Healthy Greek chicken pasta salad recipe- whether you’re heading for a picnic, a potluck, or meal prepping your lunches ahead, this salad is perfect for you! Tastes even better after the flavors marinate together for a day or two.
We are heading back to basics today with this healthy pasta salad recipe! Sometimes I get caught up in the pretty and flashy recipes, but I almost always come back to the classics, like pasta salad.
Pasta salad makes me think of summer, and of my Nana, because I remember helping my mom make a pasta salad very similar to this one while visiting my Nana one hot and super humid summer in Ontario.
For some reason I crave some variety of this salad year round: chock full of veggies, with feta cheese, dill, and a red wine vinaigrette. It all works together so well.
Not only does this healthy greek chicken pasta salad recipe work as a side dish or a potluck recipe, but it makes for a pretty awesome meal prep lunch as well!
Don’t forget to pin this recipe to save it for later!
The key components of this healthy greek chicken pasta salad
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- pasta– you’re going to cook 8 oz of it. If you are making your pasta salad to keep for a few days, stick to larger shapes like penne, rotini, etc. Orzo is great but it doesn’t keep as well and gets mushy, so you’ll need to serve it within 1-2 days. You can use whole wheat, fiber-enriched pasta, regular pasta, it’s totally up to you!
- feta cheese– don’t skip it. Just don’t 😉
- veggies veggies veggies– I crammed a whole rainbow of veggies into this salad! Broccoli, cauliflower, red onion, bell peppers, carrots. You can swap these out for what you have in the fridge, but remember that cucumber and leafy greens will not keep. Cherry tomatoes keep surprisingly well in this salad (2-3 days).
- red wine vinaigrette– my pasta salads always have a red wine vinaigrette! It is super tangy, and pairs perfectly with the feta cheese. I added dill to my staple red wine vinaigrette recipe, and you can also add a clove or two of crushed garlic!
- chicken breast- I added some cooked boneless skinless chicken breast to this recipe to make it a whole meal. If you want this to be a side, leave it out. If you want this to be a meal prep lunch, leave it in!
How long does this easy pasta salad keep in the fridge?
Pasta salad is one of my favorite prep ahead meals because it can easily keep in the fridge for up to 4 days. I cap it at 4 for this recipe because of the bell peppers (which start to get slimy) and the chicken (which is only food safe up to 4 days).
And the best thing about this healthy pasta salad recipe is that it actually gets better with time. As all the ingredients sit and marinate, the red wine vinaigrette absorbs into the pasta and veggies and gives them so much more flavor!
Swaps for this greek pasta salad
- make it a vegetarian pasta salad: swap the chicken for cannellini beans or chickpeas
- make it a low carb or paleo pasta salad: you could totally leave out the pasta and use zucchini noodles or even cucumber noodles in this recipe. However it won’t keep in the dressing so make sure to dress it just before serving.
- make it a side pasta salad recipe: leave out the chicken
- make it a meal prep pasta salad: store in the dressing in 2 cup storage containers for up to 4 days
- swap the dressing: this creamy cilantro lime dressing would be great for a little southwestern change-up! You could add corn and black beans!
- swap for a balsamic vinaigrette and add roasted vegetables
- swap for this Asian sesame dressing and add slaw mix for an Asian twist
I think it’s pretty apparent how versatile this healthy greek chicken pasta salad recipe can be! It can be a meal prep lunch, a side dish or a dinner recipe. Regardless of which meal you serve it for, I hope you enjoy it!
Let me know in the comments if you give it a try 🙂
Tips and equipment for this healthy greek chicken pasta salad recipe
- Meal prep containers: I love these ones
- I recommend my trusty salad dressing shaker or a simple half pint mason jar to whip up the salad dressing
- Looking for more prep ahead salad recipes? Check out this Wild Rice & Sweet Potato Salad, these Southwestern Sweet Potato & Lentil Jar Salads, or this collection of 21 Make Ahead Salads Perfect For Meal Prep!
Watch the video below to see exactly how I prepped my Healthy Greek Chicken Pasta Salad It’s so easy! You can find more of my recipe videos on my YouTube channel, or on Facebook.
Healthy Greek Chicken Pasta Salad
Ingredients
Chicken
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- salt & pepper
Pasta Salad
- 8 oz penne uncooked
- 2 carrots peeled and chopped
- 2 bell peppers chopped
- 2 cups broccoli cut into small florets
- 2 cups cauliflower cut into small florets
- 1/2 red onion chopped
- 1 cup feta cheese crumbled
Red Wine Vinaigrette
- 6 tablespoons olive oil
- 6 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 3 tablespoons honey or maple syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons dill (dry)
- 1 clove garlic minced (optional)
- salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
Chicken
- Heat oven to 425°F.
- Toss chicken with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Arrange on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Flip and bake for 10-15 more minutes, or until cooked through.
- Allow chicken to cool before cutting into cubes.
Pasta Salad:
- Cook pasta according to package directions, then drain and rinse under cold water. Allow to cool.
- Combine all salad ingredients in a large bowl.
- Shake together the vinaigrette and toss everything to coat.
- Allow to marinate for several hours before enjoying. Serve cold.
Meal Prep Instructions:
- Portion out into 2 compartment containers and store in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Serve cold.
Karen Jane
This was pretty good! In an effort to reduce calories a bit I reduced dressing to 4 Tbsp oil, 4Tbsp vinegar and 2 Tbsp honey. It was still plenty to cover and not all soaked in and lost the next day. I would up the vinegar just a little bit for more zip. I cut back pasta to 6 oz and cheese to half a cup, but it was still a nice balance. The changes made it 5sp on weight watchers which is great. Would make again!
Denise
Hi Karen, thanks so much for reporting back! So happy you enjoyed and that it fit into your WW plan!
Michelle
Your recipes are always great and this did not disappoint. Made this tonight and it was a huge hit! Even my 4 and 2 year old ate it (with a little parmesan sprinkled on). I used chickpea pasta for a little added protein and fiber. Also reserved a little bit of the dressing to add later if needed since pasta salads tend to soak up their dressings. Thank you for the wonderful recipe 🙂
Denise
Woohoo! So happy to hear this, Michelle! Thank you for reporting back 🙂
Polita
I had my reservations about this recipe due to the raw broccoli, cauliflower and carrots. But my oh my, is this salad absolutely delicious! The raw vegetables add a lovely crunch and I love the vinaigrette and the addition of the feta. The rest of my family have started devouring it, so I’ll have to make another batch for the rest of my lunches for the week.
Denise
Yay! So glad you enjoyed! I’m not normally a huge fan of raw broccoli or cauliflower either. Thanks, Polita!
Karly
I love pasta salads and how versatile they are! Thanks for sharing!
Denise
Me too! Thanks, Karly 🙂
Albert Bevia
I could eat this pasta salad everyday, I love that homemade red wine vinaigrette and the colorful spread of veggies that you used, and oh yeah, I wont skip on the feta 🙂
Denise
Me too! Thanks, Albert 🙂