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This Pesto Chicken, Corn, and Avocado Bacon Pasta Salad is the perfect quick fix salad. It’s almost no-cook and comes together in minutes. Grilled pesto chicken tossed together with a creamy, lemony parmesan dressing, fresh romaine lettuce, grilled corn, crispy bacon, and creamy avocado. This pasta is simple to toss together, super flavorful, filling, and pretty healthy too. Enjoy this for dinner and save the leftovers for lunch. Or serve this up at your next backyard dinner with friends.
I told you I was really going to lean into Memorial Day recipes this week and I wasn’t kidding! It might be dark and dreary here, but I’m not letting that stop me from sharing new summery recipes.
Like many of you, for me, Memorial Day marks the unofficial start to summer. It’s finally that time of year for low-key, lazy days, and backyard dinners with friends and family.
With last summer being so uneventful, I feel like everyone is on the same page this summer…live it up and really embrace backyard entertaining and picnics at the park. It’s exciting, right? I really missed summer entertaining and couldn’t be more excited to share some new recipes with you guys that are easy and delicious!
So with that, I’ll stop rambling and move on to this pasta!
The inspiration
Summertime as a kid meant simple dinners at our house. My dad would do a lot of grilled chicken and burgers, but his specialty, and my personal favorite, was his pasta salad.
He would do it up so simply with broccoli, peppers, basil, big chunks of cheddar cheese, lots of olive oil, and hot pasta. He’d toss everything together and the cheese would melt over the pasta. It was SO GOOD. I still, to this day use his trick of tossing hot pasta with cubes of cheddar. Hot pasta equals melty cheese, which equals extra delicious pasta. Trust me on this. I know this may not be the usual way to make a pasta salad, but it’s good!
I took Dad’s pesto grilled chicken and pasta salad and combined them together to make this delicious hybrid. It’s not a simple as my dad’s pasta, but both are equally delicious.
The details on this pesto chicken pasta
I like to start with the croutons. Every salad is made better with crunchy croutons, even a pasta salad. I love making mine with torn ciabatta or sourdough bread and flaky sea salt. They’re so easy to make, I simply crisp them up in the oven. If you can find the time, homemade vs store-bought breadcrumbs are definitely worth a little extra effort.
Now on to the chicken. I kept it easy, yet still flavorful, by simply tossing the chicken with basil pesto. Using pesto is my go-to way to add delicious flavor, yet still keep the recipe as easy as can be. And with all the fresh basil we’ve been currently growing, I’m loving making basil pesto.
I decided to throw the chicken on the grill. Grilled chicken adds that summer flare, and I love the flavor and char the chicken gets from the grill. That said, if you don’t love grilling, you can easily cook the chicken up in a skillet.
On to that creamy parmesan dressing…
This is truly one of my favorite dressings. It’s a combination of creamy tahini (sesame seed paste) or mayo. For this pasta, I used avocado oil mayo, but tahini is great too. Then I whisk in Dijon mustard and add a few dashes of Worcestershire sauce and plenty of lemon. The mayo or tahini adds creaminess, while the parmesan adds plenty of flavor. I even make this dressing right in the bottom of my salad bowl to save on dishes.
As soon as you drain the pasta, toss it with the dressing while the pasta is still steaming. Then toss in the croutons, lettuce, grilled corn, bacon, and avocado.
You can eat this warm or at room temperature, but me being the hot food lover that I am, I like this best while it’s still a little warm.
Also, though I do love this warm, the longer the pasta sits, the more flavor it develops, so this is also perfect for making ahead. My only recommendation is to wait to add the avocado so that it doesn’t get brown.
It’s as quick and easy as that. What I love most about this pasta recipe is that it really does use some of summer’s best ingredients. It might be early for corn, but we have three months ahead to make and enjoy this pasta!
Looking for other summer salad recipes? Here are a few ideas:
Corn, Tomato, and Avocado Pasta Salad
Pesto Chicken Caesar Salad with Tomatoes and Burrata
Honey Mustard Pretzel Chicken and Avocado Bacon Salad
Lastly, if you make this Pesto Chicken, Corn, and Avocado Bacon Pasta Salad, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Pesto Chicken, Corn, and Avocado Bacon Pasta Salad
Servings: 8
Calories Per Serving: 559 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Watch the How-To Reel
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken, cut into bite size chunks
- 1/2 cup, plus 2 tablespoons basil pesto, homemade or store-bought
- red pepper flakes, kosher salt, and black pepper
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- juice of 1 lemon
- 1/4 cup tahini or avocado oil mayo
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1/3 cup grated parmesan
- 1 pound short cut pasta
- 1 cup cubed cheddar cheese (or parmesan)
- 2 cups croutons (see notes)
- 3 cups shredded romaine lettuce
- 4 ears grilled or steamed corn
- 6 slices cooked bacon, crumbled
- 1 avocado, diced
Instructions
- 1. In a bowl, combine the chicken, 1/2 cup pesto, red pepper flakes, and a large pinch of salt. Set your grill, grill pan, or skillet to medium-high heat. Grill the chicken until lightly charred and cooked through, turning halfway through cooking, about 10 to 12 minutes. 2. Meanwhile, make the dressing. In a large salad bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, tahini or mayo, dijon, Worcestershire, parmesan, and a pinch each of red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. 3. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Boil the pasta to al dente, according to package directions. Drain. Add the hot pasta, cheddar, and 2 tablespoons pesto and toss vigorously to combine. Add the chicken, croutons, lettuce, corn, and bacon, tossing to combine. 4. Top the pasta with avocado. Season with freshly cracked pepper and salt. Serve warm or cold.
Notes
Homemade Croutons: Preheat the oven to 425° F. Toss together 2 tablespoons olive oil, 2 cups cubed bread, and a pinch of salt. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until toasted.
This post was originally published on May 24, 2021
do i toss the dressing in as well or should be served on the side?
Hey Rachel,
You are going to toss with the dressing:) I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
I made this for dinner tonight and it is SO YUMMY. Seriously, it is so good. A great summer dish and easy to make. And now I don’t think I can ever buy croutons again, I will forever be making them myself, thank you tieghan!
Hey Liza,
Fantastic! I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe, thanks so much for making it! Happy Friday:) xTieghan
Yummy and easy to make. I prepped before I started, but start to finish it took about 40 minutes.
Love your recipes!
Hey Kelly,
Fantastic! I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe, thanks so much for making it! Happy Friday:) xTieghan
Do you toss with the dressing and additional pesto? Thanks! Cant wait to try tonight
Hey there,
Nope, the dressing is made in step 2, the additional pesto is used in step 3. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Hi!!! What would be the best type of cheddar to use for this?? Thanks!
Hey Emily,
I always grate my own cheddar off the block. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
If near a Trader Joe, they sell a pretty darn good Unexpected Cheddar.
And this dressing is tasty!!
Thanks for the recommendation!
other than tahini or avocado mayo what can I substitute?
I just made this! It’s so amazing, easy, and delicious. I had to swap out some ingredients (forgot to buy corn so I chopped up some tomatoes instead, added in roasted potatoes in place of bread). I wish I doubled the dressing because it was so tasty. I love the versatility and the enjoy-hot-or-cold aspect. And now I have a big bowl of pasta salad for the next few days! Will definitely make this again. Thanks for the recipe!
Hey Amy,
Awesome!! I am thrilled that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! xTieghan
Hey Stephanie,
You can use regular mayo:) I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
This looks delicious!! What other veggies do you recommend to add to make it a bit healthier?
I substituted the lettuce for Brussel sprouts and added onion. I cooked the Brussels and onions separately and added them in the mixture warm. I served this as a warm pasta. I also used chickpea rotini pasta.
Hey Cristhel,
Honestly, any veggies that you enjoy will work here, tomatoes would be delicious! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
This looks so good! Any suggestions for additional vegetables to add in to replace the meat if you are vegetarian? Thanks!
Hey Paige,
Honestly, any veggies you like would be great here, I think tomatoes and chickpeas would both be a great addition. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions!! xTieghan
TOFU, cut in chunks, after grilling❣️❣️(Marinate beforehand!)
Thanks Bernadette!
I used soy chicken and bacon. Not too sure about veggie subs but just another suggestion.
Great recipe BUT definitely takes longer than 25 minutes. Lots to cut, prep etc. sometimes I wish timings were more realistic on this site.
This comment run very true. Although I do love this blog, the timing is usually way off. It takes me much longer to cook and assemble theses recipes than what is listed.
She’s also been cooking a long time and probably know these recipes offhand. So while it may take u a little longer probably measuring out stuff and reading, a lot of cooks are very good at eyeballing and just throwing the ingredients in lol
Hey Mik,
I am so glad this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it! Sorry this took you longer than expected. xxTieghan
So excited to make this! How far ahead can you make before serving?
Going to make this tonight!
I love your recipes!
Hey Laura,
Thanks, I hope you love the recipe!! xTieghan
Hey Courtney,
You can make this the morning of or even the day before, it’s great served cold. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
I’m so making this Large, lovely, comfort food salad, 3x this week. I’m feeding one niece who just gave birth, her sister who is busy off her feet and my own hungry family that deserves something New and Fun.
Hey Bernadette,
I am so glad this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it! xxTieghan
Can you make this without the chicken as a side dish?
Hey Sam,
Sure, totally fine to do! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Would this be good as leftovers too do you think?
Hey Sarah,
Absolutely!! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Sorry just saw this now will be making this soon with few subs i love pesto and pasta soooooooooo much i never had salad before perfect for my after office snacks will dm you if i make this and let you know how it goes Thanks Ramya
Thanks! I hope you love the recipe! xTieghan
I accidentally locked myself out of my WiFi 6 weeks ago.
So I would check my emails once in awhile at Wendy’s parking lot but not open the blogs.
Yesterday I opened your blog and found it had changed.
Like the new format and your new picture!
You still have the great recipes like today’s and pictures.
Oslo’ s picture yesterday was so cute.
Enjoy your sunny, warm days.
Hey Nancy,
Thanks so much for reading along! I am so glad you are enjoying the new site! Have a great week:) xTieghan
Can’t wait to try this! Can you give us your dads pasta broccoli salad recipe too?
Hey Nancy,
Thanks so much!! Lol might have to add that to the list! xTieghan