drizzle with dressing and toss to mix. Season with extra freshly cracked black pepper, if desired and serve.

A bowl filled with chopped lettuce, grilled chicken, bow-tie pasta, bacon bits, croutons, and Parmesan cheese, with garlic, lemon halves, a sauce jug, and lettuce heads placed around it.

Storage + Make Forward Instructions

Retailer leftovers in an hermetic container within the fridge. It’ll keep recent for as much as 3 days. I don’t advocate freezing this recipe. The romaine and pasta don’t maintain up effectively after thawing.

To Make Forward: You may make this hen pasta salad recipe a few hours forward. Simply maintain the dressing and croutons separate till you’re able to serve.

Love Caesar Pasta Salad? Attempt These Different Caesar Recipes

This recipe is ideal for household dinners, potlucks, and at the same time as a chilly hen pasta salad on a scorching summer time day. It’s simple, versatile, and assured to be a crowd-pleaser!

For those who make this recipe, I’d actually recognize it should you would give it a star score and go away your evaluation within the feedback! If in case you have an image of your completed dish, submit it on Instagram utilizing the hashtag #laurenslatest and tagging me @laurens_latest.

Hen Caesar Pasta Salad

For those who love Caesar salad and pasta then you’re going to love my Hen Caesar Pasta Salad Recipe! Good for a pot luck, BBQ or dinner.

Components

*for the hen marinade-

Directions

to assemble-

Place cooked pasta, romaine, grilled hen, bacon, parmesan cheese shavings, and croutons in a big salad bowl. Drizzle with the caesar dressing and toss to mix effectively. Season with extra freshly cracked black pepper, if desired and serve.

Notes

*You may skip the marinating and grilling of the hen you probably have precooked hen readily available, both from leftovers, meal prep, or a store-bought rotisserie hen.
**If you’re allergic to anchovies, you may go away these out of the recipe, however you should definitely add salt (to style). Anchovies have a excessive salt content material, which is why I left salt out of the dressing components. For those who suppose you gained’t just like the style, don’t fear – you may’t even inform they’re in there. They simply give this dressing the important umami, salty flavoring.

Vitamin

Key phrase: Caesar Salad, hen caesar pasta salad, grilled caesar salad, Grilled Hen Caesar Salad