Chicken Cordon Bleu Pasta Salad
Chicken cordon bleu pasta salad combines all the flavors of the classic entrée into a creamy side dish you can enjoy at picnics and potlucks anytime. Featuring tender pieces of chicken, diced ham, Swiss cheese, and broccoli, you’ll love this twist on macaroni salad.
Like lots of families, we do picnics and potlucks all summer long.
And during picnic season, we eat so much pasta salad.
To keep us from getting bored, I’m constantly putting new spins on pasta salad like Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad or Seafood Pasta Salad or this chicken cordon bleu pasta salad.
It keeps it interesting and plus when you add protein like chicken and ham, you wind up with a dish that you can use as a side dish or as a meal itself.
Ingredients
To make this you’ll need:
- Pasta– I recommend farfalle, which is the bowtie pasta. But you could also use penne, macaroni, or another short pasta.
- Chicken– Chopped rotisserie chicken. You could also use leftover grilled or roast chicken.
- Ham– Use up any leftover ham or grab a ham steak or deli style ham.
- Cheese– Swiss cheese cubes are preferable. If you want a more subtle hint of Swiss, use sliced Swiss and dice that.
- Veggies– Broccoli florets, thawed frozen peas, and matchstick carrots.
- Dressing ingredients– Honey, mayo, Dijon mustard, white vinegar, olive oil, sugar, garlic powder, onion powder, fresh parsley, and shredded Parmesan cheese.
How to Make
This pasta salad recipe is so easy to make!
To do it, cook the pasta according to the package directions.
When the pasta is al dente, drain the pasta to a colander in the sink and run it under cold water to stop the cooking process.
When it’s cool, transfer it to a large mixing bowl.
Then add the remaining salad ingredients to the bowl and gently toss them together until evenly combined.
Set it aside while you make the dressing.
To make the dressing, combine all of the remaining ingredients except the Parmesan and fresh parsley.
Whisk everything together until it’s all smooth and creamy.
Pour the dressing over the pasta salad, and stir together until evenly combined.
Serve and garnish with Parmesan and parsley if desired.
Enjoy!
Can I make it ahead of time?
Yes, however, you should store the salad and the dressing separate in their own airtight containers in the fridge and stir them together just before serving.
If you chill them together after you mix them, the pasta will soak up the dressing and the salad won’t be as creamy.
Storing Leftovers
Store leftovers in an air tight containers for up to 3 days.
You may want to make extra dressing just before serving to toss with the salad if it has absorbed too much.
Tips and Tricks
- This recipe is easy to half or double for smaller or bigger groups.
- You could omit the sugar and use more honey in the dressing.
- Chop the broccoli florets fairly small so you have little tiny pieces of broccoli throughout instead of tougher big stalks of it.
Other Chicken Cordon Bleu Recipes
Chicken cordon bleu is our favorite way to enjoy the classic flavors of the dish in the warmer weather. Make it for your next picnic or potluck and enjoy!
Looking for other chicken cordon bleu inspired recipes? Try these:
- Chicken Cordon Bleu Pinwheels
- Chicken Cordon Bleu Soup
- Chicken Cordon Bleu Paninis
- Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole
If you’ve tried this CHICKEN CORDON BLEU PASTA SALAD, or any other recipe on the site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and whatever else we’ve got going on!
Chicken Cordon Bleu Pasta Salad
Ingredients
For The Pasta Salad
- 1 lb farfalle pasta
- 2 cups chopped rotisserie chicken
- 2 cups diced ham
- 2 cups diced Swiss cheese cubes
- 1 cup broccoli florets
- 3/4 cup frozen peas thawed
- 1/3 cup matchstick carrots
For The Dressing
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1 1/2 cups mayo
- 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 2 tbsp white vinegar
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- pinch onion powder
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley leaves for serving, optional
- shredded Parmesan cheese for serving, optional
Instructions
To Make The Pasta Salad
- Cook the pasta according to the package directions. When 'al dente' transfer the pasta to a colander in the sink and run it under cold water, until cooled, to stop the cooking process.
- Transfer the cooled, cooked pasta to a large mixing bowl.
- To the mixing bowl, add the remaining salad ingredients. Gently toss until evenly combined. Set aside.
To Make The Dressing
- In a medium mixing bowl combine all of the remaining ingredients EXCEPT the garnishes.
- Whisk together until smooth & creamy.
- Pour the dressing over the pasta salad, and stir together until evenly combined.
- Serve & enjoy!
Notes
- This recipe is easy to half or double for smaller or bigger groups.
- You could omit the sugar and use more honey in the dressing.
- Chop the broccoli florets fairly small so you have little tiny pieces of broccoli throughout instead of tougher big stalks of it.
Nutrition
