Chicken Pasta Salad with Vegetables and Dijon Mayo Dressing
I spent less than $30 making four jars of this Chicken Pasta Salad. It is easy to make and flavor-packed, keeping one satisfied. This is the perfect choice if you need an easy and delicious lunch idea for the week.
Why You Will Love This Salad
The Perfect Meal Prep Salad. This salad is not only delicious but also great for preparing for the week. Prepping salads like this has helped me maintain a healthy weight.
Customizable. You can add vegetables like tomatoes, corn, olives, and more to this recipe. You can also substitute some ingredients like mayo for Greek yogurt and the chicken breast for chickpeas.
This recipe is quick and easy, taking less than an hour to prepare. I don’t know if it’s only me, but I don’t like spending hours in the kitchen preparing meals.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Chicken breast: An excellent protein source. You can replace the chicken breast with chickpeas, tofu, or chicken thighs.
- Dill Pickles. It is used to add flavor to the dressing. Pickles contain vitamins like vitamins K, C, and A and are high in minerals.
- Bell pepper. Help boost the immune system. You can substitute the bell pepper with banana pepper.
- Elbows Pasta. Pasta contains fiber, which is essential for a healthy digestive system. You can replace the elbows with any pasta you like.
- Dijon mustard is an excellent source of vitamins A and C. You can substitute it with Yellow mustard.
- Red Onion. Substitute the red onion with yellow onion.
- Celery. Promotes healthy digestion. You can replace the celery with radish.
- Mayo. If you do not like mayo, you can substitute it with plain Greek yogurt.
- Seasoning: I used Smoked paprika, salt, black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and dill in this recipe. You can also substitute some of these with any seasoning of your choice.
How to Make Chicken Pasta Salad with Vegetables and Dijon Mayo dressing
Add water and salt to a pot and bring to a boil. Transfer the pasta to the boiling water and cook until fully cooked.
Season the chicken breast, heat some oil in a nonstick pan, and cook the chicken breast for 10-15 minutes or until fully cooked.
Finely chop the vegetables. (Onion, Celery, dill pickles, and bell peppers).
You can add all the ingredients to your mason jars. Add the dressing at the bottom and the vegetables at the top of each jar.
When it is time to eat, transfer the mixture to a bowl, stir, and enjoy! For a detailed recipe, please look at the recipe card below.
Commonly Asked Questions
What are some vegan and vegetarian substitutions for Chicken breast? Chickpeas would be a great vegan and vegetarian substitute for chicken breasts in the salad. Shredded tofu is also an excellent protein source for this salad.
How long can this salad last in the fridge? It stays fresh for 4 to 5 days.
I do not like pasta. What can I substitute it with? You can replace the pasta with romaine lettuce or quinoa.
I can’t eat the same meal for 4 days. Can I make the salad for 2 days? Sure, you can prepare it for two days.
More Salad Recipes
Chicken Cobb Salad with Oregano Dressing
If you try this and any other recipes on the blog, please let me know your thoughts in the comments below. Check out my Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and Pinterest.
Chicken Pasta Salad with Vegetables and Dijon Mayo Dressing
Ingredients
- 1.5 LB chicken breast
- 2 cups Elbows pasta
- 1 large red bell pepper
- half an onion
- ¼ cup Avocado oil (sub for olive oil)
- 4 tsp Dijon mustard
- 4 TBSP mayo (sub for plain greek yogurt )
- 6 TBSP Pickle juice (from dill pickles)
- 1 ½ cups diced dill pickles
- 1 ½ cups diced celery
- 2 TBSP smoked paprika
- 1 TBSP onion powder
- 1 TBSP garlic powder
- 2 TBSP black pepper
- salt to taste
- ½ TBSP dill
Instructions
- Start by cooking the pasta as instructed on the box.
- Drain the pasta and rinse with cold water.
- Cut the chicken breast into cubes and season with 1 tbsp smoked paprika, salt to taste, ½ tbsp black pepper, ½ tbsp garlic powder, ½ tsp onion powder, and ½ tbsp dill.
- In a nonstick pan, heat some oil on medium heat and add the chicken breast; cook for 12-15 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked.
- Make the Dressing:In four mason jars, combine 1 tbsp mayonnaise, 1 tsp Dijon mustard, 2 tbsp pickle juice, ½ tsp garlic powder, ½ tsp onion powder, salt to taste, ¼tsp black pepper, ½ tsp smoked paprika, and ½ tsp olive or avocado oil.
- Add the Vegetables:Add ⅓ cup diced pickles, ⅓ cup chopped celery, ⅓ cup diced bell pepper, 2 tbsp diced onion, ⅔ cup cooked pasta, ½ cup cooked chicken breast, and any greens you choose. Greens are optional.
