Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad (Thermomix)

This chicken caesar pasta salad made in the Thermomix combines tender chicken, creamy caesar dressing, pasta, and boiled eggs for a perfect main dish or side. Quick and easy to make!

It's a great pasta salad dish to have for lunch, a picnic or as part of a party buffet selection.   If not serving immediately, it's recommended to keep the dressing separate and to add it when serving, otherwise the pasta soaks it all up!

If you don't have a Thermomix and would like to try making this recipe, please scroll down for the Non-Thermomix Instructions I have suggested.

Recent New Recipes

How to make this Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad with or without the Thermomix

Recipe on Australia Cookidoo

Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad

If you don't have the Cookidoo app for your Thermomix, follow the recipe below:

Ingredients

For the dressing:

• 120g light olive oil
• 50g parmesan cheese, cut into 3 cm pieces
• 1 clove garlic
• 3 anchovy fillets, drained
• 50g mayonnaise
• 20g lemon juice
• 2 tsp Dijon mustard

For the chicken pasta salad:

• 1700g boiling water
• 300g dried pasta of your choice (eg: conchiglie, fusilli, farfalle, penne)
• 6 whole eggs
• 500g chicken tenderloins
• 1 to 2 pinches salt
• 1 to 2 pinches ground black pepper
• 200g bacon, cut into 1 to 2 cm pieces
• 1 or 2 spring onions or shallots, cut into pieces (I use spring onions)
• 8 to 12 leaves cos lettuce, cut into 3 to 4 cm pieces
• parmesan cheese, grated or shaved for garnishing

Instructions

For the dressing:

1. Place a jug onto the mixing bowl lid and weigh the olive oil into it. Set aside.
2. Place the parmesan cheese pieces and garlic into the mixing bowl and grate 10 seconds/speed 9.
3. Insert the butterfly whisk. Add the anchovies, mayonnaise, lemon juice and mustard and mix 1 minute/speed 4.
4. Mix 1 to 2 minutes/speed 4, slowly pouring oil through hole in mixing bowl lid, until combined. Remove the butterfly whisk. Transfer into a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and place into refrigerator until ready to use. Clean and dry mixing bowl and butterfly whisk.

For the chicken pasta salad:

1. Place 1200g of the boiling water into the mixing bowl. Add pasta. Place Varoma into position and place eggs into Varoma dish. Insert Varoma tray, weigh chicken onto it and season with salt and pepper. Secure Varoma lid and cook 9 to 10 minutes/Varoma/reverse/speed 1 or until pasta is just cooked.
2. Remove Varoma. Drain pasta and transfer into a large bowl. Place remaining 500g of the boiling water into the mixing bowl. Place Varoma with chicken and eggs back into position. Secure Varoma lid and cook 7 to 10 minutes/Varoma/speed 1 or until chicken and eggs are cooked to your liking. Cut the chicken into bite-size pieces and transfer into the bowl with the cooked pasta and set aside to cool for 10 minutes. Place into refrigerator to cool completely (approx. 30 minutes). Set eggs aside to cool, then peel once cool enough to handle and cut into quarters.
3. Place a frying pan over a medium high heat. Add bacon and fry for 3 to 4 minutes, until crispy. Transfer onto a plate lined with paper towel and set aside to cool.
4. Add the spring onions or shallots, lettuce, cooked bacon and reserved Caesar dressing to the chicken pasta mixture and toss to combine. Top with quartered eggs and garnish with grated or shaved parmesan to serve.

Non-Thermomix Instructions

I'd suggest the recipe can easily be adapted using your hob to cook the pasta, boil the eggs and poach the chicken, a set of scales, parmesan grater and a food processor to make the dressing.   I'd make the following suggestions:

For the dressing: 

1. Place a jug onto a set of scales and weigh the olive oil into it. Set aside.
2. Grate the parmesan cheese and garlic into the mixing bowl of a food processor.
3. Add the anchovies, mayonnaise, lemon juice and mustard and mix for 1 minute on low.
4. While slowly pouring the oil into the food processor mixing bowl, mix on low for 1 to 2 minutes, until all ingredients combined.  Transfer the dressing to a bowl or clean jug, cover with cling film and place into the fridge until ready to use. 

For the chicken pasta salad:

1. In a medium saucepan, cook the eggs for 7 to 9 minutes, depending on how firm you'd like the yolks.   Once cooked, let them sit in cold water.  Cook the pasta in boiling water as per the packet instructions.  Drain the pasta and transfer it to a large bowl.
2. Meanwhile, poach the chicken - season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper, place into a medium sized saucepan.  Add enough cold water to cover the chicken and place on a high heat until just starting to boil.  Turn the heat down to a gentle simmer and cook uncovered for 10 minutes.   Remove the chicken from the water and let cool slightly before cutting the pieces into bite-size chunks and adding it to the cooked pasta, and set aside to cool for 10 minutes. Place the bowl of pasta and chicken into the fridge to cool completely (approx. 30 minutes). Peel the eggs once they're cool enough to handle and cut them into quarters.
3. Place a frying pan over a medium high heat. Add the bacon and fry for 3 to 4 minutes, until crispy. Transfer onto a plate lined with kitchen roll and set aside to cool.
4. Add the spring onions or shallots, lettuce, cooked bacon and reserved Caesar dressing to the chicken pasta mixture and toss to combine. Top with the quartered eggs and garnish with grated or shaved parmesan, to serve.