Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad

A Caesar salad is one of the few salads I’d go out of my way to order at a restaurant. It’s just timeless! Today we’re celebrating the mighty Caesar in the tastiest way possible and turning it into a pasta salad. Follow me…

Caesar Salad Dressing

The difference between a good Caesar salad dressing and a bad one is quite something. Here we’re going to do a ‘cheats’ version and use mayonnaise as the base, where traditionally you’d start with egg yolk and oil. But it’s just as delicious – promise!

Anchovies – yes, really!

These are an essential ingredient in the dressing. But fear not, they don’t make the dressing taste fishy. They just give the dressing a deeper, saltier flavour.

Can I make the dressing ahead of time?

Yep! In fact, leaving it to rest will allow the flavours to mingle together. Just tightly store in the fridge until needed (3-4 days, longer at your discretion). Process shots: gather ingredients (photo 1), add to food processor (photo 2), blitz until smooth and fully blended (photo 3).

Chicken Caesar Salad

Caesar salad doesn’t need chicken, but it is always welcomed. Plus, this is me, so obviously there’s gonna be chicken 😛 Bacon on the other hand is non-negotiable. You’ll want to slice and season some chicken, then fry it in the leftover bacon fat. Once both the chicken and bacon are cooked, it’s important to leave them to cool. If either are warm, they’ll steam the salad and not only cause the lettuce to go soggy, but the dressing will also congeal too. Process shots: slice chicken breasts (photo 1), season (photo 2), add bacon to pan (photo 3), fry until crisp then remove (photo 4), add chicken to leftover bacon fat (photo 5), fry until cooked then remove (photo 6).

Homemade Croutons

I usually make my croutons, mainly because I’ve always got some sort of bread knocking about the cupboards that’s screaming to be used. Plus, croutons are too easy not to make! Instead of cutting it into neat cubes, I tend to just roughly tear the bread into small bite-sized pieces. I much prefer the rustic style. Plus it’s less effort!

What kind of bread to use?

I recommend ciabatta, but any kind of non-sandwich style bread will do the trick (Sourdough, Artisan etc). Process shots: tear bread (photo 1), drizzle with oil and sprinkle with salt (photo 2), toss to combine (photo 3), bake until golden and crunchy (photo 4).

Caesar Pasta Salad

Alrighty, chicken, bacon, croutons and dressing out the way, all we need now is pasta and lettuce.

What kind of pasta to use?

I like Penne, but realistically any short-cut pasta will do the trick. The main thing is that you rinse it in cold once it’s cooked, then give it a vigorous shake in the colander to remove as much water as possible. Because nobody likes a watery salad!!

What kind of lettuce to use?

Romaine is traditional, but little gem lettuce makes a pretty good sub. Process shots: cook, drain and rinse pasta (photo 1), add lettuce (photo 2), add bacon, chicken, croutons and parmesan (photo 3), add dressing then toss to combine (photo 4).

Serving Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad

Once you’ve given everything a good toss, you’re ready to rock n roll!

Can I make this ahead of time?

You can, I just recommend leaving out the croutons (and preferably the lettuce too) and adding them in before serving, just because they get soggy as they rest. I also recommend holding back a little of the dressing and tossing it through just before serving; as the pasta rests it soaks up the dressing and drys the salad out a little. Alrighty, let’s tuck into the full recipe for this chicken Caesar pasta salad shall we?!

How to make Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad (Full Recipe & Video)

For more Caesar salad goodness check out my Caesar Salad Parmesan Cups, Chicken Caesar Flatbreads and Crispy Chicken Caesar Salad! For more similar recipes check out these beauties: