Greek chicken pasta salad with step by step photos and a video. This Greek chicken salad is a light and refreshing summer salad combining crispy chicken, pasta, colorful vegetables, herbs, and crumbles of salty feta cheese, all tossed in a flavorful Greek dressing. This is the best Greek chicken pasta salad you'll ever make (ready in 30 minutes!)
Love summer salads? You might also like this Greek Yogurt Coleslaw, Grilled Chicken Avocado Salad, Chinese Chicken Salad, and Asian Slaw.
Why This Greek Chicken Pasta Salad Is A Winner
- Simple Ingredients: This chicken pasta salad uses common ingredients like cooked chicken, pasta, vegetables, and a Greek lemon herb dressing—no fancy or hard-to-find ingredients are needed.
- Easy Steps: This salad is easy to make and is ready in 30 minutes. You have to cook the chicken and pasta, chop the vegetables, and toss everything together with a flavorful homemade Greek dressing.
- Meal Prep Friendly: Cook the chicken and pasta. Let it cool down to room temperature. Transfer it to a separate airtight container and refrigerate. Stays good for 3-5 days.
- Scaling the Recipe for Larger Portions: The recipe can be conveniently scaled up to serve more people. Simply double or triple all ingredient quantities.
Ingredients Notes
This Chicken Pasta Salad with Greek Dressing is easy to make and endlessly customizable. For a detailed list of ingredients and their measurements, check out the recipe card below. Here’s what you will need.
- Pasta: Short, twisty-shaped pasta is a classic choice, such as fusilli or rotini. You can also use Bowtie (Farfalle) pasta.
- Chicken: I have used boneless, skinless chicken breasts for this Greek chicken salad. You can choose boneless skinless chicken thighs or even chicken tenders. If you have leftover grilled chicken, you can use that too.
- Vegetables: I used cucumber, red pepper, and cherry tomatoes. You can add red onions, steamed broccoli, or chopped baby spinach.
- Feta Cheese: Completely optional, but Feta makes it the best Greek chicken salad. Crumbly Feta's sharp, salty flavor and creamy aspects create a flavorful balance and a textural contrast that prevents this Greek salad from becoming bland.
- Herbs: Parsley is used for this recipe. Substitute it with fresh cilantro or basil.
For Greek Salad Dressing
The secret to the most flavorful Greek Chicken Pasta Salad is the dressing. This Greek salad dressing is inspired by Greek vinaigrette made with fresh lemon juice. This versatile dressing serves two purposes: marinating the chicken and dressing the salad.
- Lemon Juice: Fresh lemon juice brightens up the flavor of this Greek salad recipe. Substitute with white vinegar or rice vinegar.
- Olive Oil: Extra virgin olive oil is the best and is widely used in Mediterranean or Greek cuisine. Any other neutral oil, avocado oil, or canola oil, can be used in place of olive oil.
- Honey: Sugar or maple syrup can be used as substitutes for honey in equal amounts. If you prefer a sugar-free option, omit the honey altogether.
- Dried Oregano: Oregano is a quintessential herb in Greek cuisine. Substitute with Italian seasoning.
- Garlic: Fresh garlic cloves are the best. Skip if not available.
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How to make Greek Chicken Pasta Salad - Step By Step Photos
Make the Greek Salad Dressing: In a mason jar, add all the Greek salad dressing ingredients:
- 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice (substitute rice vinegar or white wine vinegar)
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1.5 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp minced garlic
Close the lid. Shake well to emulsify (combine well) them.
Marinate the Chicken: Pound 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts or slice it in half. Place the chicken breasts in a bowl or zip lock bags and toss with 3 tablespoons of the prepared Greek dressing and a pinch of salt. Cover and marinate for at least 30 minutes.
Cook Pasta: While the chicken is marinating cook pasta. Boil salted water and add 400 grams of pasta. Cook it as per the instructions given on the package. Drain the pasta in a colander and keep it aside.
Cook the Chicken: Heat a pan over medium heat and cook the chicken breasts until cooked through, turning them over once for even cooking. Let the chicken cool for 5 minutes before chopping it.
Assemble the Greek Salad: In a large bowl, add the cooked pasta and other ingredients:
- 1 English cucumber, diced (about 1.5 cups)
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 2 cups sliced cherry tomatoes
- ¼ cup chopped parsley
- ½ cup crumbled feta cheese
Pour the remaining dressing over the salad and toss everything together to coat evenly. Taste and adjust the seasoning, like adding more salt or pepper if needed. I have added red pepper flakes, which are optional, but I like the spicy kick they give to my salad.
Chill & serve: For the best results, chill the salad in the refrigerator for 1 hour before serving. It tastes best cold!
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Recipe Card
Greek Chicken Pasta Salad Recipe
Equipment
- 1 A large mixing bowl
- 1 A Pan or a Skillet
Ingredients
For Greek Dressing
- 3 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (substitute rice vinegar or white wine vinegar)
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1.5 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
For Greek Chicken Salad
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (pounded for even cooking)
- 400 grams uncooked rotini pasta (read notes for substitutes)
- 1 English cucumber diced (about 1.5 cups)
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 2 cups sliced cherry tomatoes
- ¼ cup chopped parsley
- ½ cup crumbled feta cheese
Instructions
- Make the Greek Salad Dressing: In a jar, combine all the Greek salad dressing ingredients and shake well to emulsify them.
- Marinate the Chicken: Pound the chicken breasts or slice it in half. Place the chicken breasts in a bowl or zip lock bags and toss with 3 tablespoons of the prepared Greek dressing and a pinch of salt. Cover and marinate for at least 30 minutes.
- Cook Pasta: While the chicken is marinating cook pasta. Boil salted water and add pasta. Cook it as per the instructions given on the package. Drain the pasta in a colander and keep it aside.
- Cook the Chicken: Heat a pan over medium heat and cook the chicken breasts until cooked through, turning them over once for even cooking. Let the chicken cool for 5 minutes before chopping it.
- Assemble the Greek Salad: In a large bowl, combine the cooked pasta, chopped cucumber, red bell pepper, cherry tomatoes, cooked chicken, parsley, and feta cheese. Pour the remaining dressing over the salad and toss everything together to coat evenly. Taste and adjust the seasoning like add more salt or pepper if needed. I added red pepper flakes (optional).
- Chill and serve: For the best results, chill the salad in the refrigerator for 1 hour before serving. It tastes best cold!
Video
Notes
- The pasta you choose for your Greek Chicken Pasta Salad plays a big role in both texture and how well it captures the dressing. Short, twisty shape pasta is a classic choice like fusilli or rotini. Even you can use Bowtie (Farfalle) is a good choice.
- While chicken is classic, you can use leftover grilled steak, shrimp, tofu, or chickpeas for a vegetarian option. You can also use your leftover grilled chicken to make this Greek chicken salad.
- Cook the pasta aldente. Boil water, add salt, and cook pasta as per the package instructions.
- The recipe can be conveniently scaled up to serve more people. Simply double or triple all ingredient quantities.
- Read our full nutrition disclaimer here.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
ashana
I made this Greek chicken pasta salad. Tastes so fresh and light. Surely going to make it again.
Preeti
Glad you liked this salad.