Made with delish leftover rotisserie chicken, this Rotisserie Chicken Pasta Salad is creamy, tangy, and loaded with great flavors! Easy to make and a dish everyone will love, it’s great for lunch, dinner, or as a side dish!
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Super creamy, flavorful, and loaded with tasty ingredients, this Rotisserie Chicken Pasta Salad is always a hit at potlucks, BBQs, parties, events of all kinds, and just dinner on a Tuesday night. I love that I can use rotisserie chicken – even leftover chicken – to make this salad come together so quickly and easily.
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Buy Now!And, it’s great for making ahead of time! I just get it all ready to go and keep the dressing separate until about 30 minutes before serving. Then a quick mix and dinner is served.
What you’ll love about Rotisserie Chicken Pasta Salad
- It’s meaty, creamy, and filled with tasty ingredients!
- So easy to make and not much chopping!
- Everyone loves it and wants seconds!
Ingredients
- Pasta – Any short pasta will work, but I like farfalle (bowties) for this salad.
- Rotisserie chicken – Leftover rotisserie chicken is excellent in this recipe, but any leftover cooked chicken will work.
- Plain Greek yogurt – Make sure this is plain and unsweetened Greek yogurt. It has a lovely tang and makes the dressing so creamy.
- Roasted red peppers – From a jar, or get all cheffy and roast your own peppers.
- Red onion – Diced.
- Parsley – A few tablespoons chopped finely.
- Garlic – Just one clove, minced finely.
- Lemon juice – From a fresh lemon.
- White wine vinegar – Or use a bit more lemon juice.
- Fresh basil – Adds a pop of freshness and color.
- Sugar – Just a wee teaspoon of sugar to offset the sourness of the citrus. This is optional.
How To Make The Best Rotisserie Chicken Pasta Salad
For a full list of ingredients and instructions, please scroll down to the recipe near the bottom of this page.
Bring a big pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta for one minute less than the package says. That gives you the perfect al dente texture, so it holds up in the salad. Drain the pasta and rinse it under cold water to cool it down fast. I like using a steel strainer with a ring base here. It lets the water drain quickly and evenly, without the pasta sitting in a puddle.
Chop the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Slice the roasted red peppers, dice the red onion, mince the garlic, and chop your fresh herbs. Toss everything into a large stainless steel mixing bowl with a grippy base. I use this kind because it doesn’t slide all over the counter while I’m mixing, and it’s deep enough that nothing spills out.
Once the pasta has cooled, add it to the bowl along with the chopped chicken. Give everything a gentle but thorough toss.
Now make the dressing. Stir together Greek yogurt, lemon juice, white wine vinegar, and a little sugar until it’s smooth and creamy. I almost always reach for my immersion blender for this. It blends everything together beautifully, and cleanup takes seconds. It’s a total upgrade from whisking by hand.
Chill the dressing until you’re ready to use it. About 30 minutes before serving, pour it over the pasta salad and toss again so everything gets coated.
If you want a tidier way to serve it, especially at potlucks or BBQs, use a squeeze bottle with an attached lid. I swear by these. The attached lid means you’re not constantly digging around the drawer for a missing cap, and it makes drizzling super neat. Bonus: the bottle goes straight into the fridge for storing leftovers.
Chef Jenn’s Tips
- I use Costco rotisserie chicken in this pasta salad, but any cooked and cooled rotisserie chicken will work.
- White and dark meat are both fine in this pasta recipe.
- This is a no-mayonnaise pasta salad, but if you really love mayo, you can use half Greek yogurt and half mayonnaise.
- I like using full-fat Greek yogurt, but you can use whatever you like.
- Get creative! Cooked peas, shredded carrots, thinly-sliced celery, and halved grape tomatoes would all work in this salad.
Recommended
Storage
Pack any leftover Rotisserie Chicken Pasta Salad in an airtight container and pop it into the fridge for up to 4 days, unless you used leftover chicken and it’s been around for a while. You don’t want to keep leftover chicken for more than about 5 days in total. Even if it’s in your pasta salad.
Rotisserie Chicken Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 8 ounces bowtie pasta cooked to al dente
- 2 cups diced rotisserie chicken white and dark meat
- 1/2 cup sliced roasted red peppers drained
- 1/4 cup diced red onion
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 1 clove garlic very finely minced or grated
For the dressing:
- 3/4 cup Greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sugar optional
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to package directions, but cook it 1 minute less so that it is al dente. Drain it and run the hot pasta under cold running water to cool it down. Set the drained and cooled pasta aside.
- Chop the chicken into smallish bite-sized chunks, slice the roasted red bell peppers, dice the red onion, chop the herbs, and mince the garlic. Add all this to a large bowl big enough to hold the pasta and chicken.
- Add the pasta and chicken and toss well.
- Make the dressing by mixing the Greek yogurt with the lemon juice, white wine vinegar, and sugar. Mix well and refrigerate until ready to dress the salad.
- Toss the dressing with the salad about 30 minutes before serving.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Chef Jenn’s Tips
- I use Costco rotisserie chicken in this pasta salad, but any cooked and cooled rotisserie chicken will work.
- White and dark meat are both fine in this pasta recipe.
- This is a no mayonnaise pasta salad, but if you really love mayo, you can use half Greek yogurt and half mayonnaise.
- I like using full-fat Greek yogurt, but you can use whatever you like.
- Get creative! Cooked peas, shredded carrots, thinly-sliced celery, and halved grape tomatoes would all work in this salad.
Nutrition
A Note on Nutritional Information
Nutritional information for this recipe is provided as a courtesy and is calculated based on available online ingredient information. It is only an approximate value. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site cannot be guaranteed.
