This Caprese Chicken Pasta Salad is fresh, flavorful and delicious! Packed with cold pasta, chicken, tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil-then seasoned with Italian seasonings, salt, pepper, a little olive oil and white balsamic vinegar! This pasta salad is a true winner in my book! 

What is a Caprese salad?

A traditional Italian caprese salad (pronounced “cah-preh-zseh”) is typically made with just tomatoes, basil, mozzarella and olive oil.  For this caprese salad variation-it’s everything you love in a cypress salad along with pasta and cooked chicken-bulking it up with some added protein. Then drizzled with a homemade balsamic vinegar dressing and garnished with a balsamic glaze. 

What ingredients do I need to make this?

• Pasta – short pasta such as penne, farfalle, fusilli or rotini. I also love using Fiber Gourmet Pasta! It’s one of my NEW favorite low point pasta!  It’s Kosher, Vegan certified, non-GMO, and has zero artificial colors or flavoring-with only 17 net carbs vs. 41g, only 100 calories vs. 210 calories, & an astounding 25g of fiber vs. for a 2g serving of regular pasta.  I’m telling you, it has the same great taste, texture but with more fiber, fewer calories, and 1/2 the points than regular pasta! You just can’t go wrong with the Fiber Gourmet Pasta- now it’s a little more expensive but it’s so worth it to me to and it may be worth it to you!! You can find it HERE on Amazon-which sells it in a 6-pack. Another great option is the Barilla Plus pasta, which can be found at most grocery stores or HERE on Amazon in an 8 pack- its also high in protein and lower in points than most regular pasta.
• Cherry or grape tomatoes- halved 
• Fresh basil leaves- chopped. Only use fresh leaves not DREID!
• Fresh mozzarella-I like to use the mini fresh mozzarella balls or if you’re not able to find the mini mozzarella balls you can always dice fresh mozzarella into bite size pieces.
• Cooked skinless boneless chicken breast- diced into bite sized pieces. You could also use skinless boneless rotisserie chicken. 
• Balsamic glaze- used as garnish after the pasta has chilled.  The one I LOVE and use is from Trader Joes. You can find it HERE on Amazon.
• Extra virgin olive oil- I recommend using just 1 Tbsp in the dressing to keep the point values low. I use Trader Joes’s 100% extra-virgin olive oil in this recipe, because you can really taste it here. I recommend using extra-virgin olive oil since it has a strong, fruity flavor which gives the finishing touch on the combination of flavors. It also keeps the pasta from sticking when it chills. I don’t recommend using another oil as a substitute. 
• White balsamic vinegar- if you can’t find or have white balsamic vinegar you can use regular balsamic vinegar. The flavors of the two are very similar, although the dark balsamic is slightly sweeter and tends to be a little more syrupy. You can find the white balsamic vinegar HERE on Amazon. 
• Sugar or zero point white granulated sugar sweetener– I use a minimal amount and the point value is the same regardless of which one you use. The sugar helps balance out the acidity of the tomatoes and vinegar. 
• Garlic clove– minced
• Kosher salt- I recommend using Kosher salt or regular sea salt instead of iodized salt. Iodized salt can add a bitterness which you don’t want in the dressing. 
• Ground pepper
• Dried thyme
• Dried oregano 

How do I make this Caprese Chicken Pasta Salad?

Bring a pot of water to a boil and season with salt.

Add the pasta and cook just until al dente. Drain and rinse with cold water. Then set aside to cool.

In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, white balsamic vinegar, sugar or sweetener, garlic clove, salt, pepper, thyme, and oregano.

In a large bowl, combine the cooked pasta, tomatoes, basil, chicken, and mozzarella.

Pour the dressing into the pasta mixture and toss to evenly coat.

Chill for 1-2 hours before serving. Remove from fridge.

Stir pasta salad after it’s chilled to ensure the dressing is well absorbed. 

Then right before serving drizzle the pasta salad with balsamic glaze for added deliciousness! 

Store leftovers in an airtight container in refrigerator for 3-5 days.

Ingredients:

• 12 oz. pasta – short pasta such as penne, farfalle, rotini or Fiber Gourmet Pasta 
• 2 cups cherry or grape tomatoes, halved 
• 6-8 fresh basil leaves, chopped
• 4 oz. fresh mozzarella-I like to use the small fresh mozzarella balls or dice fresh mozzarella into bite size pieces 
• 1 1/2 cups cooked chicken breast, diced into bite sized pieces 
• 1-2 tsp balsamic glaze, garnish 

Dressing Ingredients:

• 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 3 Tbsp white balsamic vinegar
• 2 tsp sugar or zero point white granulated sugar sweetener* point value will be the same regardless of which one you use. 
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• ½ tsp ground pepper
• ¼ tsp dried thyme
• ¼ tsp dried oregano 

Directions:

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil and season with salt. Add the pasta and cook just until al dente. Drain and rinse with cold water. Then set aside to cool.
2. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the olive oil, white balsamic vinegar, sugar or sweetener, minced garlic clove, salt, pepper, thyme, and oregano.
3. In a large bowl, combine the cooked pasta, tomatoes, basil, chicken, and mozzarella.
4. Pour the dressing into the pasta mixture and toss to evenly coat.
5. Chill for 1-2 hours before serving. Remove from fridge. Stir pasta salad after it’s chilled to ensure the dressing is well absorbed. 
6. Then right before serving drizzle the pasta salad with balsamic glaze for added deliciousness! 
7. Store leftovers in an airtight container in refrigerator for 3-5 days.

Servings: Makes 8 ( 1 and 1/4 cup) servings 

6 Points® per serving

How do I track this recipe in my WW app? 

Click the link below to go to the recipe builder. You’ll first need to sign into your WW account and then the recipe builder will upload. The recipe builder is the most accurate way to create, obtain, and track the Points®

*The recipe builder link only works for WW members located in the United States. If you are located outside of the United States, you’ll need to access the WW app manually to create the recipe in the recipe builder.