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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.

overhead photo of Pesto Chicken, Corn, and Avocado Bacon Pasta Salad

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!

Pesto Chicken before cooking

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.

Pesto Chicken after cooking

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.

Pesto Chicken, Corn, and Avocado Bacon Pasta Salad | halfbakedharvest.com

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.

Pesto Chicken, Corn, and Avocado Bacon Pasta Salad | halfbakedharvest.com

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!

Pesto Chicken, Corn, and Avocado Bacon Pasta Salad | halfbakedharvest.com

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

Melon Basil Burrata 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

Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
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.

Ingredients

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.
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Pesto Chicken, Corn, and Avocado Bacon Pasta Salad | halfbakedharvest.com

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Comments

  1. Ohh my yumminess!! I just made this and it is amazing, I’m taking it to my dad’s tomorrow for memorial day, I think I’ll be making this often! Ty!

    1. Hi Yvette,
      Love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks for making it and sharing your feedback! ??xTieghan

  2. 5 stars
    I made this recipe for a girls birthday party I had today. Some of the ingredients just seemed a little unconventional with pasta, but I trusted you on this since we have been very happy with all the recipes we tried. Everyone enjoyed this recipe. It was very good. The only change I did make was that I substituted spinach for the lettuce and added a little lemon zest to finish the dish. DELISH!

    1. Hey Annmarie,
      Happy Sunday! Thanks so much for making this recipe and sharing your feedback!! Love to hear that it was a winner:) xxT

  3. 5 stars
    Okay I admit, I was a bit skeptical at first. I’ve never added hot pasta, romaine lettuce, or croutons to a pasta salad before. But the result is amazing! The pasta makes the cheese cubes all melty and gooey. And something about the different textures of the pasta, avocado, and lettuce all together is so good. And don’t even get me started on the dressing. I did skip the bacon because I didn’t have any on hand. Go make this now, you won’t regret it!

    1. Hey Danielle,
      Awesome!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! Have the best weekend:) xTieghan

  4. 5 stars
    This was so amazing! A definite mix to my rotation! I didn’t do the croutons but I’m adding next time also I ran out of Olive oil so I used coconut oil (actually didn’t mind it) it made it feel tropical haha but hands down this is a great fam recipe and something new for any BBQ party! Love you Tieghan and for someone who hate following recipes or picking up a recipe book you’ve converted me! Wishing you and your cute family all the best! Thanks again you cooking unicorn!

    1. Hey Maria,
      Thanks for your feedback! I love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks for trying it out! Thanks for your kind message:) xTieghan

  5. 5 stars
    hi-
    I have made and LOVED a bunch of your recipes. I notice you use Tahini a lot– I have never cooked with it and am not sure what to buy that can be used in several of your recipes. I clicked on the link but it seems to be a “butter”. Is that versatile?

    1. Hey Kris,
      Thanks so much for making so many recipes:) Yes, that will work well for most of the recipes that I use it in! Please let me know if you have any other questions! xx

  6. 3 stars
    I really like this recipe….tasty and serves a lot. My one comment that is probably true for almost ALL HBH recipes is the time factor. Yeah, if the bacon is cooked, pasta boiled, corn steamed, chicken grilled and everything else cut and measured…….sure, this can be on the table in the time indicated. Who actually has all of that prepped???????
    I am a big fan of the recipes but, have major issues with the time alotted in them. I follow another foodie who simply leaves “time” completely out of her recipes. Good rule of thumb.

    1. Hi Colleen,
      Thanks for giving the recipe a try, so sorry you are having issues with timing. We all cook and move around the kitchen differently. You should use the timing as a guide:) xTieghan

  7. 5 stars
    On the fence and didn’t think my family would be in for this concoction but I will have to say it was absolutely wonderful!

  8. 5 stars
    I made this tonight, OMG so FANTASTIC! Will definitely make this over and over. I was already making a grilled pesto bruschetta chicken w/ melted mozz and was looking for a side pasta salad. Since I already had the chicken as part of the meal, I left out the chicken and the romaine. The parmesan dijon dressing is TO DIE FOR and I can just gobble that w/ a spoon. Delicious! I have a thing w/ not mixing leafy greens into hot dish so I omitted. Please do not take offense, just my personal preference. I did serve the romaine separately w/ the dressing on a separate plate, so yummy, crispy and cool.
    Your recipes NEVER disappoint…. THANK YOU

    1. Hey Meagan,
      Awesome! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for making it! Thanks for sharing what worked well for you. xTieghan

  9. I’m so excited to try this! I just don’t understand what to do the dressing? Just leave it on the bottom of the bowl? Mix it in??

    1. Hey Leah,
      Yes, all of the ingredients are being added to the bowl of dressing so just toss it together:) Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan

  10. I made this tonight to have for a picnic. I used 5 cheese tortellini instead of cut pasta to make it a bit more filling for the men in the group. Delicious!

    1. Hey Andrea,
      Thanks a lot for giving this recipe a try, I am so glad to hear that it was enjoyed!! xxTieghan

  11. 5 stars
    YUM! Such a yummy mix of summer flavors and dressing is so good. Will be making this a lot!

    To keep for leftovers, I kept lettuce and avocado separate and just assembled the next day.

    1. Hey Paige,
      Thanks a lot for giving this recipe a try, I am so glad to hear that it was enjoyed!! xxTieghan

  12. 5 stars
    My friend made this for a lunch gathering and it was hands down one of the best pasta salads I’ve ever had. She added the avocado and lettuce to our individual bowls to avoid sogginess and to keep the avocado fresh. She also added cherry tomatoes which provided great color and flavor. 10/10 would recommend.

    1. Hey Bri,
      Happy Wednesday! Thanks a bunch for making this recipe, I am so glad to hear it was a winner:) xTieghan

  13. 5 stars
    Pesto, corn, chicken pasta salad is just about as good as it gets… absolutely love this dish as has everyone I’ve served it to.
    Thank you for so many wonderful recipes but especially this one.

    1. Hey Penny,
      Thank you so much for giving this recipe a try, love to hear that it was enjoyed! Have the best week:) xTieghan

  14. 5 stars
    Holy s*#% way to amp up the pasta salad game ! This is so good and so easy I highly recommend grilling the chicken and corn those flavours make it one of the best summer pasta salads I’ve had!! I made a huge batch and left the romaine and avo to add fresh to whatever was being used at the time ! It was a dinner side , lunch the next day and a wrap on the end !!

    1. Hey Nattie,
      Wonderful! Thanks a lot for making this recipe, I am so glad to hear that it was enjoyed! xxTieghan

    2. Making this for Mother’s Day, can’t wait? Do you cut the chicken into cubes before cooking or after? Would canned corn and regular mayo work in a pinch?

      1. Hi Shannon,
        The chicken is cut into bite size chunks from the start of the recipe. Yes, canned corn and regular mayo will also work. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xx

  15. What sense does this recipe make!? When do you add dressing? Won’t the romaine get soggy? Is it cheddar or Parmesan or both? Seems crazy and I’m halfway through. Should have read recipe before starting just looked at picture

    1. Hey there,
      So sorry, I am not sure why there is so much confusion, you are tossing everything in the dressing in step 3 since you made the dressing in the serving bowl in step 2. The romaine does soften slightly, if this isn’t something you like then just omit it. The parmesan is used in step 2 and the cheddar is used in step 3. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan