Chicken Caesar Salad with Penne

Name: Chicken Caesar Salad with Penne
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 1 min
Total time: 6 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 4-6 oz cooked chicken, cubed or sliced into strips; 5 oz mixed greens; 1 cup penne pasta; Parmigiano-Reggiano (to taste); croutons (to taste); Caesar dressing (to taste)

posted by Megan on May 10, 2020 (last updated 7/1/22) 0 comments »

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I love salad. And by “love salad” I meant that you could have something loaded up with a pile of dressing and chunks of bacon with like maybe 2 lettuce leaves and be all, “Look, it is I, the walking chickpea and goddess of health.” No one questions salads. “Oh, wow. Look at her, so put together, eating her healthy salad.” This chicken Caesar salad is here to perpetuate that falsehood.

bowl of chicken caesar salad with lemons

Get your greens

If you have a garden to get lettuce you grew yourself, use that. If you want to get a bag of American blend greens at the store, by all means. I like to use a combination of lettuce, spinach and arugula (peppery and delicious in season.)

Wash whichever greens you choose, and make sure that they’ve been fully dried, or the dressing won’t cling to the leaves.

Chicken

Just like with the greens, you can do pretty much anything you want, and it’s going to taste good. I’ve made this chicken Caesar salad with rotisserie chicken from the store, and I’ve also seared up my own chicken from a bird I broke down myself.

Fix-ins

Penne pasta that’s been cooked to al dente and drained. Fresh grated parmesan cheese and as many croutons as your heart tells you to add. Just for the sake of logistics and your own sanity, toss everything together in a large mixing bowl with the dressing. You can completely coat everything evenly without worrying about spilling.

This salad is probably the easiest thing to make and serve, just like most salads. It’s maybe a little more involved if you consider boiling pasta to be “involved.” Some days, it really is.

All jokes aside, this is one of my favorite things to make for dinner. It’s simple, delicious and crowd pleasing – should you be serving a crowd. Enjoy!!