Pasta Salad with Bacon & Pesto Grilled Chicken
Pasta Salad with Bacon & Pesto Grilled Chicken. Nothing better than a pasta salad loaded with summer fresh ingredients to celebrate grilling season. We’ve partnered with our friends Barilla to create this recipe using their Rustic Basil Pesto. We elevated this pasta salad by topping it with the grilled chicken that’s basted with Barilla’s Rustic Basil Pesto.
Barilla pesto is made with high-quality ingredients like fragrant Italian basil and freshly grated Italian cheese that gives their pesto a true authentic Italian flavor. The best part is Barilla’s Rustic Basil Pesto can be found in most grocery stores, so preparing homemade delicious meals are super easy. You’re gonna want to keep a few jars on hand this summer. Whether you’re stirring it into pasta, using it to top meats or fish, or spreading it on sandwiches or veggies, it’s perfect right out of the jar!! This is a chef tip you definitely need to try!!
It is officially the first week of summer, and nothing says summer quite like a pasta salad. Especially one that is packed with all the ingredients and flavors that make you think summertime eats. This one has all of our favorites…grilled chicken wrapped in bacon, avocado, corn, romaine, croutons, and a lemony mayo dressing. But the star of this pasta salad is Barilla’s Rustic Basil Pesto that we smothered on the grilled chicken. It is the perfect touch for a warm weather pasta salad.
There are so many delicious aspects of this pasta salad that make it addicting. We can’t wait to serve this one all summer long. It’s perfect for holiday barbecues or just any hot summer night. Because I don’t know about you guys, but when it’s summer I can always go for a good bowl of pasta salad !! Happy first official week of summer !!
Pasta Salad with Bacon Pesto Grilled Chicken (yields 6 servings)
Ingredients
For the Bacon Pesto Chicken
1 ½ pounds chicken cutlets
1 pound bacon
For the Pasta
4 slices thick cut bread; cubed
Olive oil for drizzling
Salt and pepper
1 pound short-cut pasta
3 ears grilled corn; kernels removed
1 avocado; diced
1 head romaine lettuce; chopped
Fresh basil leaves for serving
For the Lemon Aioli
1 cup mayonnaise
⅓ cup olive oil
Juice of 2 lemons
Salt and pepper
Instructions
On a large baking sheet, add the bread cubes. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Transfer to a 400 degree oven and bake for about 15 minutes or until golden. Remove and set aside.
Sprinkle the chicken cutlets with salt and pepper. Wrap each cutlet with a slice of bacon. Transfer to the oven and cook for about 15 minutes. Remove the chicken from the oven and coat one side of each cutlet with the Barilla Rustic Pesto.
Preheat the grill to medium-high heat. Grill the chicken for about 3 - 4 minutes, pesto side up. Flip over and coat the other side of each cutlet with the pesto. Continue to cook for another 2 - 3 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and bacon is crisp.
Make the lemon aioli dressing. In a medium bowl, add the mayonnaise, olive oil, and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper. Stir to combine.
Cook the pasta. Drain. Add the pasta to a large serving bowl. Add the bacon, avocado, grilled corn, romaine lettuce, croutons, and lemon aioli. Toss to combine. Serve topped with bacon pesto chicken and garnished with fresh basil leaves.
