BBQ Chicken Pasta Salad – High Protein & Easy

I’m excited for this month – not only because summer (my favorite season) starts in June, but also because this June will be all about one of my absolute favorite foods: pasta. But not just any kind of pasta. As you probably know, I have protein goals, and pasta is mostly delicious carbs – so I decided to focus on high-protein pasta meals and pasta salads this month.

So let’s kick June off with something that’s perfect for the hot summer months: a colorful BBQ chicken pasta salad that is packed with flavor and protein. It’s easy to make and perfect for meal prep or to use BBQ left-overs.

But you don’t need to fire up the grill to make this satisfying pasta salad with chicken, tomatoes, broccolini, and a creamy, flavorful BBQ dressing. The chicken can easily be prepared in a skillet within a few minutes. Don’t let the long ingredient list for the marinade fool you – you need a lot of different seasoning for the amazing flavor, but this recipe is really anything but complicated.

This colorful pasta salad uses the same dressing as my BBQ salad with tuna and broccolini. But while the flavor profile is similar, it’s a completely different dish – and just as good, if not better. You decide!

I first made this salad on one of the few hot days this May (weather’s been weird around here!) – the day after I made that other BBQ pasta salad. The combination of flavors I threw together the day before was just so incredibly good, I had to experiment with it a bit more – and I’m so glad I did!

I think you can see how much I love this meal – that’s why I chose it to kick off the June series you voted for: high protein summer pasta (salads). I hope you try this BBQ chicken pasta salad, and I hope you stick around for the next high protein pasta dishes to make your summer even more delicious!

Ingredients for 4 servings:

For the marinade:

• 12 tbsp sweet or smoked BBQ sauce
• 8 tsp mustard
• 8 tbsp white wine or apple cider vinegar
• 8 tsp soy sauce
• 8 tsp maple syrup or honey
• 4–8 tsp lemon or lime juice, to taste
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp black pepper
• Chili flakes, to taste
• Hot sauce, to taste

For the dressing:

• 6 tbsp Greek or plain yogurt

For the chicken

• 400 g chicken breast fillet
• 1 tbsp olive oil

For the pasta salad:

• 300 g pasta (such as orecchiette, fusilli, or macaroni)
• 400 g broccolini
• 400 g cherry or plum tomatoes

Recipe:

I. Prepare the marinade and dressing

• In a small bowl, whisk all the marinade ingredients until smooth. Taste and adjust the seasoning to your liking.
• Transfer half of the marinade to another bowl – you will use this part to marinate the chicken.
• To the remaining half of the marinade, add the Greek or plain yogurt and whisk until combined. The yogurt will make the dressing so much creamier! Taste again and adjust the seasoning – the yogurt has a neutralizing effect, so more hot sauce or chili flakes might be needed, depending on your taste.
• Set the yogurt dressing aside in the fridge while you marinate the chicken and prepare the remaining ingredients.

II. Marinate the chicken

• Take the chicken out of the fridge about 20-30 minutes before cooking, so it reaches room temperature. That ensures even cooking and good searing.
• Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces and toss them in the marinade until well-coated.
• Let the chicken marinate for at least 20-30 minutes. That’s enough time for good flavor also lets the chicken come to room temperature – that will ensure even cooking and good searing. You can marinate the chicken for up to 2 hours for even more flavor, but in this case let it marinate in the fridge and only take it out 20-30 minutes before pan-searing. As the marinade contains vinegar, avoid marinating the chicken for longer than 3 hours to prevent it from becoming mushy – trust me, you don’t want that.
• When the chicken is done marinating, preheat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and the marinated chicken pieces.
• Cook them for about 3-4 minutes without stirring, until they develop a crust, then flip and cook for another 2-3 minutes until fully cooked through – the internal temperature should reach 165°F or 75°C, but if you don’t have a thermometer and are unsure, cutting one piece to check if it’s done is enough (that’s what I usually do).
• Remove the chicken from the skillet and set it aside to cool.

III. Cook the ingredients

• Bring two large pots of salted water to a boil.
• Meanwhile, wash the veggies. Halve the tomatoes and cut the broccolini into bite-sized pieces.
• Cook the pasta in one of the pots according to package instructions and reserve a bit of pasta water before draining.
• Blanch the broccolini in the other pot of boiling water for 3–4 minutes, then rinse under cold water to preserve its bright green color.
• Let the pasta and broccolini cool completely.

IV. Finish and serve the salad

• Once the pasta, broccolini, and chicken have cooled, add all the salad ingredients to a large bowl and toss with the dressing until everything is evenly coated.
• Taste and adjust the seasoning one last time before serving. Enjoy!

Notes:

• This BBQ salad keeps well in the fridge for up to 2 days – perfect for meal prep, summer gatherings, or picnics!
• Leftovers from last night’s BBQ? If you have left-over chicken from your BBQ, you can easily use it here – just cut it up into bite-sized pieces before tossing it with the pasta salad.
• Vegan or vegetarian? You can easily swap the chicken for the same amount of firm tofu. If vegan, use plant-based yogurt and make sure to use maple syrup instead of honey for the marinade and dressing.
• Want to save water and dishes? You can also blanch the broccolini in the pasta water, separating it from the pasta by placing it in a sieve – just make sure your pot is large enough.

Nutritional information per serving:

• Calories: 475 kcal
• Protein: 41 g
• Fat: 9.5 g
• Carbs: 56.5 g
• Sugar: 27.5 g
• Fiber: 6 g
• Salt: 1.5 g