Easy Chicken Tortellini Pasta Salad

This easy chicken tortellini pasta salad with a creamy pesto dressing is a crowd-pleasing side dish made with just 5 ingredients! It's great for large family gatherings, dinner parties, cookouts, and potlucks!

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• Why you'll love this recipe
• Ingredients
• Step-by-Step Instructions
• Storage and Leftovers
• Helpful Tips
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Related Recipes
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Comments

This is one of my favourite pasta salads to bring to potlucks! Everyone is used to typical Greek pasta salads, macaroni salad, etc., but no one expects a unique pesto chicken pasta salad like this one! Everyone loves how hearty and flavourful it is.

One of my favourite things about this pasta salad is that whenever I have leftovers, I actually make a pasta bake out of it. Yep, you get a two-in-one with this recipe. I throw the leftovers in a baking dish, top it with some mozzarella and bake it until the cheese is golden. Delish!

Why you'll love this recipe

• Quick & Easy: It's simple to make with just 5 simple ingredients. With few ingredients straightforward steps, it's a foolproof recipe that anyone can make.
• Crowd-Pleasing: Incredibly delicious and perfect for sharing with big crowd at occasions and gatherings.
• Satisfying Side Dish: No one likes boring side dishes, so make this flavour-packed tortellini pasta salad and impress your guests!

Ingredients

• Cheese Tortellini (this recipe uses frozen, but fresh also works!)
• Pesto (make your own pesto recipe or use store bought, but personally I use store bought because it's easier, more accessible, and more affordable!)
• Chicken (breast or rotisserie, and you can also omit if you prefer a vegetarian option)
• Cherry Tomatoes
• Fresh Boccaccini Mozzarella Balls/Pearls

See the recipe card below for the ingredient measurements. 

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1 - Bake the chicken: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with tin foil and cooking spray. Add the chicken breast and season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Bake for 30 minutes, then shred the chicken with two forks or an electric hand mixer.

Step 2 - Cook the pasta: In a large pot, cook the tortellini according to the package instructions and then drain and rinse the noodles with cold water until they're cold to the touch.

Step 3 - Assemble the pasta salad: To a large bowl, combine and mix the tortellini, pesto, chicken, cherry tomatoes, and mozzarella balls.

Storage and Leftovers

Store any leftovers covered with plastic wrap in the fridge for up to 1 week. Alternatively, sometimes I like to take the leftovers and transfer them to a baking dish and sprinkle it with mozzarella cheese and bake it. You can do this at 400 degrees Fahrenheight for about 15 minutes or until warm and the cheese is golden.

Helpful Tips

• Rinse the tortellini with cold water to stop the cooking process to ensure they don't overcook and become mushy.
• If you're worried about the tortellini sticking, you can add a tablespoon of olive oil to them after rinsing but because you'll be adding pesto, the oil in that should keep the noodles from sticking to each other.
• Omit the chicken if you want this to be a vegetarian option.

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Recipes

Looking for more delicious pasta salads for your next summer cookout or work potluck? Check out this creamy cheddar macaroni salad, easy crab macaroni salad, zesty Italian pasta salad, caprese pasta salad, and this classic Hawaiian macaroni salad.

If you love hearty tortellini recipes, then you should also try my 5 ingredient sausage tortellini casserole and this sausage tortellini soup!

If you like pesto recipes just as much as me, then you should definetly check out my cheesy mozzarella and pesto tortellini bake and this chicken pesto pasta recipe too!

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