Chicken Pasta Salad with Arugula (No Mayo)
This recipe skips the mayo — a punchy lemon-Dijon vinaigrette and herbed chicken give this pasta salad its flavor backbone. Serve it warm or at room temperature — it gets better as it sits.
Ingredients
Salad Dressing
- ⅓ cup (80 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) fresh lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) white wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon (15 g) Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon (15 g) honey
- 1 tablespoon grated or finely chopped garlic 1-2 cloves
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped shallot
- 1 teaspoon herbs de Provence or other dried herb blend
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Chicken Pasta Salad:
- 1-1¼ pounds small boneless, skinless chicken breast halves about 2
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1½ teaspoons herbs de Provence or other dried herb blend
- Olive oil
- 8 ounces (225 g) dried pasta shells or other bite-size pasta shape such as penne, fusilli or bow ties
- 1 14-ounce can cannellini beans drained, or other canned white bean, optional
- 2 cups baby arugula or other salad greens
Instructions
Make the dressing
- Put ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil, 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard, 1 tablespoon honey, 1 tablespoon grated or finely chopped garlic, 1 tablespoon finely chopped shallot, 1 teaspoon herbs de Provence, ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, and ½ teaspoon kosher salt in a jar with a lid and shake vigorously until the dressing is smooth and emulsified. Season with more salt, pepper, vinegar or lemon juice, to suit your taste.
Make the salad
- Preheat the oven to 425 (220 C) degrees.
- Bake the chicken: Put the chicken breasts on a rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle them generously on both sides with salt, pepper, and 1½ teaspoons herbs de Provence. Drizzle with some olive oil, turning them over to coat. Bake the chicken about 20 minutes, or until they register 158–160°F on a digital thermometer, turning them over halfway. When cool enough to handle, slice the chicken into bite-size pieces. Reserve the pan juices.
- Cook 8 ounces dried pasta shells in boiling, salted water until al dente - refer to the package directions and undercook by 3 minutes. Drain and transfer to a serving bowl or platter.
- Add the 1 14-ounce can cannellini beans (if using), 2 cups baby arugula and half the dressing to the pasta and toss together. Arrange the sliced chicken on top of the salad, and pour over the reserved pan juice.
- To serve, drizzle with additional dressing to taste (it will absorb it as it sits). Enjoy the salad warm or at room temperature.
Video
Notes
- If you don't have herbs de Provence, try a mixture of ¼ teaspoon each dried thyme, rosemary and oregano. Check the jar before you buy — good herbs de Provence shows actual greenish leaves and plenty of purple lavender petals, not gray dusty bits.
- Stir in a drained can of cannellini beans for heft, or swap in chickpeas or navy beans — they're optional either way.
- The salad dressing and baked chicken can be made up to 3 days ahead and stored separately.
- Chicken pasta salad tastes best served slightly warm or at room temperature, not straight from the fridge.
- Drizzle a little more dressing over the salad just before serving — the pasta absorbs it as it sits.
Nutrition
Calories: 311kcalCarbohydrates: 33gProtein: 13gFat: 14gSodium: 271mgFiber: 2gSugar: 4g
