Kale chicken pasta salad with a tangy balsamic vinaigrette, sunflower seeds and dried cranberries. Works great for meal prep or a weeknight dinner.
This kale chicken pasta salad is a personal favorite of mine from our 2017 Lunch Prep Challenge...so it's about time I post the recipe on the blog!
With chicken breast, pasta, kale, dried cranberries, feta cheese and sunflower seeds, it is filling but still healthy.
And I'm showing you how you can use this recipe for meal prep (there are a few different ways to do it!).
Don't forget to pin this post to save it for later!
Reasons to love kale chicken pasta salad:
- you can meal prep it in a few different ways
- it is filling but still healthy
- you can have it ready in under 30 minutes
How to make it
There are a few components to this pasta salad, and the best part is that they are all really flexible! Don't like one of them? Swap it out (swaps suggested below)
- Pasta- I have used penne because I find it hearty enough to hold up for several days. Swaps: whole wheat pasta, bowtie pasta, fusilli, almost any pasta would work- I would be cautious of using orzo as it does not hold up as well for meal prep.
- Chicken- we are baking 1 lb of boneless skinless chicken breast. Vegetarian? Swap for chickpeas!
- Kale- I personally love kale, however I know some people do not. Swap it for romaine if you'd prefer. If you layer it at the very top of a mason jar, spinach can work too!
- Balsamic vinaigrette- nice and tangy and simple to prepare. Swap it for one of these Seven Vinaigrette Recipes.
- Goodies- feta cheese, dried cranberries and sunflower seeds. Swap it out for your fave cheese, fruit and nut/seed.
How to turn pasta salad into a meal prep recipe
Want to make this salad last for up to four days?
- option 1- assemble as jar salads. Place the dressing at the bottom of a 1 pint jar, then layer in the following order: chicken, pasta, kale, goodies. Shake the jar out into a bowl just before serving!
- option 2- store everything separate. Keep the dressing, pasta, kale, chicken and 'goodies all in separate containers, then assemble just before serving!
With either option, kale pasta salad is good for up to 4 days in the fridge. After that you can run into food safety issues with the chicken.
Do you serve it warm or cold? I serve mine cold. I suppose you could try warming it up if you'd prefer?
How long is it good for? Assembled as jar salads, or stored separately for meal prep, this recipe is good for four days in the fridge.
Can you freeze pasta salad? No. This salad cannot be frozen.
Watch the video below to see exactly how I prepped this recipe. It’s so easy! You can find more of my recipe videos on my YouTube channel, or on Facebook.
Tips & Equipment
- for jar salads- go with 1 pint jars
- for storing separately, I like using these Rubbermaid Produce Savers for the kale, half pint jars for the dressing, and 6 cup snapware storage containers for the pasta and chicken
- looking for more healthy pasta recipes? Check out this Greek Chicken Pasta Salad, this Herbed Orzo Pasta Salad and this Meal Prep Sesame Chicken Pasta Salad
for the dressing, and 
Kale Chicken Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 2 cups uncooked pasta (4.6 oz)
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
- salt & pepper
- 4 cups kale or spinach
- ¼ cup dried cranberries
- ¼ cup crumbled feta
- ¼ cup sunflower seeds
Balsamic Dressing
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- ½ teaspoon dijon mustard
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package directions, set aside to cool.
- Heat oven to 450°F. Toss chicken breasts in olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Season with salt & pepper. Bake chicken breasts according to their size: 5 oz (12-15 min), 7 oz (15-20 min), 10 oz (20-25 min), or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
- Chop, wash and dry kale.
- Shake together all vinaigrette ingredients.
- Toss everything together and enjoy!
Jar Salads
- Place the ingredients into the four 1-pint jars in the following order: balsamic dressing, chicken (cooled completely), pasta, kale, cranberries/feta/sunflower seeds.
- To serve jar salads, shake out into a clean bowl and toss up in the vinaigrette.
Storage
- Stored in jars or separately (not tossed in vinaigrette), this salad can keep for up to 4 days in the fridge.
Angela P.
My husband, my nine-year old, and myself really enjoyed this salad. We have had it twice in the last week, and both times it was fantastic. I made the recipe as is except I substituted dried cherries for the cranberries. I will definitely be putting this salad into our weekly meal prep rotation. Thank you for the recipe!
Denise Bustard
Hi Angela! I'm so happy to hear your family enjoyed the salad. Thanks so much for taking the time to come back and leave a review!
Laurel
I made this tonight and it was delicious! What a wonderful summer meal! I made a jar on the side for my lunch tomorrow.... I can't wait to have it again!
Denise
I'm so happy you enjoyed, Laurel! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review!
Afsheen
When the other half goes through dinner without realizing I’m feeding him kale from our garden...great success! Thankyou for a a delicious recipe
Denise
Ha ha! That's awesome! Thanks so much for your review, Afsheen 🙂