It’s simple but it packs in loads of flavor for a one-dish meal.
At Between Carpools, we love those one dish meals that are healthy and light and do a good job pleasing at least a majority of the people. If you’re looking for salads that are a meal, we have this Ramen Crunch Salad with Turkey (kid-friendly!), this “Soho Salad” from our KopyKat series, the long popular Skirt Steak and Mango Salad, and of course, the most famous of all, the Grilled Chicken Schnitzel Salad with Ramen that’s featured both in Dinner Done and Best of Kosher (because it was chosen as one of the best in Dinner Done! It’s that good!).
And here comes another winner.
The chicken gets its super flavor from Everything Bagel Spice (yup, easy easy).
Also add some salt, garlic powder, and olive oil.
I used a grill pan, but if your grill is on, this is the perfect healthy dish to include on your barbecue menu too.
A bit of whole wheat pasta makes this filling and satisfying… you get your pasta fix while only having a little bit.
And the dressing… if you didn’t think everything bagel spice and pesto goes together (two very strong flavors), now you will know that they definitely do.
Just a fresh and good, wholesome and complete meal that’s perfect for right about now.
Flavor Bomb Pesto Chicken & Pasta Caesar Salad
Ingredients
Chicken:
- 1½ lbs thinly sliced chicken cutlets
- 3 tbsp olive oil, divided
- 1 tbsp everything bagel spice
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp garlic powder
Salad:
- 1½ cups raw whole wheat penne or rotini, cooked
- 12 oz Romaine lettuce
- 12 cherry tomatoes, halved
- ¼ red onion, diced
Dressing:
- ⅓ cup lite mayonnaise
- 6 frozen basil cubes
- Juice of 1 lemon
- ½ tsp salt
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
Instructions
- Prepare the chicken. In a bowl, combine chicken, 1 ½ Tbsp olive oil, everything bagel spice, salt, and garlic powder.
- Add remaining olive oil to a sauté pan or grill pan and heat over medium-high heat. Add chicken, in batches if necessary, and cook until cooked through, about 3-4 minutes per side for extra thin cutlets. Slice into strips and set aside.
- Meanwhile, prepare pasta according to package instructions.
- Combine all dressing ingredients.
- Assemble the salad. Combine Romaine lettuce, cooked pasta, tomatoes, and red onion. Top with chicken strips and drizzle with dressing.
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do you mean basil cubes or pesto cubes??
Sounds delicious, can’t wait to make it!
Made this yesterday for dinner, it was delicious! I’d double the dressing next time to have extra for dipping the chicken.
Made for supper last night. Was delish!!
What can I use as a substitute for bagel spice?
We don’t have it where I live….
Use black sesame seeds, minced garlic, minced onion, and poppy seeds
Prepared yesterday night for dinner. Really tasty!!
Can the chicken be fried instead of grilled?
Made this for dinner. Was delicious! Made extra chicken for lunch the next day too.
Such a fresh, summery salad. It’s so simple to make and absolutely delicious. I would double the dressing recipe next time. It’s a great pesto for sandwiches as well.
made this for dinner yesterday. such a good summery one bowl dinner, definitely adding to my summer meals rotation
I made this with tuna instead of chicken. I put chunked tuna with no added Mayo into the salad and topped with everything bagel spice. It was polished off! Thanks for another winning recipe!
This was soooo delicious! I omitted red onions they second time because they didn’t agree with me. And I made it with and without the lettuce. Both came out amazing
Yay! Thanks for sharing.
Soo delicious!! And so quick to prepare! Thank you!!:)