Delicious Easy Grilled Chicken Pesto Pasta Salad Recipe
This chicken pesto pasta salad recipe is super simple, quick, and family friendly. We love having this meal for lunch and dinner options and it has become a summer staple in our home. The chicken pesto pasta salad recipe is also an easy recipe to take to cookouts and gatherings that every guest will love and is so easy and cheap to make. Its highly unlikely that you will have any leftover pasta salad at the end of making this, but if you do it makes the perfect side dish for summer potlucks! With fresh ingredients and minimal meal prep, its a staple in our family home all summer long! Whether you are looking for a recipe for a summer gathering or party, or something to add to your summer rotation, the simplicity of minimal time and effort is the key to my sanity! Simple and easy chicken pesto pasta salad is the perfect way for me to feed my family and the best option to not spend all day in the kitchen too!
Delicious Easy Grilled Chicken Pesto Pasta Salad Recipe
Pesto Chicken Pasta Salad Recipe
This chicken pesto pasta salad recipe is super simple, quick, and family friendly. We love having this meal for lunch and dinner options. Chicken pesto pasta salad is filling yet affordable to make. It is also a great and easy recipe to make a ton of for minimal extra cost! Chicken pesto pasta salad recipe is also an easy recipe to take to cookouts and gatherings that every guest will love and is so easy and cheap to make.
Chicken Pesto Pasta Salad Recipe Ingredients:
16 oz. penne pasta
1/2 cup basil pesto (store-bought pesto or homemade pesto works. This recipe is so easily adaptable depending on whether you want super simple or fancy yourself a chef)
3/4 cup Italian salad dressing
2 cups cooked chopped chicken breast (You could also do a rotisserie chicken if you are short on time!)
2 handfuls baby spinach leaves
1 cup cherry tomatoes or sundried tomatoes– sliced in half or to your preference
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
optional: black olives
optional: feta cheese
optional fresh basil leaves
What I love about this chicken pesto pasta salad is that these are common ingredients that you likely already have on hand which makes it a perfect choice a simple meal you can whip up in no time without going to the store. Some readers have shared that they have used boxed pasta salad and added chicken and followed the package instructions but I find that using fresh veggies and skipping the boxed pasta salad really makes a huge difference. We always have a leftover rotisserie chicken in the refrigerator and using this to whip up a fresh batch for lunch in the summer works perfectly too!
If you fancy yourself a chef, make your own fresh basil pesto too! If you make your own you can make it more of a creamy pesto sauce too! If you want to try your hand at homemade pesto recipe, try this one! The beauty of this pasta salad chicken recipe is that it is so easily individualized to the preferences of your family that you cannot go wrong.
Chicken Pesto Pasta Salad Recipe Instructions:
Prepare pasta according to package until Al-dente. Strain pasta and rinse pasta under cold water to cool. Then place drained pasta in a large bowl.
Pour Italian dressing and basil pesto over the cooled pasta in bowl. Gently toss to combine.
Add spinach, chicken, tomatoes and shredded Parmesan cheese to pasta. Gently toss to combine,
Chill in the fridge up to 8 hours before serving or it can also be served immediately.
Sprinkle extra shredded cheese on top (optional).
Enjoy! This recipe always get a 5 star rating from children and adults. Be ready to share this recipe card with friends and family after serving!
if you have leftovers, which I highly doubt you will, store in the refrigerator in an airtight container.
What Pasta Is Best with Pesto Chicken?
Honestly, you can use any kind of pasta for this recipe, but I really prefer penne noodles. But use whatever you have on hand! You truly cannot go wrong with cold pasta salads in the summer to cool down after a long day outside or poolside. Using this chicken pasta salad recipe as a side dish or as a complete meal / main dish makes an easy weeknight dinners post sports. Anything that makes my evenings more smooth as a busy parent is a great idea in my book! I tend to have cooked pasta and al dente pasta on hand and ready to serve my hungry boys.
If you are a gardener and have fresh herbs or sun-dried tomatoes from the garden, this is the perfect dish for you to wander outside and grab fresh ingredients and adapt this simple recipe for what you have on hand!
If you are looking for another light and airy recipe, check out this Mediterranean Quesadilla recipe. Take your fresh ingredients and vegetables and have another light and delicious meal this summer! Check out the food section of the blog to find many family friendly recipes to try!
