Chicken Pasta Salad

This easy creamy chicken pasta salad combines juicy seasoned chicken thighs, short-cut pasta, cherry tomatoes, spinach, avocado, sharp cheddar, and a tangy yogurt-mayo dressing. Great for BBQs, summer lunches, or weeknight dinners.

Course lunch, Main Course, Salad

Cuisine American, Italian

Keyword chicken pasta salad

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 20

Total Time 30

Servings

Calories 615kcal

Author Julia

Ingredients

For the chicken:

1 ½ tablespoons olive oil
1 lb skinless boneless chicken thighs
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon Italian herbs
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon smoked paprika powder
Salt and pepper to taste

For the dressing:

½ cup Greek yogurt
⅓ cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon whole grain mustard
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Salt to taste

For the salad:

0.75 lb short pasta use Ditalini Rigatti or small rigatoni
2 cups baby spinach
6 oz white sharp cheddar cheese cut into small cubes
10 cherry tomatoes halved
1 large avocado peeled, pitted, cut into cubes
2 spring onions white and light green parts sliced
Fresh basil for garnish

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Prepare the chicken:

Prepare the chicken: add olive oil, chicken thighs, garlic powder, Italian herbs, chili powder, smoked paprika, and salt and pepper, to taste.
Coat the chicken with spices and cover with a plastic foil. Refrigerate the chicken for 30 minutes.
Heat some olive oil (around 1 tablespoon) in a grill pan over medium high heat. Add the chicken and cook for 5 minutes per side or until the chicken is cooked through.
Set the chicken aside to cool.

Cook your pasta:

Cook the pasta: cook your pasta in a pot of salted boiling water according to package directions. I cooked my pasta for 6 minutes until al dente. Drain the pasta and while it is still hot, coat it with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. This will prevent your pasta from sticking together.

Prepare the dressing:

Prepare the dressing: in a bowl, whisk together Greek yogurt, mayonnaise, whole grain mustard, lemon juice, and salt to taste. Stir until well combined.
Prepare the salad: wash your veggies before use. Halve or quarter the cherry tomatoes (depending on their size), cube the cheddar cheese, cut the avocado into cubes, and slice the spring onions.

Assemble:

Assemble the salad: add your veggies, cherry tomatoes, baby spinach, avocado, cheddar cheese, and spring onions into the bowl with the dressing.
Add the cooked pasta. Toss gently.
Slice your chicken and add it into the salad. Toss once again, until your ingredients are well coated.
Serve salad immediately, garnished with fresh basil.

Notes

Dressing options: Instead of the Greek yogurt you can use sour cream. Or, to skip the mayo use 50/50 combo of Greek yogurt and sour cream.
Mustard options: The whole grain mustard is not mandatory. I like it because it gives a nice crunchy texture, but you can use plain mustard.
Cheddar: Use mild or sharp cheddar cheese – whatever you like. Keep in mind that sharp cheddar cheese will give you some extra flavor.
Green options: You can add some other veggies, like cucumbers or purple onions. Baby spinach is an amazing addition, but you can also go with mixed greens or plain lettuce.
Chicken options: Chicken thighs are the juiciest part oof the chicken, but if you have chicken breasts they will work too.
Best pasta to use: For this recipe you can use any type of small pasta, such as ditalini, mini rigatoni, orzo pasta, farfalline or pasta such as elbow macaroni or farfalle.

Nutrition