All the flavors of a Caprese Salad in this Chicken Pasta Salad! So easy to make and so delicious! Using a rotisserie chicken means you can have this tasty dinner on the table in minutes! Make it in the summer with fresh basil and use pesto in the winter for a year round easy meal!
Caprese Salad
A Caprese salad is one of the simplest salads you can make and one of the most delicious. It is simply tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, and basil, usually artfully arranged on a plate and drizzled with olive oil, and seasoned with salt and pepper. It's an Italian salad and contains the colors of the Italian flag!
Give me a Caprese salad, a chunk of bread and I can call it breakfast, lunch or dinner. But sometimes I want all the flavors of the Italian salad with a little more substantial ingredients.
That's where this easy pasta recipe comes in. By adding rotisserie chicken and your favorite pasta, you have an easy dinner recipe that everyone will love!
Ingredients to Make this Caprese Chicken Pasta Salad
- Chicken - I used the shredded breast meat from a rotisserie chicken. Save the legs and thighs for other rotisserie chicken recipes.
- Pasta - this works best with shaped pasta instead of strands. I used rigatoni because I had some in the pantry, shells or bow tie pasta would also work.
- Tomatoes - cherry tomatoes keep it a little drier, if you want more sauce use whole tomatoes and chop them.
- Garlic.
- Lemon - grated rind for a little extra pop.
- Mozzarella - try to find fresh mozzarella if you can, do not use shredded mozzarella. It usually comes shaped in small balls.
- Basil - fresh if you can find it, otherwise use basil pesto. It will be a little saucier with basil pesto. Taste after adding the pesto before adding the dressing, you might not need s much.
- Red wine vinegar - or white.
- Olive Oil - use a good quality extra virgin olive oil, it will impart a lot of flavor on this simple dish.
How to Make This Pasta Salad with Chicken
- Step One - cook pasta according to directions.
- Step Two - while pasta is cooking prep the rest of the ingredients: shred the chicken, mince the garlic, halve the tomatoes, tear the basil leaves, tear the mozzarella cheese into bite sized pieces, zest the lemon, and gather the olive olive oil, salt, pepper and vinegar.
- Step Three - drain the pasta and rinse under cold water. Add to a bowl and add the chicken, garlic, tomatoes, basil and mozzarella cheese to a bowl.
- Step Four - whisk the olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper in a small bowl (or shake in a mason jar) and pour over the salad. Toss to combine and taste and adjust seasonings.
Easy Caprese Salad with Pasta and Chicken
We have this all summer long, it's that good and that easy. It is a drier pasta salad, especially if you use cherry tomatoes. Using ripe large tomatoes will give you more of a sauce.
I also love this salad in the winter using basil pesto! I find that roma tomatoes and cherry tomatoes are pretty good all year round. Having a big bowl of this in the middle of winter, is like a soft summer breeze.
More Easy Pasta Recipes
Tomato and Basil Orzo with Ricotta - cooks all in one pan and ready in about 30 minutes!
Pasta Puttanesca - no cook pasta sauce means you can have this on the table in the time it takes to boil the pasta!
Lobster Fra Diavolo - elegant and fancy, only you will know how easy it is! A great way to stretch a small amount of lobster!
Sweet Potato and Chorizo Pasta - roast the sweet potatoes and the chorizo and toss with the pasta for a delicious pasta dinner!
Follow my Pasta Recipes Board on Pinterest for even more pasta recipes!
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Caprese Chicken Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 14 ounces Rigatoni or your favorite shaped pasta
- 2 chicken breasts cooked, shredded
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 9 ounces cherry tomatoes halved, or whole tomatoes diced
- 1 cup basil leaves torn
- 4 ½ ounces fresh mozzarella cheese torn
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest finely grated
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to directions. Drain. Rinse under cold water.
- Add the pasta to the bowl with the chicken, garlic, tomatoes, cheese, basil and lemon grass.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil and vinegar and salt and pepper. Pour over the salad.
- Toss the salad, taste and adjust the seasonings if necessary.
Notes
Nutrition
This was originally published in February 2010 and has been updated for 2019.
Freya says
I used vegan chicken pieces instead of real and it was so yummy and full of flavour!
Liz says
This pasta salad sounds and looks so refreshing! A great salad to make for the spring and summer seasons! Thanks for the share!
Tawnie Kroll says
My new favorite pasta!! Thank you!!
Sapana says
I love quick and easy meals like - perfect for the cooler months ahead!
Raia Todd says
What a delightful pasta salad! Pretty easy and with classically delicious flavors. 🙂
Bintu | Recipes From A Pantry says
This looks like such a delicious lunch option for midweek! Definitely need to make it for myself!
Pam Greer says
You'll have to let me know what you think!
Andrea Metlika says
I love quick, easy, flavorful meals like. I'm making this for Sunday Brunch.
The Food Hunter says
Sounds perfect and looks even more so!
Chef Fresco says
I agree about winter- I am also so over it! This dish looks amazing!
corinnea says
If I weren't so tired, I would have made this. I just sat here and imagined I did instead of the waffles I cooked.....
Ruth Daniels says
Great post, thanks for sharing a bit of summer with those of us in the middle of a snow storm here in Halifax.
And I couldn't agree more...we must be good to ourselves! So we can be good to everyone else.
Thanks for sharing with Presto Pasta Nights.
grace says
i'm glad you pamper yourself, pam. we all should, and if it means feasting on summer foods in the dead of winter, so be it. 🙂
Tangled Noodle says
What a gorgeous plate! Winters here are so long so such tasty reminders that summer will come someday help to make it more pleasant. It's still mid-February, though, so I'll need several servings!
Michelle says
OH MY! Does this ever look good! I've not been cooking too many pasta dishes lately and we're having pasta tomorrow night for sure!
My Carolina Kitchen says
I would love to subscribe to the Donna Hay magazine. My husband saw the price on the cover and just about died. When I told him about the price to subscribe, I got a resounding no.
Lovely pasta salad Pam.
Sam
Cinnamon-Girl♥ says
Right about now is when I start craving dishes like this! I know what you mean about being over it. This looks excellent!
All Our Fingers in the Pie says
This looks so good. I am looking for a Texas chili recipe and can't remember who has it? Is it you?
Lydia (The Perfect Pantry) says
These are just the flavors I love in summer, especially when I can walk out the front door and pick basil from my garden. It's hard for me to buy herbs in winter; they never quite compare to the summer garden herbs. But for a taste of this salad, I just might have to!
Peter M says
Pam, this would also make for a fab pasta salad for a picnic..it has summer written all over it.
noble pig says
Pam...this is money!
Mags says
What a gorgeous looking and summery sounding salad. It's snowing here right now but because of your pasta salad post, I'm going to go put on my bikini and make snow angels.
(I sometimes tell lies when I suffer from winter depression.)
tale of many cities says
another yummy dish for the recipe file! thanks!! 🙂
Chris says
That does scream spring and summer, doesn't it? Looks great.
Tatersmama says
This sounds delicious! Here in this area of Oz, we're 'supposedly' in summer, but the temps have been pretty darn low lately, and we've been getting lots of rain off and on. This meal would be perfect for those days that it's "just in between' being hot or cold!
Kim says
I make myself happy too! I've been known to hide purchases from my husband :O
The Donna Hay recipes always look terrific.
Marjie says
It's a fine looking pasta salad, and a great way to use one of those cute little jars of basil!
buffalodick says
That looks refreshing and tasty right now! I make a Pasta salad for a guy that's in a local cook book I contributed to.. It's got everything but Kryptonite in it!
Amy says
So so so over winter. Although, I'm one of the few that could do without it all together. I use my outdoor grill even in sub-zero temps, just to remind me of summer.
I usually have leftover rotisserie chicken in the frig, so this would be a snap to whip up - anything with cherry tomatoes and fresh mozzarella has to be good.
You're certainly making a pretty strong case for purchasing a subscription to Donna Hay.
Joanne says
The tomato mozzarella basil combination brings me back to summer as well. Can we be over this whole winter thing together? It's driving me slightly insane.
A Year on the Grill says
I am so tired of it.. And we all should be warm
Great salad, great reminder
La Table De Nana says
We enjoy different chicken salads..I now have a new one up my sleeve..Yes..make yourself happy:) It helps in making others happy~Which comes first? Like the chicken and the egg!
Mimi says
Food really allows you to visit other seasons when you have had enough of the current one. Some how, it doesn't work as well for me to visit winter in the summer. Great salad, I just picked up cherry tomatoes at the farmers market.
Mimi
elledee says
so much yum!
shabby girl says
I'm with you. I want warm, and sun, and cool pasta dishes out on the deck!
This looks really good! It may just be my next Saturday lunch!
Barbara says
Yummy, Pam. I made something similar the other day but added Parmesan and some black olives. Going to add mozzarella the next time!
I love doing these pasta salads- you can use up whatever you have left in the fridge. I even had some whole wheat pasta, just to make me feel I was being a good girl!
Kat says
Funny, I had to have a tomato and onion salad yesterday! And beer can chicken..........guess we are ready for Spring, huh?
Joy says
This looks delicious. I will be trying this. I will be growing some basil this summer too. What I tried to root, didn't do very well.
George Gaston says
Pam, this is a perfect pasta dish after all my 'heavy' Valentine's dining! I think while eating it, I can dream of warmer days to come.
Great recipe, thanks
Lea Ann says
I've had something like this years ago and it was delicious. I don't think I've ever had a recipe so thanks for sharing.
hip chick says
It sounds and looks divine. I'm not sure I can eat it in the winter though. I think it will have to be just a bit warmer for me to really enjoy this. Otherwise, it's just a tease.