Chicken Macaroni Pasta Salad
Take your pasta salad to the next level with this delicious Chicken Macaroni Pasta Salad recipe. Imagine macaroni pasta with juicy tomatoes, smoky pancetta and sliced chicken in the most delicious pesto-yoghurt dressing. Yum!
Servings: 4 servings as a main
Ingredients
For the pasta:
- 500 g dried macaroni
- 400 g cherry tomatoes cut into quarters
- 1 garlic clove crushed
- 2 tbsp olive oil plus extra for frying
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 200 g pancetta cubes
- 400 g cooked chicken chopped
- 2 spring onions finely chopped
- 2 large handfuls of rocket
For the pesto dressing:
- 50 g pine nuts toasted
- 50 g basil handful of leaves reserved
- 150 ml olive oil
- 1 garlic clove optional
- 1 lemon zest and juice
- 30 g Parmesan
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 3 tbsp full-fat Greek yoghurt
To serve:
- 1 x ball mozzarella drained and torn
Instructions
- Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil. Add the pasta and cook according to packet instructions, until al dente.
- Meanwhile, place the chopped tomatoes in the bottom of a large salad bowl. Add the garlic and olive oil, then season generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Stir well and leave to marinate.
- Once the pasta is cooked, drain well and add to the tomatoes whilst still hot. Mix well.
- Next, drizzle a little oil in a medium-sized non-stick frying pan set over a medium-high heat and add the pancetta. Cook for a couple of minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden and crispy.
- Fry the pancetta cubes in a frying pan with 1/2 tbsp oil until golden and crispy.
- Add the pancetta to the pasta with the chicken, spring onions and the rocket. Toss gently.
- Meanwhile for the dressing: blitz together the pine nuts, basil, olive oil, garlic, lemon and Parmesan to form a pesto. Season to taste. Spoon into a bowl and stir in the yoghurt.
- Pour the pesto dressing over the pasta and toss well to completely coat. Add the torn mozzarella and enjoy!
Notes
Scroll up for a helpful step-by-step guide with images to help you assemble this recipe.
To store: Keep it in the fridge in an airtight container and it will last 5 days. Ideally, store without the rocket as it will wilt over time and go limp and soggy. If you are storing leftovers and it's already mixed in, don't worry too much.
To freeze: I don't recommend freezing this salad.
Prep ahead: I would mix in the rocket at the last minute to avoid it going limp over time, as well as the mozzarella on top. Place in fridge until ready to serve. Remove from the fridge 30 minutes before serving as it's best at room temperature.
Dressing: If the salad soaks up a lot of the dressing after being sat in the fridge, you can always add another spoon of pesto, yoghurt or a drizzle of olive oil. You shouldn't have this issue though since using the tomatoes as the dressing keeps it super juicy.
Make it vegetarian friendly: simply omit the chicken (or use a chicken substitute - crispy tofu would also work well) and pancetta and make your pesto using a vegetarian-friendly Parmesan to make this Macaroni Pasta Salad suitable for vegetarians.
Make it vegan friendly: you can also make a vegan version of this Macaroni Pasta Salad by omitting the chicken and pancetta (or using plant-based chicken and bacon alternatives), using a vegan Parmesan-style cheese in your pesto, opting for a thick plant-based yoghurt in the dressing, then choosing a vegan-friendly mozzarella.
Cooking the pasta: make sure you don't overcook the pasta as you want it to hold its shape well in the salad. Al dente is ideal.
Taste: Make sure you taste the dressing before pouring over and taste the salad before serving. It might need more salt or more lemon or anything else.