Pasta & Chicken Salad with Caesar Style Dressing

Helga Glaesel de BlandingJuly 23, 2025

This post is also available in ESPAÑOL (SPANISH)

This Caesar-style Chicken Pasta Salad is a fresh and hearty spin on a classic. It’s not a traditional Caesar, but it captures all the creamy, savory, lemony goodness you love. The dressing is made from scratch with Greek yogurt, light mayo, anchovies, garlic, and parmesan, giving it a rich flavor that feels indulgent but still light. Toss it with perfectly cooked pasta, crispy romaine, and juicy spiced chicken, and you’ve got a salad that’s anything but boring.

We recommend you use Dijon mustard and not yellow mustard for this recipe and trust us… use the anchovy fillets. They are minced so finely they practically disappear in the dressing, and it gives it a briny flavor that is not fishy at all. My family didn’t even notice they were in there, and they loved this dressing!

Pasta & Chicken Salad with Caesar Style Dressing

What we love most about this salad is how it balances comfort and freshness. The smoky paprika chicken adds bold flavor, while the crisp lettuce and lemony notes in the dressing keep things bright. It’s great for meal prep, easy lunches, or a casual dinner when you want something satisfying without heating up the kitchen. If you enjoy this recipe on the weekend, it would be wonderfully paired with white wine.

Helga

Pasta & Chicken Salad with Caesar Style Dressing

Yields 2-4 servings

Ingredients, for the Dressing:
¼ cup light mayonnaise
½ cup plain Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 ½ tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 lemon, juiced
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 anchovy filets, minced very finely
¼ cup grated parmesan
Salt and pepper, to taste
water, to thin as needed

Ingredients for the Chicken:
1 lb. skinless, boneless chicken breasts, pounded to even thickness
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon spoked paprika
1 teaspoon oregano, powdered
1 teaspoon onion, powdered
½ tsp chili flakes

Ingredients for the Salad:
4 cups finely chopped romaine lettuce
½ cup grated parmesan
250 g. short pasta, cooked

Directions:

Cook the pasta according to the package’s instructions. Drain and set aside, adding a little olive oil to prevent it from sticking. You can lightly season it with salt.
Combine dressing ingredients (except for the Parmesan, salt, and pepper) in a small bowl. Mix with a whisk, then stir in the Parmesan cheese. Adjust to taste, adding salt and pepper as needed. Refrigerate while you prepare the salad. If the dressing is too thick, you can thin it out to your taste by adding water.
In a medium bowl, add the chicken breasts and drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice, season with salt and pepper to taste, and add the spices and coat evenly. You may cook them right away or let them marinate for 15 minutes.
Heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium heat. Cook the chicken for about 4-5 minutes per side, depending on the thickness of the breast, it could be up to 8 minutes per side. Set aside and let rest for 10 minutes, before cutting the pieces into cubes.
To assemble individual plates: add some cooked pasta to a bowl, follow by the chopped romaine lettuce add the chicken pieces and drizzle with some dressing. Add extra shredded Parmesan Cheese as topping.

Have you made this recipe?

Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and share a picture with the hashtag #thefoodieskitchen!

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