This garlic parmesan chicken pasta salad is so good you'll want to make it again and again.
It's packed with flavour from the garlic parmesan marinated chicken, the artichokes and the pine nuts. It's great for parties because it can be made in advance and served cold or hot, depending on the weather and your preference.
The best part? Everyone will love it! Even your pickiest eaters will want seconds of this pasta salad.
Pasta salads are a dream in the summer and I'm still clinging on to that summery feeling for another few weeks at least!
Honestly pasta salads are probably one of my favourite meals and there are tons on the blog including this mackerel pasta salad, this pesto pasta salad with prawns, this tomato pasta salad and this cobb salad with pasta and roasted chickpeas. But somehow I didn't have a pasta salad with chicken in it until now!
The chicken for this recipe is marinated with garlic, parmesan, olive oil and dried oregano — making it super flavourful — then it's baked until juicy. The pasta is tossed with artichokes, more parmesan and pine nuts then all that’s left is mixing up your dressing (which takes less than 5 minutes) and adding everything together in a bowl!
Ingredients
- Chicken Breasts
- Garlic
- Parmesan
- Dried Oregano
- Olive Oil
- Pine Nuts
- Pasta: Use any short cut you like
- Marinated Artichokes
- Basil
- Dressing: this is a combo of lemon juice, white wine vinegar, dijon mustard, honey, garlic and olive oil
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Put the parmesan, olive oil, garlic and oregano in a small bowl and mix together.
Put the chicken breasts in the bowl and mix to coat with the marinade. Place on a baking sheet and put in the oven.
Put all of the dressing ingredients in a bowl and whisk together.
Cook the pasta according to packet instructions then put in a bowl with the basil, parmesan, pine nuts and artichokes.
Slice the chicken and add to the pasta.
Drizzle over the dressing, toss well and serve.
Hint: chicken breasts should be cooked to an internal temperature of 74°C/165°F.
Substitutions
- Gluten Free - simply switch the pasta for your favourite gluten free brand
- Veggies - feel free to chuck in extra veggies. Broccoli roasted with the chicken would be delicious
- Vegetarian - skip the chicken and make sure you use a parmesan suitable for vegetarians
Variations
- Spicy - I like to sprinkle chilli flakes on this pasta salad before serving and I recommend doing the same if you like a hint of spice
- Leftover Chicken - This recipe would be a great way to use leftover chicken instead of cooking the chicken breasts from scratch
Storage
This pasta salad keeps well in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Top tip
If you have the time then you could marinate the chicken ahead of time for even more flavour! Place the chicken mixed with the marinade in a sealed container and store in the fridge for up to 24 hours.
FAQ
This recipe is perfect for meal prep! You can make the entire thing and store in the fridge or prep parts of the recipe before assembling. Roasting the chicken, cooking the pasta and making the dressing can all be done in advance.
The best way to avoid the pasta getting soggy is to make sure you cook it just to al dente. This will mean that the pasta can soak up some of the dressing while it sits without getting too soft.
Want more? Try these other pasta recipes!
- Cherry Tomato Pasta with Kale
- Creamy Mushroom Pasta Bake
- Tuna Pasta Salad with Feta & Pine Nuts
- Pork Pasta with Dried Mushrooms & Spinach
- Prawn Pasta with Spicy Tomato Sauce
- Crockpot Lazy Lasagna with Ravioli
- Orzo Risotto with Mascarpone
Recipe
Garlic Parmesan Chicken Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 2 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
- Salt and Pepper
- 4 cloves Garlic crushed
- 100 g Parmesan finely grated
- 1 teaspoon Oregano
- 3 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 30 g Pine Nuts
- 400 g Short Cut Pasta
- 1 400g jar Marinated Artichokes drained
- 20 g Basil chopped
Dressing
- 3 tablespoon Lemon Juice
- 2 tablespoon White Wine Vinegar
- 2 teaspoon Dijon Mustard
- 1 teaspoon Honey
- 2 cloves Garlic crushed
- Salt and Pepper
- 5 tablespoon Olive Oil
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 220°C/430°F. In a bowl mix together the crushed garlic, half the grated parmesan, oregano and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Add the chicken breasts and mix well to coat in the marinade. Put the chicken breasts on a baking sheet and bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes depending on the size of the chicken breasts.
- While the chicken cooks bring a large pot of salted water to the boil and cook the pasta according to packet instructions. When ready run under cold water and tip into a large bowl.
- Whisk together all of the dressing ingredients and set aside. Heat a small nonstick frying pan over a low heat. Add the pine nuts and toast, flipping regularly, until golden. Add to the bowl with the pasta.
- When the chicken is cooked chop into bitesized pieces and add to the bowl with the pasta along with the rest of the parmesan, basil and artichokes. Drizzle over most of the dressing and toss well. Taste and add more dressing if needed. Serve sprinkled with chilli flakes if desired.
Notes
Like the look of this recipe? Make sure you pin it for later!
Tayler says
I made this last weekend for a picnic and everyone loved it! Thanks so much for sharing!
Colleen says
I made this pasta salad with leftover chicken and it was delicious! Thanks for sharing.
Liz says
This pasta salad was simple and packed full of flavor. It is so hard to find recipes to hide protein and veggies for my kids and this one was an absolute hit! We will definitely be making it again soon.
MJ says
I love how satisfying this garlic chicken pasta is! Made it for dinner and can't wait to enjoy leftovers for lunch.