This easy creamy chicken pasta salad recipe is made with rotini pasta, chicken, romaine lettuce, croutons and grated parmesan. All tossed together with an easy homemade creamy salad dressing.

Creamy Chicken Pasta Salad

I'm a big fan of cold pasta salads like this one. They're great for feeding a bunch of family members. You can enjoy this for lunch or as a side dish for a barbecue, picnic or potluck.

This salad is cooked in a few different steps. First you will boil the pasta and cook the chicken. Next, mix together the salad dressing and chop the lettuce. After that, the pasta, chicken, lettuce, and croutons are all added to a large bowl and tossed with the creamy dressing.

Bowls of rotini pasta, chopped chicken, croutons, mayonnaise, minced garlic, lemon juice, grated parmesan, dijon mustard and worcestershire sauce.

Recipe Ingredients

For The Pasta Salad

2 cups chopped cooked chicken - cook your own or use a store-bought rotisserie chicken
1-2 cups chicken broth
3 cups cooked rotini pasta - about ¾ lb uncooked
5 cups chopped romaine lettuce - about 1 romaine heart
2 cups croutons - you can make your own using bread slices or use store-bought
⅓ cup grated parmesan cheese - freshly grated works best

For The Salad Dressing

1 cup mayonnaise - or caesar dressing or plain greek yogurt (or use half of each)
2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp Dijon mustard
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp minced garlic - or ½ tsp garlic powder

Three images, first a pot with chicken broth and 3 chicken breasts. Second is cooked chicken breast in pot. Third is chopped chicken on cutting board with a knife.

How To Make Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad

Full ingredients and instructions are also in the recipe card at the bottom of this blog post.

STEP 1: COOK CHICKEN - Add 2-3 cooked chicken breasts to a pot over medium-high heat. Pour enough broth overtop to cover half of the chicken. Bring it to a boil then reduce and let simmer.

Cook the chicken 3-5 minutes, then flip and cook another 3-5 minutes, or until chicken is fully cooked. Slice or shred the chicken into bite-size pieces. Set aside.

Note: you can also use a store-bought rotisserie chicken to help save time.

Four images, a pot of rotini pasta, a strainer with cooked pasta, a cutting board with chopped lettuce and romaine lettuce heart, and a baking sheet with croutons.

STEP 2: COOK PASTA - Heat a pot of boiling water, then cook ¾ lb rotini pasta al dente. Drain and rinse under cold water. Set aside.

STEP 3: MAKE CROUTONS - Slice 4 pieces of bread into small cubes. Place them on a baking sheet in a single layer. Bake at 400F for 5-8 minutes, or until bread is toasted. Note: you can also skip this step and use store-bought croutons.

STEP 4: Slice 1 romaine heart into thin strips. Wash and dry the lettuce.

A bowl with liquid ingredients dumped in, first unmixed then mixed to a creamy salad dressing.

STEP 5: Add 1 cup mayonnaise, 2 Tbsp lemon juice, 2 tsp dijon mustard, 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce, and 2 tsp minced garlic to a bowl. Stir everything together.

Four images, first is chopped chicken, rotini pasta, croutons and sliced lettuce in bowl. Second has creamy dressing poured over top of the bowl. Third and fourth are creamy pasta chicken ingredients all tossed together in steel bowl.

STEP 6: ASSEMBLY - Now add 3 cups cooked rotini pasta (it should be cold), 5 cups chopped romaine lettuce, 2 cups chopped cooked chicken, 2 cups croutons, ⅓ cup grated parmesan cheese, and the creamy salad dressing to a large bowl. Gently toss everything together until evenly combined. Cover and place in the fridge for 1 hour before serving.

A bowl of creamy chicken pasta salad with croutons, rotini pasta, chopped chicken and lettuce.

Recipe Tips

This pasta salad makes a very large serving, so use the biggest bowl you have when mixing all the ingredients together.
You can use shredded store-bought rotisserie chicken for this recipe as well.
This will taste the best when served on the same day that you make it. I recommend making it 1-2 hours before serving for best freshness.
Cover tightly with a lid or plastic wrap in the fridge to keep the ingredients fresh and crisp before serving.

How To Store Leftovers

Refrigerate - This salad can be refrigerated for 3-4 days after making it. Store it in an airtight container or a bowl covered with plastic wrap. For meal prep, it can be stored in mason jars sealed with a lid.

Note: The lettuce will lose some of its crispness over time. The longer you store the salad, the more the romaine will become soggy. It's best eaten the same day that you make it.