This summer deserves one more really good pasta salad. Don’t you think? And this one packs in all of the late-summer herbs and veggies you can find in your garden or at the farmers market.
Enter: a bold, fresh chimichurri pasta salad with grilled chicken and veggies. I’ve been on a homemade chimichurri kick lately and thought, why not use it as a dressing? Let’s just say the flavors work SO well when tossed with all of this goodness.
Add a sprinkle of goat cheese for a little funk, and serve it up for a beautiful lunch, dinner, or cookout recipe. This is perfect for your Labor Day weekend menu, too!
Everything you’ll need to make this chimichurri pasta salad
We’re adding basically every summer vegetable and herb you can think of to whip up this flavorful salad. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Chicken: you’ll marinate chicken breast in a marinade made with olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic, dried oregano, salt, and pepper.
- Pasta: I like to use a short pasta like ditalini for easy scooping.
- Chimichurri: homemade chimichurri makes the perfect dressing! It’s SO easy to make with olive oil, red wine vinegar, fresh cilantro and parsley, jalapeño for a kick of heat, garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper.
- Veggies: you’ll also grill up fresh corn, red onion, zucchini, and red and orange bell peppers.
- Goat cheese: I love the subtle tangy flavor that crumbled goat cheese adds to the pasta salad.
Can I make it gluten-free or dairy-free?
Absolutely! Simply use your favorite gluten-free short pasta and omit the goat cheese. Omitting the cheese will also keep the recipe vegan.
Customize your pasta salad
- Pick your veggies: feel free to use any summer vegetable you have on hand, or add more or less of one vegetable than listed.
- Keep it mild: the jalapeño adds more freshness than spice, but if you’re feeding kiddos, you can omit it.
- Choose your cheese: not into goat cheese? Add salty, savory feta cheese instead.
- Try a new pasta: as I mentioned, you can use any short pasta you’d like. Orzo or even pearl couscous would be perfect in here.
More delicious protein options
Like most pasta salads, feel free to experiment with different proteins and flavors! Here’s what I can recommend:
- Grilled shrimp
- Grilled steak
- My jalapeño cilantro chicken
- Or a can of rinsed, drained chickpeas to keep it vegetarian
Learn how to perfectly grill chicken & veggies
I have two great tutorials for you so that you’ll get juicy grilled chicken and tender vegetables every time. Check them out before you get cooking (especially if you’re new to grilling!):
- How to Grill Chicken Breast that’s Perfectly Juicy
- How to Grill Delicious Vegetables (4 different ways!)
Prep this chimichurri pasta salad ahead of time
If you’re looking to save some time, there are a few easy ways to do it:
- Chop up all of your veggies 1-2 days ahead and store them in airtight containers in the fridge.
- Make the chimichurri and store it in a jar in the fridge up to 1-2 days ahead of time.
- Marinate your chicken in a zip-top bag for up to 1 day ahead of time.
Storing tips
Store any leftover chimichurri pasta salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. It’s actually delicious straight from the fridge, so enjoy hot or cold!
Tools you’ll need
Get all of my fav kitchen tools here!
More salad recipes you’ll love
- Street Corn Pasta Salad with Cilantro Pesto + Goat Cheese
- Avocado Peach Tomato Salad with Dilly Tahini Dressing
- Herby Olive Italian Orzo Salad
- Damn Good BLT Pasta Salad with Creamy Jalapeño Cashew Dressing
- Sesame Chicken Cabbage Crunch Salad
Get all of my salad recipes here!
I hope you love this chimichurri pasta salad! If you make it, be sure to leave a comment and a rating so I know how you liked it. Enjoy, xo!
Ambitious Kitchen
Cookbook
125 Ridiculously Good For You, Sometimes Indulgent, and Absolutely Never Boring Recipes for Every Meal of the Day
Grilled Chicken and Veggie Chimichurri Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- Chicken
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 garlic clove, grated
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- Chimichurri and pasta
- ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- ¾ cup chopped fresh cilantro
- ½ cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1 jalapeño, deseeded and roughly chopped
- 2 garlic cloves
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 1 pound ditalini or another short pasta (such as orzo)*
- Vegetables
- 3 large ears of corn
- 1 large red onion, peeled and cut into ½" thick rounds
- 1 large zucchini, ends removed and cut vertically in ½-inch slices
- 1 large red bell pepper, halved
- 1 orange bell pepper, halved
- 2 to 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- Mix-ins
- 4 ounces goat cheese, crumbled**
Instructions
- Marinate the chicken: In a medium bowl, add the olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic, salt, pepper and oregano. Whisk together until well combined. Add the chicken to a large ziplock bag and then add the marinade and zip shut. Lay the bag flat in the fridge and marinate the chicken for at least 30 minutes or up to 4 hours. While the chicken marinates, prepare the other components of the meal.
- Make the chimichurri: In a high-powdered blender or food processor, add the olive oil, red wine vinegar, cilantro, parsley, jalapeno, garlic, oregano and salt. Blend or process on high until well combined, about 15 seconds. Set aside.
- Cook the pasta: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta until al dente, according to the directions on the package. Drain the pasta and add to a large bowl. Pour the chimichurri all over the pasta and toss well to combine.
- Preheat your grill to medium-high heat, about 400 degrees F. Scrape off any leftover bits from the last time you grilled. Remove the chicken from the fridge and allow it to come to room temperature while the grill preheats.
- Prepare vegetables: Drizzle the vegetables with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Use clean hands to toss veggies with oil so that they are well coated.
- Cook the chicken and vegetables: Add the chicken in a single layer on one side of the grill, allowing excess marinade to drip off. Add the vegetables in a single layer on the other side of the grill, placing at least an inch apart. Grill with the lid closed, until a meat thermometer inserted into the center reads 165 degrees F, flipping halfway through, about 6 to 8 minutes per side. The vegetables will grill for about the same amount of time per side as well. Transfer the chicken and vegetables to a platter and allow the chicken to rest for a few minutes to retain the juiciness of the chicken.
- Chop the chicken and veggies: Give the vegetables a rough chop so that they are all roughly the same size and cut the corn off the cob. Next, chop/cube the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Add the vegetables and chicken to the bowl of pasta. Stir to combine.
- Top with goat cheese and season with additional kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Feel free to add more fresh herbs too, if you’d like a more herby pasta salad like I do. Gently toss to combine.
- Serve: Enjoy warm or cold. This makes an excellent salad that will last about 5 days in the fridge.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Recipe by: Monique Volz // Ambitious Kitchen | Photography by: Eat Love Eats
