This Grilled Chicken Salad is the perfect dish to enjoy on a warm summer day. The tender chicken breasts are grilled to perfection and paired with a medley of fresh veggies like crunchy lettuce, crisp red onion, and sweet red pepper. The addition of pasta adds a satisfyingly bouncy texture and helps make this salad an especially filling meal. The tangy dressing ties all the flavors together, which is just the best! Fire up your grill and get ready to dig into this Grilled Chicken Salad!
Ingredients
- 1 (16-ounce) package elbow macaroni, ziti, or spiral pasta
- 6 (6-ounce) chicken breast halves, boneless and skinless
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons Dijion mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 2/3 cup olive oil
- 2 1/2 cups celery, sliced
- 1 medium red onion, chopped
- 1 medium sweet red pepper, chopped
- 1/4 cup minced fresh dill or 5 teaspoons dried dillweed, plus more fresh dill, to taste, snipped, for garnish, divided
- leaf lettuce, to taste
Directions
Step 1 –Cook the pasta to al dente according to the package directions.
Step 2 –Preheat the grill to medium heat.
Step 3 –Grill the chicken breast halves, uncovered, until a thermometer inserted into the center of them reads 165 degrees F and the juices run clear, about 5-8 minutes per side.
Step 4 –Transfer the chicken breast halves to a rimmed platter.
Step 5 –Sprinkle the chicken breast halves with the lemon juice and let them stand for 10 minutes.
Step 6 –Drain the pasta and rinse it with cold water.
Step 7 –Transfer the chicken breast halves to a cutting board and cut them into strips.
Step 8 –Reserve the chicken juices in a large bowl.
Step 9 –Add the vinegar, the mayonnaise, the mustard, the salt, and the pepper to the chicken juices and whisk well.
Step 10 –Gradually whisk the oil into the dressing mixture.
Step 11 –Add the cooked pasta, the celery, the onion, the red pepper, and 1/4 cup of the dill to the dressing mixture and toss to coat.
Step 12 –Line six plates with the lettuce and top with the pasta mixture and the sliced chicken.
Step 13 –Sprinkle the chicken salad with the extra dill.
Step 14 –Serve.