This cozy Chicken Pasta Salad comes together in just 30 minutes. It's a crowd-pleasing recipe with only 5 main ingredients: chicken, bow-tie pasta, pecans, dried cranberries, and green onions. The creamy salad dressing is made completely from scratch (and lighter!) using mayo, Greek yogurt, mustard, honey, and poppy seeds.
Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add pasta and cook according to package instructions. Drain. In the meantime, proceed with the rest of the recipe.
In a large skillet, cook chicken seasoned with salt and pepper, and Italian seasoning, until cooked through. Slice into thin strips once the chicken is cooked.
Salad dressing
In a medium bowl, combine all dressing ingredients: mayonnaise, Greek yogurt, honey, Dijon mustard, and poppy seeds. Whisk until well combined. Add salt, to taste.
Assembly
In a large bowl, combine all salad ingredients: cooked and drained pasta, sliced cooked chicken, toasted pecans, and cranberries. Add salad dressing and toss to coat. Add salt, to taste, if needed.
Notes
Toast the pecans in the preheated oven at 350 F for about 5 or 10 minutes, checking frequently so that they don't burn.