An easy weeknight grilled chicken pasta salad to make these busy summer days a little bit better! It’s healthy, hearty, and full of classic flavors. We’ve got grilled red peppers & green onions, a zesty balsamic vinaigrette with lots of garlic and herbs, and plenty of parmesan cheese over top. You can serve it warm or cold, and it works great for leftovers…making it the perfect recipe to cook up and enjoy all week long!
weeknight grilled chicken pasta salad – the details
This grilled chicken pasta salad was quite literally just a quick dinner I threw together on a busy weeknight. I threw some chicken, red peppers, and green onions onto the grill, cooked off some whole grain penne pasta, and whisked together a simple balsamic vinaigrette (with lots of chopped parsley…very key!). Tossed it all together and dinner was ready.
I know just how useful quick, simple, healthy dinners can be…so I figured this was the perfect thing to share with you in case you’re in need of a really tasty summer weeknight dinner as well!
I also love any good recipe that works really well for leftovers, and this grilled chicken pasta salad is exactly that. It actually gets better as it sits I’d say, so even if you’re just cooking for yourself, I’d recommend making the entire batch and enjoying it all week long.
It’ll make getting dinner on the table a breeze any night of the week. You can heat it back up, but it’s also delicious cold. And if you want to bulk it up even more, throw some extra veggies on the grill (maybe some eggplant, tomatoes, or corn) and add them right into the mix!
If you’re looking for more weeknight dinner recipes, here are a few to try:
Cheesy Baked Rigatoni with Italian Sausage
Herby Brown Butter Chicken with Farro & Burst Tomatoes
Spicy Grilled Shrimp Salad with Jalapeño Lime Vinaigrette
Weeknight Grilled Chicken Pasta Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette
an easy weeknight pasta salad with grilled chicken, peppers, green onions, lots of herbs, a balsamic vinaigrette, and parmesan cheese
servings: 4
Ingredients
- 1 ½ lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 3 red bell peppers, stemmed + halved
- 4 green onions
- kosher salt
- freshly cracked black pepper
- ¾ lb whole grain penne pasta
- ¼ cup + 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 2 tsp lemon zest
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ cup olive oil, plus more as needed
- ¼ cup chopped parsley
- ½ cup basil leaves, roughly torn
- grated parmesan cheese, for serving
Instructions
- Heat the grill over high heat. Coat the chicken, red peppers, and green onions in olive oil and season well with salt and black pepper. Grill the chicken and red peppers, covered, for about 6 minutes per side (or until slightly charred and cooked through) and the green onions for about 3 minutes per side.
- Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Stir in the pasta and cook according to the package’s instructions.
- Transfer everything from the grill to a cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes. Thinly slice the chicken against the grain, roughly chop the peppers, and slice the green onions.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the balsamic vinegar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and garlic. Whisk to combine. Slowly drizzle in the ½ cup of olive oil, whisking continuously. Stir in the parsley. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.
- Drain the pasta and add it to the bowl of vinaigrette. Let sit for about 5 minutes. Add the chicken, peppers, green onions, and basil. Toss to combine. Taste and season more if needed.
- Serve the pasta salad warm with lots of parmesan cheese and black pepper over top.
Notes
This pasta salad works great for leftovers and can also be eaten cold!
shop the dish: weeknight grilled chicken pasta salad
Made this tonight and it is SO GOOD! My husband, who is super picky, couldn’t stop eating it! I substituted with chickpea pasta