Lemony Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad
with Baby Lettuce, Parmesan & Croutons
- Wheat
- Milk
- Eggs
Meet the latest culinary mash-up you didn’t know you needed. This quick, Caesar-inspired pasta salad features curly cavatappi, garlicky chicken, crisp lettuce, creamy Caesar dressing, and lemon juice for extra brightness. And let’s not forget the most important part: crunchy croutons and shredded Parmesan cheese to top it all off!
Ingredients
1 unit
Croutons
(Contains: Wheat, Milk)
1 unit
Baby Lettuce
10 ounce
Chopped Chicken Breast
3 ounce
Caesar Dressing
(Contains: Eggs, Milk)
6 ounce
Cavatappi Pasta
(Contains: Wheat)
1 unit
Lemon
3 tablespoon
Parmesan Cheese
(Contains: Milk)
½ teaspoon
Garlic Powder
Not included in your delivery
teaspoon (tsp)
Salt
1 teaspoon (tsp)
Cooking Oil
teaspoon (tsp)
Black Pepper
Nutrition Values
Utensils
Cooking Steps
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
Once water is boiling, add cavatappi to pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente, 9-11 minutes.
Drain and rinse under cold water for at least 30 seconds; shake off any excess water.
While pasta cooks, open package of chicken* and drain off any excess liquid.
Heat a drizzle of oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add chicken; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until browned and cooked through, 4-6 minutes.
When chicken has 30 seconds remaining, stir in half the garlic powder (all for 4 servings) until thoroughly combined. Transfer chicken to a large bowl and let cool slightly.
Wash and dry produce.
Trim and discard root end from lettuce; chop leaves into bite-size pieces. Quarter lemon. Lightly crush croutons in their bag.
To bowl with chicken, add drained cavatappi, dressing, half the Parmesan, and juice from half the lemon. Toss to coat.
Divide pasta salad between bowls; top with croutons and remaining Parmesan. Serve with remaining lemon wedges on the side.
Customer reviews
Review summary
Updated on Dec 2025- Flavor: Many enjoyed the Caesar-pasta combo, though some found it bland and wanted more dressing or seasoning.
- Ease of prep: Quick and easy to make, perfect for busy days or meal prep. Some found the chicken prep tedious.
- Suggestions: Consider adding extra veggies, using smaller pasta, and increasing the dressing for more flavor 🍲.
- Portions: Generous servings; some had leftovers for lunch, while others wanted more lettuce and less pasta.
- Texture: The pasta-lettuce mix divided opinions; some loved it, others found the combination strange.
Reviews from our home cooks
The Lemony Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad was WONDERFUL!!! It was easy to make and came together great!! I actually had a friend over and she was impressed!
The food was actually good, and I appreciate the timeliness of cooking it. That being said, I feel like there wasn't enough spice in this food and the chicken being heavily seasoned vs the pasta and salad being dry made the food seem imbalanced even though it was delicious. Usually a topper (lemon juice) ties all the seasoning together, but It kind of just rested on top instead. I would want to see this meal again.
Love this recipe! Never would have thought to add chicken, pasta and salad but me and my boyfriend thoroughly enjoyed this one.
Loved the salad and the pasta went great with all of the other ingredients!
I really liked this!! I might try a smaller pasta next time. It was lemony and good!!
We loved this. So simple but so tasty for anyone who loves chicken Caesar salad.
Wouldn't have thought to pair the pasta with salad but it was really good.
Even my boys loved this! They enjoyed the extra texture of pasta with the salad.
This changed my life, literally. I now make lunch salads including a serving of pasta, I had never thought to do so before. Thank you for the fulfilling meal
Really enjoyed this, however, I did add a bit more flavor like dried dill and a little celery salt. Felt well balanced nutritionally. We weren't craving more food or snacks after. Didn't need all the pasta though. I actually cooked the chicken sausage pasta at the same time to reheat the next night and threw the extra pasta from this meal into that dish.
