BBQ Chicken Protein Pasta Salad (Printable)
Smoky BBQ chicken tossed with protein pasta, fresh veggies, and a tangy yogurt dressing for a satisfying meal.
# What You’ll Need:
→ Chicken
01 - 2 medium boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 14 oz)
02 - 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
03 - 1/2 tsp garlic powder
04 - 1/2 tsp salt
05 - 1/4 tsp black pepper
06 - 1 tbsp olive oil
07 - 3 tbsp BBQ sauce, plus extra for drizzling
→ Pasta
08 - 9 oz high-protein pasta (chickpea, lentil, or whole wheat penne)
→ Vegetables
09 - 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
10 - 1 cup yellow bell pepper, diced
11 - 1/2 cup red onion, finely diced
12 - 1 cup cucumber, diced
13 - 1/2 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
14 - 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
→ Dressing
15 - 3 tbsp Greek yogurt
16 - 2 tbsp BBQ sauce
17 - 1 tbsp lime juice
18 - 1 tsp honey or agave syrup
19 - 1/2 tsp chili powder
20 - Salt and pepper to taste
# How To Make It:
01 - Pat the chicken breasts dry and season both sides evenly with smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper.
02 - Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Sear the chicken for 5 to 6 minutes per side until golden brown and cooked through to an internal temperature of 165°F. Brush generously with BBQ sauce during the last 2 minutes of cooking. Transfer to a plate, let rest for 5 minutes, then dice into bite-sized pieces.
03 - While the chicken rests, cook the high-protein pasta in a medium saucepan according to package directions until al dente. Drain thoroughly and rinse under cold running water to halt cooking and cool the pasta.
04 - In a large mixing bowl, combine the cooled pasta, diced chicken, halved cherry tomatoes, diced yellow bell pepper, finely diced red onion, diced cucumber, rinsed black beans, and chopped cilantro.
05 - In a small bowl, whisk together the Greek yogurt, BBQ sauce, lime juice, honey or agave syrup, chili powder, and salt and pepper to taste until smooth and well combined.
06 - Pour the dressing over the salad and toss gently until all ingredients are evenly coated. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Drizzle with extra BBQ sauce and garnish with additional cilantro if desired before serving.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- The combination of BBQ sauce and Greek yogurt in the dressing is a trick that makes people ask for the recipe every single time.
- Using chickpea or lentil pasta sneaks in extra protein without anyone noticing, which is honestly the best kind of kitchen magic.
02 -
- Rinsing the pasta under cold water is not optional here because warm pasta will melt the yogurt dressing into a soupy mess and ruin the texture entirely.
- Do not skip the resting step for the chicken because cutting into it immediately causes all those flavorful juices to run out onto your cutting board instead of staying in the meat.
03 -
- Let the finished salad sit in the fridge for at least thirty minutes before serving because the flavors meld and transform into something far better than when it was freshly mixed.
- If you are using chickpea pasta, slightly undercook it compared to the package directions since it softens further as it sits in the dressing.