chicken Caprese Pasta Salad
Summer is for Caprese salad… but this? This is next-level. I took everything you love about classic Caprese—fresh basil, juicy cherry tomatoes, marinated mozzarella pearls—and turned it into a flavor-packed pasta salad with the most insanely delicious marinated chicken. It’s kind of like my creamy Italian pasta salad meets Caprese, with a balsamic vinegar twist instead of red wine vinegar. And here’s the kicker: I used the actual marinade from the mozzarella pearls to flavor the chicken. Yep. That’s the secret that makes this pasta salad so addictively good. It’s fresh, it’s bold, it’s summer in a bowl. Ready to make Chicken Caprese Pasta Salad? Let’s go!
Ingredients
- 1 pound of fusilli pasta
- 2 chicken breasts cut into ½ inch chunks
- 1 1/2 pint cherry tomatoes halved
- 16 oz mozzarella pearls marinated in oil chilli peppers and garlic the marinated oil & the mozzarella pearls
- 1 tbsp of balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 cup fresh basil chopped
- Salt & pepper to taste
dressing
- 1 packet zesty Italian dressing mix
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
- 3 tbsp water
- ½ cup olive oil
- 1 cup mayo
- For garnish: chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Cook pasta until al dente, drain and cool.
- Cut the chicken breasts into 1/2 inch chunks. Put the chicken chunks into a gallon size ziploc bag. Add marinated in oil from the mozzarella pearls from the container into the bag. Add a tbsp of balsamic vinegar inot the bag. Place the bag into the fridge and marinate for an hour; up to overnight.
- Pour 2-3 tbsp of the marinated oil from the ziploc ino the pan. Set the pan to medium high heat. Once the oil is heated up add the chicken chunks ino the pan and discard the rest of the oil. Saute at medium until all sides are browned and cooked through. Once the chicken is done set aside in a bowl or plate.
- To make your dressing, in a cruet or mason jar add in vinegar, water, italian dressing mix, and shake that together. Then, pour in the olive oil and shake it together until combined. In a separate measuring cup or bowl add mayo and a ½ cup of that italian dressing. Mix that together until fully combined.
- In a large serving bowl, pour in the pasta and half of that creamy italian dressing mayo mixture and toss that together until combined. Next, add in the halved cherry tomatoes, halved mozzarella pearls, and chopped basil. Toss. Add the chicken into the bowl. Then, pour in the other half of the creamy italian dressing mayo mixture and gently toss that together until fully incorporated. Garnish with fresh parsley and a drizzle of balsamic glaze or vinegar.
- Chill for at least an hour or even better overnight before serving.
- Toss pasta with cherry tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil.
- Drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper.
- Top with balsamic glaze just before serving.
Video
Nutrition
Calories: 251kcalCarbohydrates: 0.5gProtein: 0.2gFat: 28gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 11gMonounsaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 0.04gCholesterol: 9mgSodium: 154mgPotassium: 7mgSugar: 0.4gVitamin A: 15IUCalcium: 3mgIron: 0.1mg
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