This Grilled Chicken Pesto Pasta Salad is bursting with flavors of juicy grilled chicken, basil pesto, fresh tomatoes, fire roasted red peppers, and creamy mozzarella pearls. The perfect side dish for any get-together, this crowd-pleasing recipe comes together in 30 minutes or less! Garnish with fresh herbs and parmesan cheese for a delightful bite.
Disclosure: This recipe is a paid partnership with Roland Foods, a leading global importer of premium ingredients. Thanks for supporting brands that allow us to bring fresh new content to A Full Living!
If you're not sure what to bring to the bbq, we've got you covered with this perfect recipe! This pesto pasta salad with chicken is bursting with flavor, filling, and easy to make. What's not to love?
Looking for more delicious pesto recipes? Try our creamy pesto pasta, this pesto butter salmon, this pesto vinaigrette dressing, or this pesto aioli. You may also enjoy this creamy pasta salad recipe.
You'll also love this salmon bruschetta made with Roland Foods balsamic glazes!
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❤️Why we love this recipe
- Made with common ingredients. Made with pantry staples, you can find anything you don't already have on hand in nearly any grocery store. Using Roland® Basil Pesto and Roland® Fire Roasted Red Peppers makes putting this recipe together a breeze. Roland Foods’ products are available on Amazon.
- Quick and easy recipe. Short on time? This recipe comes together in 30 minutes or less with the help of Roland Foods' Basil Pesto and Fire Roasted Red Pepper Strips! Simply marinate and cook chicken, prepare the pasta, chop your veggies, and mix everything together, voila!
- Easy to make. Made with simple and fresh ingredients, this cold pasta salad is an easy recipe that home cooks at any level can master.
- Versatility. This dish can be served as a complete meal, an easy side dish for lunch or dinner, and is a great idea for meal prep and summer potlucks!
- Easy to customize. This recipe can be made gluten-free or keto-friendly with one simple swap!
🌿Ingredients
Here are the ingredients we used for this recipe. You can find more information for substitutions below.
- Pasta of choice: We used cavatappi.
- Lemons: We use lemon juice and zest to make a quick chicken marinade. We also add lemon juice to the pasta salad for some extra flavor.
- Chicken breasts: We like to butterfly them and then pound them thin so that they grill quickly. We essentially made a quick version of our lemon herb chicken recipe.
- Seasonings: We use a mixture of kosher salt, black pepper, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, and red pepper flakes to season the chicken.
- Fresh mozzarella pearls: You can also use larger pieces of mozzarella and cut them into smaller pieces.
- Tomatoes: Grape tomatoes or cherry tomatoes can also be used.
- Roland Foods Basil Pesto: A rich, uncooked basil sauce with a vibrant deep green color and strong basil flavor. The basil is blended with olive oil, cheese, cashew nuts, and spices. It makes for the perfect quick and easy solution to help you bring this pasta salad together quickly, with a really great flavor! Find it on Amazon!
- Roland Foods Fire Roasted Red Peppers: These red peppers are fire roasted, peeled, sliced, and packed in water with just a bit of salt. Slightly sweet in flavor, we cut them into smaller pieces and add them to the pasta salad. Find them on Amazon.
- Reserved pasta water: Don't forget to save some of the salty reserved pasta water in case you need to loosen up the noodles a little bit when bringing the pasta salad together.
- Parmesan cheese
- Basil
Visit the recipe card for the full quantities and nutritional information.
✨Substitutions & variations
Here are a few suggestions on additional flavors to try, or simple variations to this recipe.
- Swap the pasta. Swap cavatappi pasta for fusilli, penne, rigatoni, farfalle, or any other pasta that you prefer.
- Add crunchy texture. Add sunflower seeds, pine nuts, or crispy bacon for extra texture.
- Add more fresh veggies. Feel free to add more vegetables like baby spinach or arugula, red onion, artichoke hearts, black olives, zucchini, or sundried tomatoes.
- Don't want to cook your own chicken? No problem, just use some leftover rotisserie chicken or any leftover chicken. If you don't want to cook the chicken, however, make sure to mix together all of the marinade ingredients and seasonings and pour it into the pasta salad so you're not missing out on any flavor.
- Swap the protein. Feel free to use any other protein you like if you don't want to use chicken. Shrimp, steak, or even tofu for vegetarians would make good choices.
- Keto-friendly. Use your favorite keto-friendly pasta or pasta substitute like zucchini noodles.
- Gluten-free. Just be sure to use a gluten-free pasta, as everything else in this recipe is naturally gluten-free.
🔪Prep work
- Halve the tomatoes and cut the roasted red peppers into pieces.
- Cut the chicken breast in half and tenderize it with a meat mallet. (If desired, this helps the meat cook more evenly).
- Heat a grill pan or large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Prepare the pasta in a large pot with heavily salted water. Cook for the suggested cooking time on the package directions until al dente. Reserve about 1 cup of pasta water, drain, and set aside.
- Measure out all the remaining ingredients.
📋Instructions
Combine olive oil, half of the lemon juice, lemon zest, onion powder, garlic powder, black pepper, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, and most of the salt to make a marinade in a large bowl. Add the chicken and let sit for 10 minutes. (Image 1)
✨Pro Tip: Don't let the chicken marinate for much longer than 10 minutes, because the acidity in the lemon juice will begin to cook the chicken.
Add the chicken to the hot grill pan, top with a spoonful of the marinade, and grill for 2-3 minutes on one side before flipping over. (Image 2)
Cook for an additional 3-4 minutes until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F. Let your cooked chicken rest for 5-10 minutes to seal in the juices, then cut into bite-sized pieces. (Image 3)
✨Pro Tip: Use an oven safe meat thermometer (affiliate link) to monitor the temperature of the steak while it cooks. Different air fryers will cook the meat at different times, so a meat thermometer ensures accuracy.
In a large bowl, add the cooked pasta, tomatoes, mozzarella pearls, red peppers, and chicken. (Image 4)
✨Pro Tip: If making ahead of time, don't add the tomatoes until just before serving, as they will lose their flavor quickly after being cut.
Mix the ingredients well and then add basil strips, salt, fresh parmesan, pepper, and basil pesto. (Image 5)
With a rubber spatula, combine all of the ingredients together. (Image 6)
In a serving dish, top with a little extra pesto, freshly grated parmesan, fresh basil leaves, salt, and pepper, and enjoy!
✨Tips & tricks
- Don't forget to salt the pasta water. The salt in the water infuses the pasta while it cooks, and ensures your pasta isn't bland!
- Speaking of pasta water, make sure you save some! Save at least one cup of pasta water so you can loosen up the noodles if they become dry and stick together.
- Don't overcook the pasta. You want the pasta to be al dente, not mushy. Cook according to the package directions and that's it!
- Butterfly and tenderize the chicken. This step is optional but recommended. It helps the chicken cook quickly and evenly so that it stays juicy and flavorful.
- Use a meat thermometer. Cook time on the chicken depends on the thickness of it. Use an oven safe meat thermometer to check the internal temperature.
- Let the chicken rest before cutting. This allows the chicken to retain the juices, so the pieces are nice and juicy in the pasta salad. You only need about 5 minutes to let it rest before cutting into small pieces.
- Leave the tomatoes out if making the pasta salad in advance. Tomatoes quickly lose their flavor and become soggy once cut. If you're making it ahead of time, leave the tomatoes out until just before serving.
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💭Frequently Asked Questions
You can store the leftover pasta salad in an airtight container or the mixing bowl covered in saran wrap for 3-4 days in the fridge. Be aware that the tomatoes will begin to break down quickly, so if you plan to make this ahead of time, leave the tomatoes out until it's time to serve. Do not freeze.
More Recipes To Consider
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📖 Recipe
Chicken Pesto Pasta Salad
Ingredients
Chicken & Marinade
- 1 pound chicken breast cutlets
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1.5 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1.5 teaspoons onion powder
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoons red pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest (zest of 1 lemon)
- 4 tablespoons lemon juice
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- fresh basil for garnish
Pasta Salad
- 1 pound cavatappi (cooked in heavily salted water)
- 1 pound chicken (cut into pieces)
- 10 ounces cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
- ½ can roasted red peppers (about 14 ounces Roland Foods roasted red pepper strips cut into small pieces)
- 1.5 tablespoons lemon juice (juice of ½ lemon)
- 8 ounces mozzarella pearls
- 6-8 ounces basil pesto (Roland Foods basil pesto)
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Prep the chicken by drying with paper towels, cutting them in half, and tenderizing with a meat mallet. Heat a grill pan or a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Prepare the pasta in a large pot with heavily salted water. Cook for the suggested cooking time until al dente. Reserve about 1 cup of pasta water, drain, and set aside.
- Combine 4 tablespoons olive oil, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, lemon zest, 1.5 teaspoons onion powder, 1.5 teaspoons garlic powder, ½ teaspoon black pepper, 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning, ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes, and most of the salt to make a marinade in a large bowl. Add the chicken and let sit for 10 minutes.
- Add the chicken to the hot grill pan, top with a spoonful of the marinade, and grill for 2-3 minutes on one side before flipping over.
- Cook for an additional 3-4 minutes until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F. Let your cooked chicken rest for 5-10 minutes to seal in the juices, then cut into bite-sized pieces.
- In a large bowl, add the cooked pasta, tomatoes, mozzarella pearls, red peppers, and chicken.
- Mix the ingredients well and then add basil strips, salt, fresh parmesan, pepper, and basil pesto. With a rubber spatula, combine all of the ingredients together.
- In a serving dish, top with a little extra pesto, freshly grated parmesan, fresh basil leaves, salt, and pepper, and enjoy!
- You can store the leftover pasta salad in an airtight container or the mixing bowl covered in saran wrap for 3-4 days in the fridge. Be aware that the tomatoes will begin to break down quickly, so if you plan to make this ahead of time, leave the tomatoes out until it's time to serve.
Notes
- Don't forget to salt the pasta water. The salt in the water infuses the pasta while it cooks, and ensures your pasta isn't bland!
- Speaking of pasta water, make sure you save some! Save at least one cup of pasta water so you can loosen up the noodles if they become dry and stick together.
- Don't overcook the pasta. You want the pasta to be al dente, not mushy. Cook according to the package directions.
- Butterfly and tenderize the chicken. This step is optional but recommended. It helps the chicken cook quickly and evenly so that it stays juicy and flavorful.
- Use a meat thermometer. Cook time on the chicken depends on the thickness of it. Use an oven safe meat thermometer to check the internal temperature.
- Let the chicken rest before cutting. This allows the chicken to retain the juices, so the pieces are nice and juicy in the pasta salad.
- Leave the tomatoes out if making the pasta salad in advance. Tomatoes quickly lose their flavor and become soggy once cut. If you're making it ahead of time, leave the tomatoes out until just before serving.
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