• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Hungry Healthy Happy
  • Easter Recipes
  • About
  • Recipes
  • FREE eBook
  • Contact
  • Subscribe
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Easter Recipes
  • About
  • Recipes
  • FREE eBook
  • Contact
  • Subscribe
  • Let's get social!

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • TikTok
    • Twitter
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • Easter Recipes
    • About
    • Recipes
    • FREE eBook
    • Contact
    • Subscribe
  • Let's get social!

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • TikTok
    • Twitter
  • ×

    Hungry Healthy Happy » Recipes » Salad

    Chicken Pasta Salad

    Published: Jul 30, 2020 · Modified: Jul 19, 2022 by Dannii · This post may contain affiliate links · 28 Comments

    1635 shares
    • 892
    Jump to Recipe
    Chicken pasta salad with a text title overlay.

    This creamy Chicken Pasta Salad is packed with pretty much everything you could want out of a salad and ready in under 20 minutes. A great BBQ side dish, or a hearty lunch, it is easy to adapt and can be made in advance too. Chicken, bacon, pasta, and chunky vegetables all brought together in a creamy dressing for delicious summer comfort food.

    A large bowl of Chicken Pasta Salad next to a checked towel.

    Not only is this healthy pasta salad easy to adapt with any vegetables that you have that need using, but it's also a great way to use up leftover chicken. Made our Slow Cooker Roast Chicken? Shred it up and add it to this recipe. You can eat this as a main or a side (this recipe is for a side) and it's great for work and school packed lunches too.

    Looking for some other pasta salad recipes? Why not try our Salmon Pasta Salad or Tuna Pasta Salad.

    Jump to:
    • Why you will love it
    • Ingredients and substitutions
    • How to make chicken pasta salad - Step by step
    • What pasta to use
    • Variations
    • What to serve with chicken pasta salad
    • FAQs
    • Extra tips
    • More pasta recipes
    • Recipe
    • Feedback

    Why you will love it

    • Quick - This chicken pasta salad recipe is ready in just 20 minutes.
    • Easy to adapt - Feel free to adapt this chicken pasta salad with whatever you have in your fridge that needs using.
    • Leftovers are great to take to work/school - Make extra and pack up for lunches at school or work.
    • A delicious BBQ side - Pasta salads always go down well at a BBQ and it's a good way to bulk out a meal.

    Ingredients and substitutions

    All the ingredients needed for this recipe with text overlay labels.
    • Chicken - We used chicken breast to keep this chicken pasta salad lean, however you could use boneless and skinless chicken breast. This would add more flavour, but it would change the nutritional information. You can either fry up chunks of chicken breast, or use leftovers from a roast chicken.
    • Pasta - You can use any pasta you like, making this a great cupboard raid meal. But, we like fusilli, because the mayonnaise based sauce clings to it really well.
    • Bacon - You can leave this out if you want to save on calories, but we think it adds a lot of flavour. Make it a bit more lean by using turkey bacon. This pasta salad with chicken and bacon is protein packed.
    • Olives - Another easy way to add lots of flavour to a pasta salad and make it feel a bit more summery. The great thing about olives is there are so many flavours. We love stuffed garlic olives.
    • Tomatoes -A must in any kind of salad. We used cherry tomatoes, as we love the sweetness. But you could chop up a larger tomato if that is all you have.
    • Basil - Perfect with tomatoes, it adds a real freshness to the chicken pasta salad. You could use dill or chives too.
    • Onion - Spring onions (scallions) add a nice crunchiness to this pasta salad recipe. You could use finely diced shallot instead.
    • Bell pepper - You can use any bell pepper you like, but we find that red and green add a nice mixture of flavour.
    • Cucumber - Another easy way to add some crunch and lighten up the whole dish.
    • Feta - Cheese is a must in a pasta salad and feta not only adds lots of flavour, but some creaminess too. You could swap it for cheddar or mozzarella.
    • Mayonnaise - This is the base of the sauce for the pasta salad and makes it deliciously creamy. If you wanted to make it lighter, you could use yoghurt instead, but this would add some tartness to it.
    • Lemon - This really lightens up the whole dish and adds a nice freshness.
    • Spinach - We love anything we can give a green veggie boost to, and adding chopped spinach is an easy way to do that.

    A full ingredients list with measurements is in the recipe card below.

    How to make chicken pasta salad - Step by step

    One: Put pasta in a pan of boiling water and simmer for 12 minutes. Alternatively, follow the instructions for our Microwave Pasta.

    A saucepan full of fusilli pasta.

    Two: Add the oil to a frying pan and once hot, add the chicken and cook for 6 minutes, stirring every couple of minutes.

    A frying pan with chunks of chicken breast cooking in it.

    Three: Add the bacon to the pan and cook for 3 minutes, making sure the chicken is cooked through too.

    Chunks of chicken and chopped bacon cooking in a frying pan.

    Four: Add the vegetables to a large bowl.

    A stainless steel mixing bowl containing tomatoes, spinach, red pepper, onions, cucumber and olives.

    Five: Put the pasta, chicken and bacon in the bowl. Add the dressing ingredients and mix well.

    Chicken, bacon, pasta, cheese, salad vegetables, herbs and mayonnaise in a bowl.

    What pasta to use

    You should avoid using long pastas such as spaghetti or linguine. A good sturdy pasta will work best, such as fusilli or penne. Rigatoni, farfalle or macaroni are all good choices for this pasta salad. 

    A pile of fusilli pasta on a wooden surface.

    Variations

    Meat - If chicken isn't your thing, you can replace it with turkey, ham, extra bacon or even cooked cubes of halloumi. You could add some tofu or use chickpeas to get a nice creamy texture.

    If you are using chicken, then why not make our Slow Cooker Whole Chicken or The Best Roast Chicken and shred it up and use some in this.

    Vegetables - This pasta salad is a great opportunity to add loads of vegetables. Not only does it make it more nutrient dense, but it adds lots of colour and texture too. We like a good mix of crunchy and leafy.

    For this, we used cherry tomatoes, cucumber, red and green bell pepper, spring onion (scallion) and some spinach. We added some olives to that for an extra burst of flavour, but sun dried tomatoes or anchovies would work.

    As for other vegetables, the options are almost endless. You could add small chunks of raw broccoli or red onion, or you could roast up vegetables like courgette and aubergine and add those. A good mix of colours is the way to go. We also like some diced avocado for extra creaminess.

    Dressing - Personally, I love a creamy pasta salad, so we have kept it classic and used mayonnaise in this. However, you could use yogurt, sour cream or creme fraiche to still keep it creamy without mayo.

    If you don't want a creamy dressing, then a honey and mustard vinaigrette or Lemon Vinaigrette would work really well. Any kind of salad dressing really - we have used a balsamic one before too.

    Cooked pasta mixed with chopped salad vegetables and a creamy sauce.

    What to serve with chicken pasta salad

    This is a delicious BBQ side dish, so anything you would make for a BBQ is good. Why not try our Honey and Lime Chicken, Vegetable and Halloumi Kebabs, Peri Peri Chicken, Hidden Vegetable Beef Burgers, or Cajun Chicken Burgers.

    A bowl of pasta salad on a wooden surface.

    FAQs

    How to store chicken pasta salad

    This will keep in the fridge for 3-4 days, and will actually taste better the next day. Just keep it in a bowl covered with cling-film (Saran wrap), or in an airtight container.
    This can be frozen, but the pasta and the other ingredients should be frozen separately. Do not mix with the mayo if you plan to freeze this dish. Put the pasta in one airtight container and the chicken/veg in another. The mayo dressing can become grainy when defrosted, so leave this out and add fresh when the pasta, chicken and vegetables have defrosted.

    Can you make a vegan chicken pasta salad?

    This isn't the easiest recipe to make vegan, but you can with a few swaps. Swap the chicken for a meat-free alternative (you would need to season it to add some flavour) and use a vegan mayo. Leave out the bacon, or use an alternative and the same goes with the feta.

    Does the pasta have to be cold or warm?

    That is totally up to you. Some people like a hot pasta salad, and others want the pasta to have cooled down first.

    heart icon

    Extra tips

    • To make this recipe quicker, use a rotisserie chicken, our leftover Slow Cooker Whole Chicken or a pack of cooked roast chicken strips.
    • You could leave the chicken out and just use extra veggies or swap it for turkey, ham or halloumi.
    • If you don't love creamy dressings, you could use a honey and mustard vinaigrette instead.
    • This dish is a good opportunity to add lots of vegetables. A good mixture of crunchy and leafy is good.
    • Avoid using long pastas like spaghetti for this.
    • We topped ours with feta, but you could use a goats cheese or a blue cheese instead.
    • Fresh herbs add lots of extra flavour to this. Chives or dill work well.

    More pasta recipes

    • Quick Broccoli Pasta on a large plate next to a purple towel.
      Quick Broccoli Pasta
    • A plate of roasted vegetable lasagna in front of a baking dish of more lasagna
      Roasted Vegetable Lasagna
    • Garlic Prawn Spaghetti on a plate with a lemon half.
      Garlic Prawn Spaghetti
    • Chicken pesto pasta on a plate next to a blue towel.
      Chicken Pesto Pasta

    If you’ve tried chicken pasta salad, then let us know how you got on in the comments below.
    Tag us in your creations on Instagram @hungryhealthyhappy - You can use the hashtag #hungryhealthyhappy too.

    Recipe

    Chicken Pasta Salad in a large round bowl surrounded by lemon, cheese and basil leaves

    Chicken Pasta Salad

    By: Dannii
    This creamy Chicken Pasta Salad is packed with pretty much everything you could want out of a salad and ready in under 20 minutes.
    4.95 from 36 votes
    Pin Print Save recipe Recipe saved!
    Course: Lunch
    Cuisine: British, Italian
    Prep: 5 mins
    Cook: 12 mins
    Total: 17 mins
    Servings: 4 servings
    Calories: 336kcal
    Allergens:
    An illustration of two ears of wheat.
    Gluten
    An illustration of a cow's head.
    Meat
    An illustration of a mustard bottle.
    Mustard
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Ingredients

    • 200 g (3.33 cups) Pasta - (penne or fusilli work well)
    • 1 teaspoon Olive oil
    • 3 rasher Bacon
    • 150 g (5.25 oz) Chicken breast - chopped into chunks
    • 10 (0.33 cups) Kalamata olives - destoned and halved
    • 10 (1 cups) Cherry tomatoes - quartered
    • 4 tablespoon Fresh basil - chopped
    • 4 Spring onion (Scallion) - sliced
    • 0.5 Red bell pepper - chopped
    • 0.5 Green bell pepper
    • 0.25 Cucumber - diced
    • 0.5 Lemon - juice only
    • 4 tablespoon Mayonnaise
    • 1 Pinch Sea salt and black pepper
    • 30 g (1 cups) Spinach
    • 60 g Feta

    Instructions

    • Put pasta in a pan of boiling water and simmer for 12 minutes.
    • Add the oil to a frying pan and once hot, add the chicken and cook for 6 minutes, stirring every couple of minutes.
    • Add the bacon to the pan and cook for 3 minutes, making sure the chicken is cooked through too.
    • Add the vegetables to a large bowl.
    • Put the pasta, chicken and bacon in the bowl. Add the dressing ingredients and mix well.

    Notes

    • To make this recipe quicker, use a rotisserie chicken, our leftover Slow Cooker Whole Chicken or a pack of cooked roast chicken strips.
    • You could leave the chicken out and just use extra veggies or swap it for turkey, ham or halloumi.
    • If you don't love creamy dressings, you could use a honey and mustard vinaigrette instead.
    • This dish is a good opportunity to add lots of vegetables. A good mixture of crunchy and leafy is good.
    • Avoid using long pastas like spaghetti for this.
    • We topped ours with feta, but you could use a goats cheese or a blue cheese instead.
    • Fresh herbs add lots of extra flavour to this. Chives or dill work well.

    Nutritional Information

    Serving: 1g | Calories: 336kcal | Carbohydrates: 44g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 30mg | Sodium: 314mg | Potassium: 519mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 1710IU | Vitamin C: 54mg | Calcium: 46mg | Iron: 2mg
    DisclaimerThe nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using online tools. Information can vary depending on various factors, but we have endeavoured to be as accurate as possible.

    You'll love these too...

    • Asparagus salad on a large round plate.
      Asparagus Salad
    • Halloumi salad on a round blue plate.
      Halloumi Salad
    • Rocket salad in a large serving bowl.
      Rocket Salad
    • Asian cucumber salad in a bowl with a spoon.
      Asian Cucumber Salad

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Tara

      July 20, 2022 at 7:45 pm

      5 stars
      Fresh and tasty! This chicken pasta salad is so refreshing and crisp!

      Reply
    2. Matt I.

      July 19, 2022 at 7:06 pm

      5 stars
      Sides are usually an afterthought for me with summer grilling, but this recipe is amazing and pairs with anything!

      Reply
    3. Gwynn

      July 19, 2022 at 6:51 pm

      5 stars
      This is our new go-to pasta salad recipe. My family loved it!

      Reply
    4. Claudia Lamascolo

      July 19, 2022 at 6:36 pm

      5 stars
      Delicious recipe so flavorful and everyone raved about plus so easy!

      Reply
    5. Gina Abernathy

      July 19, 2022 at 5:35 pm

      5 stars
      I love a fast and delicious recipe! Pasta salads are my summertime favorites.

      Reply
    6. Traci

      August 09, 2020 at 2:37 pm

      5 stars
      This is so easy and delicious! I love the combination of fresh and pantry ingredients. Thanks for sharing!

      Reply
    7. Angela

      July 31, 2020 at 6:32 pm

      5 stars
      Such great colors and flavors in this pasta salad. We loved it!

      Reply
    8. Pam Greer

      July 31, 2020 at 3:43 pm

      5 stars
      This is our go to pasta salad for the summer! Everyone loves it and I love how easy it is to make!

      Reply
    « Older Comments

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    Dannii in hat and glasses stood on a beach.
    heart icon

    Welcome!

    My name is Dannii. Here you will find easy family recipes with a healthy twist.
    Established in 2011, Hungry Healthy Happy has become one of the UK's most popular food blogs, with two successful recipe books published.

    About HHH»

    Easter Recipes

    • Asparagus salad on a large round plate.
      Asparagus Salad
    • Cubes of mini egg fudge on a wooden board.
      Easy Mini Egg Fudge
    • Easter Rocky Road in a metal tray.
      Easter Rocky Road
    • Four mini egg cookies on a cooling rack.
      Mini Egg Cookies
    • Easter nests in a six hole muffin tray.
      Easter Nests
    • Slow cooker lamb ragu in a round bowl.
      Slow Cooker Lamb Ragu

    Featured in

    Collage of media outlet logos.

    Popular Recipes

    • A pile of air fryer chips.
      The Best Air Fryer Chips
    • 10 Minute Chickpea and Spinach Curry on a blue and white plate.
      10 Minute Chickpea and Spinach Curry
    • Easy tomato pasta sauce coating tagliatelle on a white plate.
      Easy Tomato Pasta Sauce
    • Slow cooker beef brisket sliced up on a serving board.
      Slow Cooker Beef Brisket

    Footer

    ^ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Accessibility Policy
    • Advertising
    • Blog

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates
    • See our Web Stories page

    Contact

    • Contact
    • Work with us
    • FAQ
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • TikTok

    Featured in

    A selection of publications that Hungry Healthy Happy has been featured in

    As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2011-2023 Hungry Healthy Happy • All Rights Reserved • Site Design by D Martin

    • 892
    1.6K shares