Chicken Pesto Pasta Salad

Our Chicken Pesto Pasta Salad recipe is made with spinach, rotisserie chicken, spinach, cherry tomatoes, sun dried tomatoes, red onion and Parmesan cheese all tossed in a tasty basil vinaigrette.

This pesto chicken pasta salad has a great mix of flavors and it makes a perfect light lunch or dinner. If you want to serve it as a side salad, just leave out the chicken and add more veggies, then serve it with grilled chicken, fish, soup, or sandwiches.

This is an easy salad to pull together.  We start off by whisking together the ingredients for the dressing, and then chill it in the fridge until we’re ready to use it. Then we’ll cook the noodles and while they’re cooking we’ll prep the rest of the ingredients. 

Pesto Pasta Salad Recipe Ingredients

• Pasta. Use rotini, fusilli, cavatappi or penne noodles or whatever pasta you like best.
• Chopped Chicken. Use grilled chicken, poached chicken or store-bought rotisserie chicken.
• Spinach. We love the added spinach in this salad!! 
• Tomatoes. We use both cherry tomatoes and sun-dried tomatoes for this salad.
• Red Onion.  We toss in a little red onion, which adds a pop of flavor to the mix.  To mellow the flavor of onions, you can soak the onion slices in a small bowl filled with water for about 15 minutes. You can soak the onions while the pasta cooks. 
• Parmesan Cheese. Add grated or shaved Parmesan cheese to make this salad extra flavorful.
• Dressing. We toss this salad with a tasty vinaigrette that’s made with fresh basil, garlic, Parmesan cheese, extra-virgin olive oil, Dijon mustard and lemon juice. It is SO good!

Find printable recipe with the measurements below.

Variations

• Add marinated artichoke hearts.
• Use Mozzarella instead of Parmesan cheese.
• Use curly kale or arugula instead of spinach.

How To Make Chicken Pesto Pasta Salad

1. Make Dressing.  Whisk together the ingredients for the dressing.
2. Cook Pasta.  Cook the pasta in a pot of salted water according to the directions on the package. 
3. Toss Ingredients.  After the pasta has cooled, toss all of the ingredients in a large bowl. Drizzle the salad with enough dressing to lightly coat the ingredients. Sprinkle the grated or shaved Parmesan cheese over the salad and toss again. Season with freshly ground pepper to taste.

Storing Leftovers

Store leftover salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator. If properly stored, the salad should last up to 3 days. Toss with more dressing if needed before serving leftovers.

More Pasta Salad Recipes

• Italian Pasta Salad
• Summer Pasta Salad
• Kale Pasta Salad
• Greek Pasta Salad   
• Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad                                                                      
• Tuna Pasta Salad

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Yield: 4 Servings

Chicken Pesto Pasta Salad

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Our Chicken Pesto Pasta Salad recipe is made with spinach, rotisserie chicken, spinach, cherry tomatoes, sun dried tomatoes, red onion and Parmesan cheese all tossed in a tasty basil vinaigrette.

Ingredients

• 8 ounces fusilli pasta
• 1 cup cooked chicken, chopped or shredded
• 1 cup baby spinach, loosely packed
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
• 1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
• 1/3 cup red onion, sliced
• 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, grated or shaved

For the Dressing

• 1/4 cup fresh basil, sliced into ribbons
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated
• 1-1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Whisk together the ingredients for the dressing and refrigerate until you're ready to toss the salad.
2. Cook the pasta in a pot of salted water according to the directions on the package. 
3. After the pasta has cooled, toss all of the ingredients in a large bowl. Drizzle the salad with enough dressing to lightly coat the ingredients. Sprinkle the grated or shaved Parmesan cheese over the salad and toss again. Season with freshly ground pepper to taste.
4. Garnish with fresh basil leaves (small leaves or cut larger leaves into ribbons).

For The Dressing

1. Place basil, garlic, Parmesan cheese, mustard and lemon juice in a blender.
2. Pulse a few times, then slowly add the olive oil while the motor is running.
3. Continue to blend until vinaigrette is smooth.

Notes

Variations

• Add marinated artichoke hearts.
• Use Mozzarella instead of Parmesan cheese.
• Use curly kale or arugula instead of spinach.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 529Total Fat: 36gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 27gCholesterol: 42mgSodium: 538mgCarbohydrates: 34gFiber: 3gSugar: 3gProtein: 18g

theharvestkitchen.com attempts to provide accurate information, however, this nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. The nutritional information provided comes from online sources and calculations. See full disclaimer on About page.