This Chicken Pasta Salad features a ton of fresh ingredients, such as peaches, spinach, and tomatoes. The vinaigrette-based dressing is made completely from scratch, without any mayonnaise. This recipe comes together in 30 minutes and is made a little bit healthier with the addition of fresh veggies and fruit! Enjoy it year-round, bring it to picnics, cookouts, and barbecues!
Course Salad
Cuisine American, Mediterranean
Keyword chicken pasta salad, peach pasta salad
Prep Time 20 minutesminutes
Cook Time 10 minutesminutes
Total Time 30 minutesminutes
Servings 6people
Calories 756kcal
Author Julia
Ingredients
Ingredients you need to cook
3ozProsciutto
8ozfusillispiral pasta or use rotini, farfalle (bow-tie), penne, or rigatoni
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Spread Prosciutto in a single layer on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
Toast for about 10 minutes or more until crispy. Remove from oven.
Proceed with the rest of the recipe, while the oven is getting preheated and while you crisp up the prosciutto.
Cook pasta
Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add pasta and cook pasta al dente according to the package instructions.
Proceed with the rest of the recipe while the pasta is cooking.
When the pasta is done, drain. Keep the drained pasta in the same pot where you cooked it.
Cook chicken
Generously season the chicken thighs with Italian seasoning, chili powder, salt, and freshly ground black pepper.
Heat an empty cast-iron skillet over medium heat for 2 minutes. This allows the cast-iron skillet to heat through. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add chicken thighs. Cook the chicken on medium heat for 5 minutes on one side, without moving it.
Flip the chicken thighs over, reduce heat to low-medium, and cook for about 5 more minutes or longer on the other side, undisturbed, until it's cooked through. The meat thermometer should register 165°F (74°C) in the thickest part of the chicken. Remove from heat.
Slice chicken thinly.
Make salad dressing
Combine all salad dressing ingredients in a mason jar. Whisk well with a spoon, until emulsified.
Salad assembly
Wash, core, and slice yellow peaches into wedges.
Slice each cherry (or grape) tomato in half.
In a pot where you cooked the pasta, combine warm, cooked, and drained pasta together with the salad dressing. Mix well.
Add sliced peaches, cherry tomatoes, Mozzarella cheese, spinach, and crispy Prosciutto. Toss to combine.
Note: If you like your pasta salad a bit warm, reheat gently and briefly without adding spinach first. Add spinach off heat to the salad right before serving.
When serving, top each individual portion with thinly sliced cooked chicken and chopped chives (or green onions).