Chicken, pasta, and bacon are combined with crisp romaine lettuce, crunchy croutons and parmesan cheese. Tossed in a creamy caesar dressing this salad can be served as a side or as a complete meal.
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I love a hearty salad, especially during the summer.
This salad is chock full of delicious ingredients and is perfect as a complete meal.
It starts with traditional Caesar salad ingredients of romaine lettuce, caesar dressing, parmesan cheese and croutons. Then we add tender chicken breast, crispy bacon and pasta.
This makes a great salad for potlucks and gatherings, or just to feed the family when you don’t want a hot meal.
Because you can have all the components ready ahead of time, this salad can be assembled in minutes. To make things easy use leftover chicken.
Pasta and bacon can both be cooked ahead of time and stored in airtight containers in the refrigerator.
We often keep things simple and use our favourite store-bought dressing, but if you have the time, you can never beat the flavour of Homemade Creamy Caesar Dressing.
Ingredients
To make chicken pasta Caesar salad you will need:
Cooked chicken – You can use any cooked chicken you like, but it works especially well with grilled chicken. My favourite is lemon herb grilled chicken.
Cooked pasta – Almost any pasta will work. Penne is my favourite, but bow-tie and rotini work well too.
Cooked bacon – I like to use thick cut bacon, but you can use whatever you like. Store bought bacon bits will work as well if you don’t want to cook your own.
Shredded parmesan – You could also use asiago or Romano if you prefer.
Croutons – You can use store bought croutons, but it is super easy to make your own homemade croutons with leftover bread.
Caesar dressing – Choose your favourite creamy caesar dressing or make your own if you have a recipe you love.
Romain lettuce – I prefer to wash and chop my own, but pre-bagged will work as well.
Pro Tip – Pasta can be cooked ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator. Cook according to package directions, then drain and rinse well with cold water. You can store it in an airtight container or ziplock bag in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Step by Step Instructions
Cook the pasta according to package directions, then drain and rinse with cold water until it is no longer hot.
Wash and chop the lettuce, then dice the cooked chicken and bacon.
Shred the parmesan cheese, then add the lettuce, pasta, chicken, bacon, parmesan cheese and croutons to a large bowl.
Just before serving add the dressing and toss well to coat everything.
Serve immediately.
Pro Tip – For best results, make sure the pasta, chicken and bacon are all cooled before assembling the salad.
Serving Suggestions
This salad is so loaded with delicious ingredients that it works well as a complete meal all on its own. We also like to serve it in wraps.
You could also serve this salad as a side dish. It is a great dish to serve at a BBQ along with grilled corn on the cob or simple vegetable skewers.
Top Tips & FAQS
Unfortunately, this salad will not keep very well and is best consumed the same day it is prepared. The leftovers will become soggy fairly quickly.
Because the lettuce will start to wilt after a few hours, I don’t recommend making this salad ahead of time. However, you can have all of the components chopped and ready so you can quickly assemble it right before serving.
More salads & sides
More full meal salads
Caprese pasta salad – by It’s Not Complicated
Cobb salad – by Little House Big Alaska
Grilled chicken pesto salad – by Fresh Coast Eats
Recipe
Chicken Pasta Caesar Salad
Ingredients
- 6 Cups chopped romaine lettuce
- 2 Cups cooked pasta penne, bow-tie, rotini (1 cup uncooked)
- 2 Cups cooked chicken breast diced
- ½ pound bacon cooked and sliced
- 1 Cup shredded parmesan cheese
- 1 Cup croutons
- ½ Cup creamy caesar dressing your favourite brand or recipe
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to package directions then drain and rinse with cold water until no longer hot.
- Dice the cooked chicken breast and bacon and chop the romaine lettuce.
- Place the lettuce, chicken, bacon, pasta, parmesan cheese and croutons in a large bowl.
- Just before serving add the caesar dressing and toss well to coat everything. You can add more dressing depending how much you like.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more.