Chicken Pasta Salad Recipe
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This chicken pasta salad is a one-bowl meal. It’s loaded with protein, grains and plenty of fresh garden vegetables. AHHHH I just love this time of year when veggies are so crisp, sweet, juicy and sun-ripened!
The creamy lemon dill dressing amplifies the veggies and provides fresh amazing flavor. This pasta salad recipe makes a party-sized big batch which is great for the dinner table and leftovers make for an amazing to-go lunch the next day. The recipe can easily be cut in half. It keeps well refrigerated, plus it’s hearty and satisfying in a feel good way.
My Mother-in-law shared this recipe with us. She makes it with rice (which is a good gluten-free option), but we really enjoyed it with orzo (a rice-shaped pasta). Feel free to sub with your favorite pasta to make it your own! P.S. Fresh corn is always best, but when it’s not in season, canned is a worthy substitute ;).
Ingredients for Chicken Pasta Salad:
1 large chicken breast, trimmed
8 oz (3 cups cooked) orzo pasta
1 (15oz) can corn, drained, or kernels from 2 cooked corn on the cobs
4 boiled eggs, diced
1 red or orange bell pepper diced
1 carrot julienned or grated
3/4 cup green onion (red onion can be used), finely chopped
4-5 small garden cucumbers or 1 english diced
Salad Dressing Ingredients:
3 Tbsp plain greek yogurt
3 Tbsp mayo
3 Tbsp sunflower oil or olive oil
Juice from 1 large lemon (about 4 Tbsp)
1 Tbsp dill or parsley, finely chopped
1/2 tsp salt or to taste
1/4 pepper
How To Make Chicken Pasta Salad:
1. Whisk together dressing ingredients and refrigerate until ready to use.
2. Cut chicken breasts in half lengthwise and season both sides with salt and pepper. Place a large skillet, over medium heat and add 1 Tbsp oil. Add seasoned chicken to the pan and sauté chicken until golden brown and cooked through (about 3 minutes per side). Remove to a cutting board, cool to room temperature, then dice.
3. Cook pasta in salted water until aldente, according to package instructions. Rinse with cold water and drain well.
4. In a large bowl, combine all of your pasta salad Ingredients: diced chicken breast, 3 cups cooked orzo pasta, corn, diced egg, cucumber and bell pepper, julienned carrot and chopped green onion. Toss salad together then drizzle with creamy dressing and toss again to combine. Add salt to taste if desired.
Chicken Pasta Salad
Ingredients
For the Chicken Pasta Salad:
- 1 large chicken breast, trimmed
- 8 oz 3 cups cooked orzo pasta
- 1 15oz can corn, drained, or kernels from 2 cooked corn on the cobs
- 4 boiled eggs, diced
- 1 red or orange bell pepper diced
- 1 carrot julienned or grated
- 3/4 cup green onion, red onion can be used, finely chopped
- 4-5 small garden cucumbers or 1 english diced
Instructions
- Whisk together dressing ingredients and refrigerate until ready to use.
- Cut chicken breasts in half lengthwise and season both sides with salt and pepper. Place a large skillet, over medium heat and add 1 Tbsp oil. Add seasoned chicken to the pan and sauté chicken until golden brown and cooked through (about 3 minutes per side). Remove to a cutting board, cool to room temperature, then dice.
- Cook pasta in salted water until aldente, according to package instructions. Rinse with cold water and drain well.
- In a large bowl, combine all of your pasta salad Ingredients: diced chicken breast, 3 cups cooked orzo pasta, corn, diced egg, cucumber and bell pepper, julienned carrot and chopped green onion. Toss salad together then drizzle with creamy dressing and toss again to combine. Add salt to taste if desired.
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen
Natasha Kravchuk
Hi! I'm Natasha Kravchuk. Here you'll find delicious, trusted recipes with easy step-by-step photos and videos. 
I made this using parsley rather than dill and omitted the cucumber. I found it a bit dry, so next time I will double the dressing ingredients. I also added cumin for more flavor.
I made this for the first time for a family gathering and it was a big hit. Normally for occasions like this I only prepare dishes I have tried previously but with your recipes I am always confident they will be good. Thank you! It was delicious. Perfect for summer with all the fresh veggies.
Wow, I am so flattered! Thank you for the trust, Jenny and for sharing that with us. I hope that you’ll love every recipe that you will try!
I made this salad for family picnic and everyone loved it. I will be making this again.
Sounds like you found a new favorite Liz! Thank you for sharing that amazing feedback with us!
Can I make this wedding a day ahead for a wedding?
Hi Yelena, we do like this one best when it is fresh. For a party, I would suggest prepping all of the ingredients and then combining the salad with the dressing before serving.
Another delish dish. Thanks Natasha 🙂
You are very welcome!
This salad is soo good! Very refreshing with all the fresh vegetables. Perfect as a main course. I will definitely be making it again! Thank you for another great recipe!
I’m so happy to hear that, Olesya! Thank you for sharing your great review!
Love this salad!! It is SO good!! It is perfect at anytime of the year.
That it is! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Y’all need a mobile app!
Wouldn’t that be awesome!
This salad was so delicious so light and fresh. Thank you for sharing such a great recipe.
I’m so happy you enjoyed that! Thanks for the great review!
Ca I make this night ahead?
Hi Rebecca, I do think this particular salad tastes best fresh. You could prep the ingredients ahead and then add the dressing the following day which would work. If you add the dressing and then store overnight, the pasta absorbs some of the dressing and it can get a little dry.
This salad is absolutely delicious!!! Thank you for another fantastic recipe, family loved it and it’s definitely a keeper for us! Thank you!
That is so great to hear! Thank YOU for the fantastic review! 🙂
Hi Natasha!
I am excited to try your pasta salad for my son’s 14th birthday this Friday. I have to make a lot of food (we will be having a lot of people) so I was wondering if this salad will hold well if made in advanced and refrigerated for a day? Thank you for you help and inspiration!
Hi Saniya, I do like this one best when it is fresh. For a party, I would suggest prepping all of the ingredients and then combining the salad with the dressing before serving.
I made this salad for our anniversary dinner and he definitely liked it, so much that he woke up asking if there was left overs the next morning.
But i made the dressing twice as much because it was a bit dry.
thank you Natasha for the good and healthy recipes…you inspired me to start cooking. All the way from Namibia
You’re welcome Christina! What a fanastic review! Thank you for following and sharing such thoughtful comments!
This is sooooo delicious! Perfect for dinner on a hot summer night:) And it feels so much lighter than traditional macaroni salad too! That means I can have seconds… and maybe thirds! 😉
LOL, I’m glad to hear you enjoy the recipe so much! Thanks for sharing your fantastic review Emily!
Hi!
Going to try this tonight: hope the kids like it. Will try to swap the orzo for squash pasta, hope it will turn out(?). Question: could you swap the parsley for cilantro, or would that give it a stronger flavour?
Hi Faizleen, let me know how your experimenting goes! I haven’t tried that substitution myself but I think you could make cilantro work but it would change the flavor profile.
Natasha, can I use only mayonnaise for dressing? Will it still taste good or slightly different without greek yogurt?
Hi Marina, I think that would still work – you might add a little sour cream to give it that little bit of tang which is nice in this salad.
This is delicious! Made this tonight for dinner for my family. Only swap was wagon wheel pasta because I forgot to buy orzo.
I’m looking forward to leftovers tomorrow 🙂
Hi Amy, it’s completely ok to substitute with a small sized pasta. I just like the orzo because it gives the salad a smoother consistency 🙂
In my personal opinion, for this amount of ingredients, the amount of dressing should be twice as much. I made this salad precisely yesterday. It turned out to be a huge bowl which will last us for several days. But salad is dry due to not enough dressing. I’m going to make another batch of dressing tonight, I hope it will help.
Hi Tatiana, you can definitely add more dressing if you prefer. It is a large amount of salad and keep in mind that if you change the vegetable proportions, it can quickly become an even larger salad. I’ve done that before – adding an extra carrot and cucumber and chicken and pasta ending up with a huge salad. I wonder if that may be why the salad seemed dry? I hope that’s helpful! 🙂
Made it tonight and it was super good!
I used sour cream instead of Greek yogurt and added pickled asparagus.
Thank you for providing another delicious salad recipe! My family don’t even ask anymore where the recipes come from…😉
That’s so awesome!! thank you for sharing that with me. 🙂 I’m so happy you and your family are enjoying my recipes. I love your idea of adding pickled asparagus!!
I made this and it is awesome! I would like to make this recipe for a luncheon but found out one of my guests is allergic to dairy. Would it work well with just all mayo instead of yogurt? Thanks.
Hi :). I think that could still work with mayo only. I hope you all enjoy it!
Is it possible to do it with another dressing?
Hi Debora, I think there’s room to experiment and use a different salad dressing. If you test anything out, let me know how you like it 🙂
Oh wow! I made this salad for my son’s bday and it was almost completely gone and everyone was in love with it 😉 thanks for an awsome recipe once agian!
Tania, thank you for such a nice review and you are welcome 😄.
Hello,
Regarding corn on the cob. Does it need to be cooked first or can we use it raw ?
Thanks
Rita
Definitely cooked. Sorry I didn’t write that in. I updated the recipe to clarify. Thanks for asking! 🙂
Hi Natasha. Can i substitute greek yogurt with sour cream or it wont taste the same anymore?
Hi Ruslana, I haven’t tested it that way but I do think it would work. Let me know how you like it 🙂
Hi, Natasha, thank you for posting this recipe. My sons birthday coming up and I will be making this recipe. I cant believe his is turning 6 years old. Hopefully will be enough for all of us have really big family.
It does make a really big bowl of salad and works well as a party side salad. Happy birthday to your son!! Time sure flies 🙂
Thank you!
Made it tonight for the family and it was delicious. But I did not realize that the portions are so big
Hi Anna! Yes, it does make alot and you could definitely cut everything in half if you needed to :). Thankfully leftovers refrigerate well 🙂
Looks yummy, will be making it tonight 😉
Let me know how it turns out 😁.