This Quick and Easy Creamy Pesto Chicken Caprese Pasta Salad combines tender rotisserie chicken, juicy cherry tomatoes, and milky mozzarella pearls with ridged radiatori pasta. A smooth, flavorful dressing made from jarred basil pesto and rich mayonnaise perfectly coats every single bite. Finished with sharp, shaved parmesan, this quick and easy pasta salad is the ultimate make-ahead side dish for summer potlucks, easy weeknight dinners, or meal prep.
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Why You'll Want to Make Quick and Easy Pesto Chicken Caprese Pasta Salad
- No-Cook Protein Convenience: Utilizing pre-cooked rotisserie chicken keeps prep incredibly fast and eliminates the need to turn on the stove for protein.
- The Perfect Dressing Texture: Whisking mayonnaise into jarred pesto creates a smooth, velvety emulsion that prevents the pasta salad from drying out as it sits.
- Ultimate Make-Ahead Dish: The flavors actually improve and meld together as it chills, making it a stress-free recipe for meal prep, summer potlucks, or busy weeknights.
- Bright Visual Appeal: The vibrant green pesto, bright red cherry tomatoes, and stark white mozzarella pearls create a stunning, camera-ready contrast on the plate.
Ingredients - Here's What You'll Need
Steps to Make Quick and Easy Pesto Chicken Caprese Pasta Salad
- Bring a large pot to a boil. Add the Kosher salt and radiatori; cook according to package directions for al dente. Drain and rinse immediately under cold water until completely cooled.
- Line a half-sheet pan with a double layer of paper towels and transfer the cooled pasta to the prepared pan to dry it as much as possible.
- In a large bowl, whisk together basil pesto and mayonnaise until smooth and completely emulsified.
- Add the cooled radiatori, rotisserie chicken, halved cherry tomatoes, mozzarella pearls, and shaved parmesan directly into the bowl with the dressing.
- Gently toss everything together until the pasta is fully coated. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before serving. Garnish with a few fresh basil leaves and some additional shaved parmesan.
Whether you are packing it for meal prep or bringing it to a summer backyard barbecue, this Quick and Easy Pesto Chicken Caprese Pasta Salad is guaranteed to be a crowd-pleaser. By utilizing rotisserie chicken and a simple jarred pesto dressing, you get maximum, gourmet-level flavor with minimal kitchen cleanup. Whip up a batch ahead of time and enjoy a refreshing, stress-free dish that tastes even better after chilling.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you cannot find radiatori, look for another short pasta shape with plenty of ridges, folds, or cavities to trap the creamy pesto dressing. Fusilli (rotini), cavatappi, or campanelle (gigli) are all excellent substitutes that offer a similar texture and visual appeal.
Not at all. While rotisserie chicken is a fantastic timesaver, you can easily swap it out for any cooked chicken you have on hand. Leftover grilled chicken breasts, baked chicken cutlets, or even shredded poached chicken work beautifully in this dish.
Stored in an airtight container, this pasta salad will stay fresh and delicious for 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator. Because it contains both chicken and mayonnaise, do not leave it sitting out at room temperature for more than 2 hours (or 1 hour if serving outdoors on a hot day).
Pasta naturally absorbs moisture as it sits, which can sometimes make leftovers look dry. The addition of mayonnaise in this recipe helps create a stable emulsion that holds up better than straight olive oil, but if it looks a bit dry before serving, simply toss it with an extra tablespoon of pesto or a quick drizzle of olive oil to restore its glossy texture.
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- Slightly Overcook the Pasta: Cook the radiatori just past standard al dente-about 1 minute longer than you would for a hot dinner. Cold temperatures cause starches to firm up and contract; if you pull it out too early, the pasta will turn unpleasantly hard and chalky once chilled.
- Dry Your Mozzarella: Fresh mozzarella pearls come packed in water or whey. Dump them into a mesh strainer and let them drain thoroughly, or give them a quick pat with a paper towel. Excess moisture will thin out your creamy dressing and turn it watery at the bottom of the bowl.
- Slice the Tomatoes Pole-to-Pole: Slice your cherry tomatoes vertically (from stem to tip) rather than across the equator. They hold their shape much better during tossing, leak less watery juice into the salad, and look cleaner on the plate.
- The 30-Minute Rule: Do not skip the refrigerator chill time. When first tossed, the salad will taste mostly of mayonnaise and heavy oil. After 30 to 60 minutes in the fridge, the garlic, basil, and parmesan flavors will fully penetrate the chicken and pasta.
Other Great Rotisserie Chicken Recipes
- Quick and Easy Chicken Caesar Salad Wrap
- Quick and Easy One-Pot Cheesy Buffalo Chicken Pasta
- Homemade Frontega Chicken® Sandwich
- Easy Barbecue Chicken Flatbread Pizzas
- Ultimate Spicy Chicken & Black Bean Nachos
- Cheesy Chipotle Chicken Dip (Easy Rotisserie Chicken Recipe)
- Easy Creamy White Chicken Chili with Rotisserie Chicken
- Easy Honey Chipotle Chicken Quesadillas
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Quick and Easy Pesto Chicken Caprese Pasta Salad
Equipment
- Large Pot
- colander
- half-sheet pan
- Paper Towels
- Large Bowl
- whisk
- Silicone Spatula
Ingredients
- 8 oz Raditori Pasta1
- 1 TBS Kosher Salt
- ¼ c Mayonnaise
- ½ c Jarred Basil Pesto
- 2 c Rotisserie Chicken shredded or cubed; cold
- 1 pt Cherry Tomatoes cut in half2
- 8 oz Mozzarella Pearls dried3
- ½ c Shaved Parmesan Cheese
Instructions
- Bring a large pot to a boil. Add the Kosher salt and radiatori; cook according to package directions for al dente. Drain and rinse immediately under cold water until completely cooled. Line a half-sheet pan with a double layer of paper towels and transfer the cooled pasta to the prepared pan to dry it as much as possible.
- In a large bowl, whisk together basil pesto and mayonnaise until smooth and completely emulsified. Add the cooled radiatori, rotisserie chicken, halved cherry tomatoes, mozzarella pearls, and shaved parmesan directly into the bowl with the dressing. Gently toss everything together until the pasta is fully coated.
- Cover and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before serving. Garnish with a few fresh basil leaves and some additional shaved parmesan.
- Yield 8 servings
Tips/Notes
- If you cannot find radiatori, look for another short pasta shape with plenty of ridges, folds, or cavities to trap the creamy pesto dressing. Fusilli (rotini), cavatappi, or campanelle (gigli) are all excellent substitutes that offer a similar texture and visual appeal.
- Slice your cherry tomatoes vertically (from stem to tip) rather than across the equator. They hold their shape much better during tossing, leak less watery juice into the salad, and look cleaner on the plate.
- Fresh mozzarella pearls come packed in water or whey. Dump them into a mesh strainer and let them drain thoroughly, or give them a quick pat with a paper towel. Excess moisture will thin out your creamy dressing and turn it watery at the bottom of the bowl.
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