Chicken Caprese Pasta Salad

This chicken caprese pasta salad is a delicious, healthy pasta salad made with tomatoes, basil, mozzarella and balsamic vinegar that makes the perfect make-ahead summer lunch or potluck dish! (gluten-free and vegetarian options)

Summer means cookout season, and that means pasta salad season! Mr. Table is a huge fan of pasta salad. He loved my carrot top pesto tortellini salad, so I knew I better make him another pasta salad asap. Enter this chicken caprese pasta salad.

Why You'll Love Chicken Caprese Pasta Salad

This chicken caprese pasta salad is the perfect solution for summer. It has all of the delicious flavors of a classic caprese salad - tomatoes, basil, and fresh mozzarella - plus grilled chicken and whole grain pasta to make it hearty and filling. This pasta salad can be a complete meal on its own, or it makes a tasty side dish that you can bring to cookouts. It's also a great way to use up leftover chicken, so next time you're grilling, throw an extra chicken breast on the grill for this pasta salad!

What Makes This Pasta Salad Healthy

I love using whole grain pasta is my pasta salads. It provides more filling protein and fiber than regular pasta. This pasta salad is also heavy on the veggies, has protein-rich chicken, and swaps mayo-based dressing for a light but flavorful drizzle of balsamic vinegar.

How To Make Chicken Caprese Pasta Salad

1. Cook the pasta to al dente according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
2. Thinly slice grilled chicken or cut into bite-sized pieces. Halve cherry tomatoes. 
3. Mix olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper.
4. In a large bowl, combine pasta with chicken, tomatoes, and mozzarella. Drizzle with olive oil mixture and add roughly torn basil leaves. Gently stir to coat everything.
5. Drizzle with balsamic reduction before serving. (optional)

Ingredient Substitutions

• For gluten-free, use your favorite gluten-free pasta, such as Banza chickpea pasta.
• For vegetarian, leave out the chicken.
• You can also use whole tomatoes and dice them, and/or a whole ball of mozzarella and tear or cut it into pieces instead of mozzarella pearls.
• Use your favorite balsamic vinaigrette instead of olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Make-Ahead Tips

This pasta salad is a great dish to meal prep on the weekends. I love keeping it in our refrigerator as an easy side dish to go with summer dinners or as a quick lunch on busy days. Mr. Table loves eating it for lunch, too.

• Store pasta salad in the refrigerator, covered, until ready to serve. It will last 3-4 days in the refrigerator.
• Add the basil and toss with additional oil and vinegar or balsamic vinaigrette just before serving, as the pasta tends to soak up the dressing and become dry as it sits.

Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating in the comments!

Chicken Caprese Pasta Salad

Print Recipe

This chicken caprese pasta salad is a delicious, healthy pasta salad made with tomatoes, basil, mozzarella and balsamic vinegar that makes the perfect make-ahead summer lunch or potluck dish! (gluten-free and vegetarian options)

• Author: Kaleigh
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 10 minutes
• Total Time: 20 minutes
• Yield: about 8 cups 1x
• Category: side dish
• Method: stovetop
• Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 8 oz whole wheat pasta
• 1 boneless, skinless chicken breast, cooked
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• ⅓ cup fresh basil leaves, loosely packed
• 3 oz fresh mozzarella pearls
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• ½ tsp freshly cracked black pepper
• ¼ tsp sea salt
• balsamic reduction (optional)

Instructions

1. Cook the pasta to al dente according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
2. Thinly slice grilled chicken or cut into bite-sized pieces. Halve cherry tomatoes.
3. Mix olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper.
4. In a large bowl, combine pasta with chicken, tomatoes, and mozzarella. Drizzle with olive oil mixture. Roughly tear basil leaves and add to the bowl. Gently stir to coat everything.
5. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
6. Drizzle with balsamic reduction before serving. (optional)

Notes

• Store pasta salad in the refrigerator, covered, until ready to serve. It will last 3-4 days in the refrigerator.
• Add the basil and toss with additional oil and vinegar or balsamic vinaigrette just before serving, as the pasta tends to soak up the dressing and become dry as it sits.
• For gluten-free, use your favorite gluten-free pasta, such as Banza chickpea pasta.
• For vegetarian, leave out the chicken.
• You can also use whole tomatoes and dice them, and/or a whole ball of mozzarella and tear or cut it into pieces instead of mozzarella pearls.
• Use your favorite balsamic vinaigrette instead of olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Keywords: chicken caprese pasta salad, tomato basil mozzarella pasta salad