Kale Chicken Pasta Salad

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!

How to make this healthy pasta salad

There are a few components to this healthy pasta salad recipe, and the best part is that they are all really flexible! Don’t like one of them? Swap it out (swaps suggested below)

1. 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.
2. Chicken– we are baking 1 lb of boneless skinless chicken breast. Vegetarian? Swap for chickpeas!
3. 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!
4. Balsamic vinaigrette– nice and tangy and simple to prepare. Swap it for one of these Seven Vinaigrette Recipes.
5. Goodies– feta cheese, dried cranberries and sunflower seeds. Swap it out for your fave cheese, fruit and nut/seed.

How to turn this easy pasta salad into a meal prep recipe

Want to make this salad last for up to four days? Here’s how I would meal prep this easy pasta salad

• 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, this 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 this healthy pasta salad warm or cold? I serve mine cold. I suppose you could try warming it up if you’d prefer?

How long is this chicken pasta salad recipe good for? Assembled as jar salads, or stored separately for meal prep, this chicken pasta salad is good for four days in the fridge.

Can you freeze chicken pasta salad recipe? No. This salad cannot be frozen.

Watch the video below to see exactly how I prepped this chicken pasta salad recipe. It’s so easy! You can find more of my recipe videos on my YouTube channel, or on Facebook.

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5 from 2 votes

Kale Chicken Pasta Salad

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: American

Keyword: barbecue, chicken, kale, meal prep, pasta, picnic

Calories: 494kcal

Servings: 4

Kale chicken pasta salad with a tangy balsamic vinaigrette, sunflower seeds and dried cranberries. Works great for meal prep or a weeknight dinner.

Prep Time20 mins

Cook Time25 mins

Total Time45 mins

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
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries
• 1/4 cup crumbled feta
• 1/4 cup sunflower seeds

Balsamic Dressing

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1/2 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.

Nutrition

Serving: 1/4 batch | Calories: 494kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 34g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 80mg | Sodium: 275mg | Potassium: 882mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 6765IU | Vitamin C: 81.8mg | Calcium: 168mg | Iron: 2.4mg