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The 35 Most Popular Easy Summer Recipes.
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This easy Caprese Chicken Pasta Salad with honey balsamic dressing is my go-to summer pasta salad. It’s almost no-cook and comes together quickly, and with very little effort. Grilled balsamic herb chicken tossed with balsamic dressing, pasta, marinated mozzarella, cherry tomatoes, and creamy avocado. It’s colorful and so delicious. Enjoy this for dinner and save the leftovers for lunch. Or serve it up at your next summer party. It’s always good.
Ever since I was a kid, I’ve always loved a summertime pasta salad. My dad would often make his super simple pasta salad on busy nights. It used to be one of my favorite dinners.
I’ve mentioned this before, but my dad’s pasta salad was the simplest. I believe it was literally just pasta, broccoli, bell peppers, and cubes of cheddar cheese tossed with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper. He probably threw in a lot of fresh basil too.
Simple, I know, but still so good…or at least that’s how I remember it. Anyway, my point is, summertime is pasta salad season. The more recipes you have in your back pocket, the better.
Since the 4th of July is upon us, I figured that now is the perfect time to share one of my go-to summer pasta salads. I make this any chance I get. It’s simple, just like my dad’s, but done up with a little more color, flavor, and dressing.
Plus, I always have these ingredients on hand, so it’s really a staple kind of recipe over here. I make it for every summer gathering. It’s always one of the first dishes to disappear.
This pasta salad is easy, let’s start with the dressing
The honey balsamic dressing really is the key to this salad. It adds all the flavor.
It’s a simple mix-up of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, honey, shallots, garlic, fresh oregano, and fresh basil. I love to mix balsamic and honey for a tangy-sweet dressing and then add herbs for additional flavor.
It’s so delicious and one of my go-to salad dressings all year long.
This makes a lot of dressing, which is what you need for this salad. Again the dressing is KEY.
Next, toss the chicken with a bit of the dressing. If time allows, let the chicken marinate for even more flavor, then just grill it up.
I love to use chicken tenders or strips instead of breasts. The dressing is able to coat more of the chicken then, adding even more flavor.
For the salad…
You need your favorite short-cut pasta, fresh mozzarella balls, and lots of cherry tomatoes. Oh, and avocado too.
For the mozzarella, use marinated mozzarella if you can find it. Trust me, it’s delish and yup, adds even more flavor.
When the chicken is done grilling, and the pasta is cooked, just toss everything up with dressing. And that’s it. Simple. Simple. But so delicious!
This is a great recipe for prepping ahead of time for parties or even work lunches. The pasta holds up really well in the fridge and would be great to make on a Sunday for the week ahead. It even takes on more flavor as the salad sits! Just be sure to add the avocado the day of so that it doesn’t get brown.
What I love most about this pasta recipe is that it really does use some of summer’s best ingredients. So if you have a surplus of fresh cherry tomatoes and basil lying around, this is the recipe to make.
Looking for other great pasta salad recipes? Here are some favorites:
Pesto Chicken, Corn, and Avocado Bacon Pasta Salad
Corn, Tomato, and Avocado Pasta Salad
Grilled Lemon Herb Chicken Avocado Orzo Salad with Honey Mustard Bacon Dressing
Lastly, if you make this Caprese Chicken 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!
Caprese Chicken Pasta Salad
Servings: 8
Calories Per Serving: 644 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
Balsamic Dressing
- 2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 1 shallot, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
- kosher salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes
Salad
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken tenders
- 1 pound short cut pasta
- 2 cups mozzarella balls (use marinated, if you can find)
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves, torn
- 1 avocado, diced
Instructions
- 1. To make the dressing. Combine all ingredients in a glass jar and whisk until smooth. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper.2. In a bowl, toss the chicken with 1/3 of the dressing. Let sit 10 minutes or marinate up to overnight. 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 8-10 minutes. 3. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Boil the pasta to al dente, according to package directions. Drain. Add the pasta, chicken, mozzarella, tomatoes, and avocado to a large salad bowl. Pour over the remaining dressing and toss well to combine. Serve warm or cold. The salad will develop more flavor as it sits.
Made this with Grilled turkey breasts (I don’t eat chicken) and with gluten free pasta (Jovial). I added sliced Kalamata olives, Big hit!
Every recipe I’ve made from Half Baked Harvest so far has been great! Can’t wait to try more!
Hey Kathy,
Happy Wednesday! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for making it! xTieghan
This pasta salad was great. Was able to quickly pull it together quickly with items I already had. Was light and easy for a summer dinner. Served it hot, but I’m sure it’s great cold as well. This will get added to my rotation.
Hey Allison,
Wonderful! Thanks so much for making this dish, I am so glad to hear that it was enjoyed!! xTieghan
Very tasty!
Hey Heather,
Wonderful! Thanks a lot for making this recipe, I am so glad to hear that it was enjoyed! xxTieghan
This is delicious! My husband & I tried it and now we’re serving it to friends tomorrow night. Also passed HBH website on to my sister & this was the first thing she made. ❤️❤️
Hey Jeri,
Happy Wednesday! Love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for giving it a try! xTieghan
Flavorful!! My husband and I loved this salad. I don’t cook very often but this recipe was so easy to make. I feel very confident about cooking something like this and it will go into our dinner rotation. I can’t wait to make this for the rest of my family. I know they will be impressed.
Hey Lina,
Fantastic! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am delighted that it was enjoyed:) xTieghan
Wow, made this last week and everyone loved it! Used some specialty Italian herb balsamic vinegar for part of the recipe because my regular balsamic was low – excellent! Did not have a ripe avocado so grilled zucchini and cut up in place of the avocado, and topped with pine nuts. Plenty of leftovers for lunches, too! Making again today for company coming tomorrow and just doubled the vinaigrette and chicken – will serve at room temp for an easy, light dinner. Thank you, Tieghan! My twenty-something children are huge fans and I am, too, of your creative, delicious, healthy recipes.
Hey Shelley,
Awesome! I am delighted to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it. Have the best week! xTieghan
Could you give some suggestions for side dishes to serve with this delicious salad?
Hey Kathy,
I would do a side of crusty bread:) I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
I have made this pasta salad twice. Once without chicken. Once with chicken. It is the best pasta salad I have ever had. Tomorrow I’m making it again. This time I will omit chicken and add chick peas as it will be a side salad to compliment the bbq meats. It serves at least 10 and if you have leftovers it DOES hold up in the fridge for days.
Hey Gloria,
Happy Sunday! Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! xTieghan
So so good! I loved it.
Hey Gina,
Happy Sunday! Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! xTieghan
This salad is simply AMAZING, it has become a staple for my weekly meal planning with a gluten free pasta! The dressing is incredible and I will be making it on a regular basis for all of my salads!
Hey Julie,
Wonderful! Thanks a lot for giving this recipe a try, I am so glad it was enjoyed! xTieghan
Oh man is that dressing DIVINE! This was delicious – enough for dinner one evening and lunches for two days for both of us. Will definitely be making it again!
Hey Bethany,
Awesome! Love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for giving it a try! xTieghan
Can I use balsamic glaze if I don’t have straight vinegar? And would I still add honey then? So excited for this recipe
Hey Kristen,
Sure, that should work well for you, I would probably skip the honey. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
I made this for my daughter and grandson while we were at the beach for a few days. Easy and so delish!! It was perfect to take to the beach for lunch the next day also! Thank you for all you do!
Hey Heather,
Thanks so much for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! Have a great week:) xTieghan
Hi Tieghan, I made your caprese chicken pasta salad and I absolutely love it. 2 of my friends asked me for the recipe ?. So good! I really like how the seasonings can be adjusted to taste. I will be making this again soon to share at a graduation party ?
Hey Sandy,
Thanks so much for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! Have a great week:) xTieghan
This recipe is easy, light, and packed with tons of flavor, and using marinated mozzarella pearls is a great call! HBH recipes never disappoint. I’ll be making this a lot this summer.
Hey Ally,
Happy Sunday! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! xxTieghan