Name: Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 8 ounces penne pasta (or any short pasta such as farfalle or rotini); 2 cups rotisserie chicken (diced or shredded); 2 cups chopped romaine lettuce; 1 pint grape tomatoes (halved); 1 cup croutons; 1/2 cup shaved or grated parmesan cheese (plus more for serving); 3/4 cup Caesar dressing; Fine sea salt and cracked black pepper ( to taste)

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Ready in under 20 minutes, this simple chicken Caesar pasta salad is a great meal for sharing at summer potlucks, weekday lunches, or family dinner.

A bowl of pasta salad with penne, romaine lettuce, cherry tomatoes, croutons, chicken, and parmesan, with a fork beside it and a larger wooden salad bowl in the background.

I know I’m not the only one who immediately turns to pasta salads as soon as the calendar flips to June!

We eat a lot of pasta at our house, so it’s only natural that pasta salads are in heavy rotation during the summer. Since both my husband and I work from home, they’re great to keep in the fridge for quick lunches, which means I’m whipping up tortellini pasta salad, chicken taco pasta salad, or this chicken Caesar pasta salad recipe on a regular basis.

This salad brings in the flavors of a classic Caesar and bumps it up with pasta, tomatoes, and tender chicken. I often have leftover rotisserie chicken on hand, so this salad can be ready in just 15 minutes.

Make it for your next backyard barbecue, weekday dinner, or satisfying lunch!

Ingredients for chicken caesar pasta salad

Full list of ingredients with quantities is located in the recipe card.

Flat lay of ingredients for a chicken Caesar pasta salad: pasta, romaine lettuce, cherry tomatoes, parmesan cheese, chicken, croutons, and Caesar dressing, each labeled.

You’ll need:

Penne pasta
Rotisserie chicken
Romaine lettuce
Grape or cherry tomatoes
Croutons
Parmesan cheese
Caesar dressing
Salt and pepper

If you don’t have penne on hand, you can use any short pasta, like farfalle or rotini. Any leftover chicken will do as well, but make sure it is not sauced or overly seasoned, or the flavor of the Caesar dressing won’t shine through. Grilled chicken is a great option here.

I like to use my own homemade Caesar dressing, which you can mix while the pasta is cooking, or you can grab your favorite bottle of pre-made dressing. In the summertime, the easier the better!

A wooden bowl filled with pasta salad containing penne, lettuce, cherry tomatoes, croutons, and chicken pieces, with wooden salad servers and a striped cloth nearby.

How to make this recipe

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add salt, then add the penne and cook according to package directions for al dente (usually about 10 minutes). Be sure to not overcook the pasta; it should have a little bite because it will soften further when mixed with the dressing.

While the pasta is cooking, dice the chicken, chop the romaine, and halve the tomatoes.

Cooked penne pasta draining in a metal colander, placed on a light countertop next to a gray and white striped cloth.

A white bowl containing lettuce, cherry tomatoes, cooked chicken, shredded cheese, croutons, and Caesar dressing being poured in.

Drain the pasta and rinse with cold water until the pasta feels cool to the touch. Dump it into a large mixing bowl.

Add the chicken, romaine, tomatoes, croutons, grated parmesan, and Caesar dressing. Mix well, until the chicken and pasta is evenly coated with the dressing. Season with salt and pepper to taste — depending on how salty your dressing is, you might not need to add any.

Serve each bowl with extra parmesan and cracked pepper on top.

A wooden bowl filled with pasta salad containing penne, chopped lettuce, cherry tomatoes, croutons, and chunks of chicken, next to wooden utensils and a striped cloth.

Storage tips

This pasta salad will keep in the refrigerator, in an airtight container, for about 3 days.

Keep in mind that the lettuce will get a bit wilted the longer it sits in the pasta salad. Romaine will stay crisp in the salad for about a day, but if you want to store it for longer than that, I recommend keeping the lettuce out and mixing it in just before serving.

As the salad sits, the pasta will also absorb more of the dressing. Keep some extra dressing reserved for mixing in when serving if the salad seems too dry.

A bowl of pasta salad with penne, cherry tomatoes, lettuce, croutons, shaved cheese, and black pepper, next to a fork and a larger salad bowl.

Serve this salad with some cucumber agua fresca or a an iced vanilla latte and you’ve got the perfect summer meal!

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