A chicken and pasta salad is the perfect dish to serve as a warm weather lunch or supper. Use leftover or freshly baked or poached chicken or buy a rotisserie chicken. It’s a snap to fix! Just cook the pasta, toss it with the chicken, vegetables, and mayonnaise dressing, and enjoy!
Recipe Variations
- Crisp cooked bacon adds flavor, but you can omit it or swap it with diced ham or another flavorful smoked meat.
- Replace the chicken with leftover diced turkey.
- Add steamed asparagus to the salad for a delightful spring medley.
- Replace the penne pasta with macaroni or ziti.
How to Store
- Refrigerate the pasta salad in an airtight container within 2 hours, or 1 hour if the ambient temp is 90 F (32 C) or above.
- Use a cooler with ice to transport the salad, and if serving it outdoors, keep it in the cooler or nestle it in a larger bowl of ice.
- Pasta salad should last up to 3 to 4 days when stored properly.
Chicken and Pasta Salad
Whip up a delicious chicken pasta salad in no time! Customize it with your favorite ingredients and enjoy the flavors of summer.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4 to 6 servings 1x
- Category: Salads
Ingredients
Scale
- 8 ounces mini penne pasta
- Kosher salt
- 2 cups diced cooked chicken
- 2 plum tomatoes, diced
- 1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
- 1/4 cup diced celery
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
For the Dressing
- 2/3 cup mayonnaise, or to taste
- 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
- Dash garlic powder, or to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1/4 cup diced cooked bacon, optional
Instructions
- Cook the penne pasta in boiling water seasoned with 1 tablespoon of salt. Follow the package directions for timing. Drain well and let cool.
- In a large serving bowl, combine the chicken, diced tomatoes, onion, celery, and parsley.
- Add the pasta to the bowl and toss to combine the ingredients.
- In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, lemon juice, garlic powder, and pepper and whisk to blend.
- Add the dressing to the pasta mixture and toss until well blended. Taste and add salt, to taste and adjust the mayonnaise and other seasonings as desired.
- Incorporate the bacon if using.
- Serve and enjoy!
