We just LOVE this Creamy Lemon Chicken Pasta Salad – tender pieces of chicken tossed together with freshly cooked pasta and peas in a delicious creamy lemon dressing – An easy summer lunch recipe that’s ready to eat in just 15 minutes!
This is a delicious, easy pasta salad recipe that’s great for a quick summer lunch or as a lunchbox filler.
It’s super easy to make and you can make this with leftover roast chicken, rotisserie chicken or buy the packs of cooked chicken breast from the supermarket – just to make things quicker.
Our baked chicken breasts in foil works great for this recipe.
We just love a cold chicken pasta salad, especially on a hot day! It’s a delicious, easy lunch idea.
Creamy Lemon Chicken Pasta Salad Ingredients
You’ll just need a handful of ingredients to make our delicious pasta salad recipe and remember it’s a great way to use up leftover roast chicken!
- 350g cooked chicken – you can use leftover roast chicken, cooked chicken breasts shredded or just grab a rotisserie chicken from the supermarket.
- 225g dried pasta shapes – choose penne or fusilli, they both work really well in this pasta salad.
- 1 cup frozen peas – feel free to add in sweetcorn or beans too
- 2 tbs creme fraiche
- 2 tbs mayonnaise
- 1 lemon – zest and juice
- Handful of chopped herbs – try Basil, flat leaf parsley, chives or dill
How To Make Creamy Lemon Chicken Pasta Salad
It’s super easy to make our creamy chicken pasta salad and you can have it ready to eat in under 15 minutes! A delicious summer dinner!
- Cook the pasta and peas – cook the pasta and peas as per the packet instructions in boiling salted water in the same pan to save on the washing up! Once cooked drain them and rinse them under cold running water to cool them quickly ready for use in the pasta salad.
Whilst the pasta cooks….
- Shred the cooked chicken – roughly chop the cooked chicken into bitesized pieces and put to one side.
- Make the creamy lemon pasta salad dressing – take a small bowl and mix together the creme fraiche, mayonnaise, lemon juice and lemon zest, season with salt and black pepper.
- Make the pasta salad – in a large mixing bowl put half the lemon dressing, tip in the cooked pasta and chicken, then put the rest of the salad dressing on top and give everything a gentle mix together so that all the ingredients get coated in the zesty dressing.
- Tip the pasta salad into a serving bowl – then scatter with chopped herbs and serve. Delicious served with a side of Rocket Salad.
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Add In Ideas For Creamy Lemon Chicken Pasta Salad
Okay, so we’ve given you a great basic chicken pasta salad recipe. But you can really give this recipe a twist and make it your own with some delicious, tasty add ins!
- Bacon or Ham – adding in some cooked bacon or shredded ham works really well with the chicken.
- Add more vegetables – try adding in sweetcorn, green beans, asparagus, mushrooms or diced peppers.
- Pasta salad dressing – you could try out different pasta salad dressings, like blue cheese, ranch or a simple olive oil style vinaigrette dressing all work well.
- Add some crunch! – add a little texture to your pasta salad with some crunchy toppings. You could try croutons, nuts or crispy fried onions, like the ones you get on hotdogs.
- Use wholegrain pasta – make the pasta salad healthier by using wholegrain pasta.
- Add more herbs – you could add in some more freshly chopped herbs for a more fragrant pasta dish.
- Add some spice! – add in some chopped candied jalapeños, freshly chopped chillies or even just a pinch of red pepper flakes.
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Tips For Making The BEST Pasta Salad
Should you rinse pasta for cold pasta salad?
Yes – once the pasta is cooked just toss it into a colander under cold running water for a few minutes to cool it down quickly. This makes sure that the dressing doesn’t curdle when you put it on.
How long will chicken pasta salad last in the fridge?
You really need to use up chicken pasta salad within 24 hours of making it and always before the use-by date of the chicken which you’ve added.
How do you keep pasta salad moist?
Simple! Just reserve some of the dressing if you’re making the pasta salad ahead of time and then add it just before you serve so that it moistens everything up again.
How to store pasta salad?
Store the chicken pasta salad in an airtight container in the fridge and use within 24 hours of making.
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More Easy Pasta Salads To Check Out!
Love pasta salad? Get loads more delicious tasty pasta salad recipes here
- Ranch Pasta Salad – a fully loaded pasta salad with smoky ham, olives, cucumber, sweetcorn and cheese in a delicious ranch dressing. This one is just SO GOOD! You won’t want eating it to end!
- Greek Orzo Pasta Salad – a delicious healthy pasta salad that’s filled with all the flavours of a traditional Greek salad but with added carbs! Plus it’s super easy to make too!
- BLT Pasta Salad – all your favourite BLT ingredients but in a BIG TASTE pasta salad.
- Pesto Pine Nut Pasta – a quick and simple 15 minute meal, perfect for a busy weeknight.
Get more easy pasta recipes here
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Check out our meal planning here – it’s filled with recipes, meal planning tips and pre-filled printable meal plans weekly or seasonally. We’ve got hundreds of the BEST family recipes and Easy Family Dinners your whole family will LOVE!
Creamy Lemon Chicken Pasta Salad
A super easy creamy lemon chicken pasta salad recipe - great for lunch.
Ingredients
- 350g cooked chicken
- 225g dried pasta shapes
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 2 tbs creme fraiche
- 2 tbs mayonnaise
- 1 lemon - zest and juice
- Small bunch chopped herbs - use flat leaf parsley, basil, dill or chives
Instructions
- Cook the pasta and peas as per the packet instructions in boiling salted water in the same pan to save on the washing up! Once cooked drain them and rinse them under cold running water to cool them quickly ready for use in the pasta salad.
- Roughly chop the cooked chicken into bitesized pieces and put to one side.
- Take a small bowl and mix together the creme fraiche, mayonnaise, lemon juice and lemon zest, season with salt and black pepper.
- In a large mixing bowl put half the lemon dressing, tip in the cooked pasta and chicken, then put the rest of the salad dressing on top and give everything a gentle mix together so that all the ingredients get coated in the zesty dressing.
- Tip the pasta salad into a serving bowl – then scatter with chopped herbs and serve.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 428Total Fat: 20gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 94mgSodium: 185mgCarbohydrates: 33gFiber: 4gSugar: 10gProtein: 27g
Nutritional content will vary depending on the exact ingredients you use and how careful you are with measuring - this nutritional information is given as a general guide only and may not be accurate - you should always calculate your own nutritional information especially if you have specific dietary requirements.
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