This creamy pasta salad with chicken, vegetables and a surprisingly healthy dressing is a delicious meal in itself. Perfect as a quick and easy lunch or dinner, it is also ideal for entertaining, picnic, potluck or even lunchbox, it is kid-friendly too. You can never go wrong with such a simple yet delicious dish.
This easy pasta salad with a creamy mint yogurt dressing tastes as amazing as it looks, with its different colors, flavors and nutrients. A healthy pasta salad that looks and tastes creamy (without actual cream in it) is the best and most delicious way to make kids (and grownups) eat their veggies.
Ingredients for pasta salad
Pasta: Fusilli or farfalle are best suited for a pasta salad, especially one with a creamy dressing as the dressing clings on to the grooves and curves of the pasta, making it very flavorful. Like the fusilli in veggie pasta salad with balsamic vinaigrette.
Dressing: This 5-minute easy dressing gives a characteristic creamy flavor to the pasta salad. It is made of basic ingredients- yogurt, mint, almonds, chilies, garlic, lemon juice and pink salt.
Chicken: Chicken breasts are marinated with spices, pan-seared and diced.
Want a hands-free, no-mess recipe for cooking chicken breasts? Try the juicy oven-baked chicken breasts.
Vegetables: Salad vegetables like bell peppers, celery, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, onions and carrots can be used.
How to make creamy pasta salad
(Full printable recipe card at the end of post.)
Cook the pasta al dente, drain and rinse in cold water.
While the pasta cooks, prep the vegetables and rest of the ingredients.
Cook the chicken: Marinate the chicken with chili powder, paprika, garlic powder, lemon juice and salt. Pan-fry the marinated chicken breasts in oil. Chop them into bite-sized cubes.
1 2 3
Make the dressing: Blend all ingredients in a food processor.
ingredients for creamy dressing for pasta salad
Toss the chicken, vegetables and pasta together. Add the mint yogurt dressing and toss well. Garnish with green onions. Serve this salad immediately or chill and serve later.
1 2 3 4
FAQ
Do you rinse pasta for a cold pasta salad?
Yes, rinsing helps cool down the pasta so it stops cooking. It also keeps the pasta from sticking together, since rinsing removes the starch that’s clinging onto the pasta.
How do you keep pasta salad moist?
The mint yogurt dressing retains moisture naturally so it keeps the pasta salad juicy and creamy. You don’t even require oil for this dressing.
How do I make pasta taste better?
The dressing makes all the difference in a pasta salad. Yogurt, mint and garlic are a great combination with pasta and chicken and they come together as a yummy salad.
Bonus tip: The salad dressing tastes even better if you use roasted garlic and almonds.
A bonus recipe: Put together this chicken pasta salad with yogurt dressing on lettuce to make these amazing lettuce wraps.
Please let me know how this recipe turned out for you. I would love to hear from you!
Other awesome salads you may like:
vibrant lentil salad with turmeric
HUNGRY FOR MORE? Follow me on your favorite social media: facebook, pinterest, instagram, and youtube. Or why not subscribe to my weekly newsletter to get all the latest recipes right in your inbox?
Share this post with your friends so they can enjoy it too!
*****If you like this recipe, please give a star rating to help more readers see this post. *****
Happy cooking!
– Sheeba.
More healthy pasta recipes:
creamy vegan pasta with chickpeas and spinach
Wonderful idea to serve pasta salad with mint-yoghurt sauce. It looks absolutely delicious.
Thanks, glad you liked it!!
this looks soooooooo good
Thank you!!
This is my kind of salad. Filling and so tasty #cookblogshare
Thank you, glad you liked it! It disappears in no time whenever I make it.
This sounds delicious, I’m especially attracted to that dressing!
Thanks, Chloe! My whole family is addicted to this dressing!
Good day.
Thank you for the amazing recepies. I am diabetic and a little picky. For example I cannot for the life of me get yoghurt into my mouth, I despise it 100000%. What can I use in place of the yoghurt?
Hi Anna Marie, thanks for stopping by.
You can replace yogurt with cashew cream. Soak cashews in hot water for 15 minutes and blend into a smooth paste. This is an equally delicious and healthy alternative to yogurt.
Nice recipe. I used ready-made roast chicken, shredded. It neede d an element of sweetness though so i added dried cranberries. Next time I would add some cherry tomatoes, sundried tomatoes and pineapple chunks.
Thanks for the lovely feedback, Dianne! I love to add dried fruits to my salads, too. Pineapple and chicken also make a great combo!