This Asian Pasta Salad is packed with tender asian grilled chicken, crisp vegetables, and tossed in a savory sesame dressing bursting with flavor. Fresh, colorful, and satisfying, it’s the perfect make-ahead meal for lunches, meal prep, potlucks, and summer get-togethers.
Table of Contents
Kelley’s Tips
Tips for the Best Asian Pasta Salad
- Don’t rinse the pasta. Tossing the dressing with warm pasta helps it soak up all of the delicious flavors and allows the dressing to cling to the noodles.
- Cook the pasta just until al dente. Slightly firm pasta holds up better in the dressing and stays fresh longer if you’re making the salad ahead of time.
- Marinate the chicken if you have time. Even an hour of marinating adds tons of flavor and helps keep the chicken juicy and tender.
- Slice the vegetables thinly. Thin strips of cabbage, carrots, and bell pepper distribute more evenly throughout the salad and make every bite flavorful.
- Let the chicken rest before slicing. Allowing the grilled chicken to rest for 5 to 10 minutes keeps the juices inside and prevents it from drying out.
- Make it your own. This recipe is easy to customize with ingredients like cucumbers, snap peas, mandarin oranges, peanuts, cashews, or cilantro.
Ingredients Needed
- Sesame oil & Avocado oil: Create a rich, flavorful base for the dressing. The sesame oil adds nutty flavor, while the avocado oil keeps it balanced and smooth.
- Sweet Thai chili sauce, honey & rice vinegar: Bring the perfect balance of sweet, tangy, and slightly spicy flavor. They make the dressing so flavorful!
- Low-sodium soy sauce: Adds savory umami flavor without making the dressing overly salty.
- Pasta: Gemelli is great for catching the dressing, but rotini, fusilli, or bowties work well too.
- Veggies: Edamame, red cabbage, green onions, carrots & red bell pepper add crunch, color, and freshness to every bite.
- Grilled Asian chicken: Makes the salad hearty and adds lots of protein!
- Chicken thighs: Stay juicy and tender on the grill and soak up the marinade beautifully.
- Ketchup, mirin, soy sauce & sriracha: Create a sweet, savory, and slightly spicy marinade with lots of flavor.
How to Make an Asian Pasta Salad
- Add the chicken and all of the marinade ingredients to a large bowl and toss to combine. Marinate for 1 hour. Grill the chicken.
- Boil pasta until al dente in salted water. My pasta took about 6 minutes. Don’t rinse pasta! Warm pasta helps the dressing to adhere.
- Add all of the dressing ingredients to a small bowl or mason jar and whisk to combine, set aside until you’re ready to dress the salad.
- Add the cooked pasta, cooked and cubed grilled chicken, veggies and dressing to a large bowl and toss to coat everything in the dressing. Sprinkle sesame seeds on top if desired!
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Recipe
Asian Pasta Salad
Tender pasta, grilled chicken, colorful vegetables, and a sesame chili dressing come together in this fresh and flavorful Asian Pasta Salad.
Ingredients
Asian Dressing
- 3 tbsp sesame oil
- 3 tbsp avocado oil
- 2 tbsp sweet Thai chili sauce
- 4 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
- 3 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp honey
Asian Pasta Salad
- 1 cup edamame
- 1 lb pasta, I used Gemelli pasta
- 1 1/2 cups red cabbage, shredded
- 2 small carrots, cut into matchsticks
- 1/2 cup green onions, sliced
- 1 medium red bell pepper, sliced into strips
- grilled asian chicken, cooked and cubed
- sesame seeds, for sprinkling on top
Grilled Asian Chicken
- 1 1/2 lbs chicken thighs
- 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 1 tbsp ketchup
- 1 tbsp mirin
- 1 tsp sriracha
- 1 tsp ginger, grated
- 2 cloves garlic, grated
- 2 tsp sesame oil
Instructions
Grilled Asian Chicken
- Add the chicken and all of the marinade ingredients to a large bowl and toss to combine. Marinate for 1 hour.
Asian Dressing
- Add all of the dressing ingredients to a small bowl or mason jar and whisk to combine, set aside until your ready to dress the salad.
Asian Pasta Salad
- Boil pasta until al dente in salted water. My pasta took about 6 minutes.Don't rinse pasta! Warm pasta helps the dressing to adhere.
- Add the cooked pasta, cooked and cubed grilled chicken, veggies and dressing to a large bowl and toss to coat everything in the dressing. Sprinkle sesame seeds on top if desired!
- Serve immediately or store in the fridge for up to 4 days!
Notes
- Cook the pasta just until al dente. Slightly firm pasta holds up better in the dressing and stays fresh longer if you’re making the salad ahead of time.
- Slice the vegetables thinly. Thin strips of cabbage, carrots, and bell pepper distribute more evenly throughout the salad and make every bite flavorful.
- Dress the salad while the pasta is still slightly warm. The pasta absorbs some of the dressing, creating even more flavor throughout the dish.
- Let the chicken rest before slicing. Allowing the grilled chicken to rest for 5 to 10 minutes keeps the juices inside and prevents it from drying out.
- Make it your own. This recipe is easy to customize with ingredients like cucumbers, snap peas, mandarin oranges, peanuts, cashews, or cilantro.
Nutrition Information
Calories: 568kcalCarbohydrates: 55gProtein: 25gFat: 28gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 7gMonounsaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 83mgSodium: 588mgPotassium: 559mgFiber: 4gSugar: 9gVitamin A: 2879IUVitamin C: 32mgCalcium: 53mgIron: 2mg
Did You Make This?
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