Greek Chicken Pasta Salad with Zucchini Noodles

Greek chicken pasta salad made with zucchini noodles, juicy chicken, artichokes, tomatoes, olives, onions, feta, and tossed with fresh herbs and quick Greek salad dressing for a light, flavorful, and healthy pasta salad. Perfect for BBQs, potlucks, and an easy lunch or dinner. Gluten-free, low-carb, paleo, and Whole30 friendly without the cheese.

This recipe first appeared on Instagram in partnership with Cece’s Noodle Co.

Raise your hand if you are obsessed with Greek food like me 🙋🏻‍♀️ Seriously I could eat it all day every day. I asked on Instagram what kind of recipes you guys wanted to see for the rest of the summer and lots of you said salad recipes and more veggie-centric recipes. So here we are with a marriage of the two with this Greek chicken pasta salad with zucchini noodles!

My parents actually just went to Greece for 2 weeks and said it was amazing! The pictures totally don’t do it justice and the food is just as good as you can imagine. Of course, all the feta cheese, Greek salads, hummus, tzaztiki, and pita please.

So, it’s definitely on my bucket list – along with a laundry list of other places haha.

As a matter of fact, my parents were kind enough to bring me back some Greek olive oil and spices, so I quickly got to work on creating something with them!

Since it’s pretty much 100 degrees here in July and August, all I want is light and refreshing dishes. So, I figured a hearty pasta salad would fit the bill perfectly. The kicker is it’s made with zucchini noodles instead of regular pasta! Zucchini noodles make a great gluten free substitute and a fun way to get in more veggies, which you guys know I’m all about.

The zucchini noodles are mixed with all the similar things you would find in a Greek salad – tomatoes, olives, red onions, and feta – with the addition of seasoned chicken tenders and then tossed with a simple dressing and lots and lots of fresh herbs.

This salad is bright and fresh, loaded with veggies and some protein, and super easy to make. Not to mention, if you want to keep it paleo and Whole30 friendly, simply skip the feta! Although, you could totally substitute shrimp or another kind of protein you like. On the other hand, if you want to make it plant based, chickpeas would even be delicious.

Greek chicken pasta salad makes a great dish for your summer BBQs, picnics, and potlucks, or just an easy weeknight dinner or quick lunch! Not only can this serve as a side dish, but also as a main course, where I would suggest adding more chicken to up the protein.

Greek Chicken Pasta Salad

This zucchini pasta salad is full of lots of veggies, flavorful chicken, fresh herbs, and a simple Greek dressing that has so much flavor! It comes together in 30 minutes and is perfect for your summertime BBQs, picnics, potlucks, or just a simple lunch.

Here is what you need:

• chicken tenders – chicken breasts also work, but I like tenders for this pasta salad as there is more surface area for the spices when cooking
• zucchini noodles
• cherry tomatoes
• artichoke hearts
• olives
• red onion
• feta – optional and you can totally leave if off to keep it paleo and Whole30
• olive oil
• red wine vinegar
• lemon juice
• dried oregano
• fresh parsley
• fresh dill
• mint
• salt and pepper⠀⠀

First, start off by mixing your chicken with a little olive oil and 1/2 tablespoon oregano. At the same time, heat up a large pan and add some oil. Cook the chicken for 15 minutes until cooked through.

While the chicken cooks, start on your veggies. Spiralize your zucchini – I used blade B on my Inspiralizer for linguine noodles. The trick to getting little half moon shapes that are perfect for bite size pieces is to cut a slit lengthwise halfway through the zucchini. This will create the thick little half circles when you run it through with the thicker noodle attachment.

Next, chop up your tomatoes, olives, onions, parsley, mint, and dill. After that, make the Greek pasta salad dressing by mixing the lemon juice, red wine vinegar, olive oil, dried oregano, red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper in a small jar.

Once the chicken is done, chop it up and add it to a large bowl with the veggies and feta cheese. Then, pour the dressing over it and mix it up. Finally, mix in the herbs and that’s it!

Greek Chicken Pasta Salad for Meal Prep

This zucchini pasta salad is perfect for meal prep! Honestly, I would say it actually works best for meal prep or making it a day in advance before serving it. This way, the zucchini soaks up some of the dressing and softens a bit and the flavors marinate together as they sit overnight.

If making it for a party, make it the night before! It will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days, although it never lasts that long at our house!

Substitutions for Zucchini Noodles

If you don’t like or want zucchini noodles, there a few things you can substitute for them:

• gluten free pasta – I like brown rice or quinoa pasta
• chickpea pasta
• regular pasta
• orzo
• quinoa
• Israeli couscous

These will definitely change the nutritional profile of the recipe, but they all work. Likewise, if using any kind of real deal pasta, I would suggest adding more dressing so they can really soak it up.

More Healthy Summer Salad Recipes

Chicken Cabbage Salad

Paleo Loaded Roasted Potato Salad

Gluten Free BLT Avocado Pasta Salad

Paleo BLT Zucchini Noodle Pasta Salad

Healthy Broccoli Salad with Honey Mustard Dressing

Raw Summer Corn Salad with Tomato & Avocado

4.77 from 17 votes

Greek Chicken Pasta Salad with Zucchini Noodles

Author: Kelly Nardo

Greek Chicken Pasta Salad made with zucchini noodles, juicy chicken, artichokes, tomatoes, olives, onions, feta, and tossed with fresh herbs and quick greek salad dressing for a light, flavorful, and healthy pasta salad. Perfect for BBQs, potlucks, and an easy lunch or dinner. Gluten free, low carb, and paleo and Whole30 friendly without the cheese.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Course: Main Course, Side Dish

Calories: 172kcal

Protein: 12g

Carbs: 9g

Fat: 10g

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes minutes

Servings: 10 heaping cups

ingredients

Greek Chicken Pasta Salad

• 1 pound chicken tenders
• 1 tablespoon olive oil + more for coating
• 1/2 tablespoon dried oregano
• 4 medium zucchini, spizalized into half moon shapes (900 grams)
• 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved (300 grams)
• 1 cup diced red onion (120 grams)
• 1 cup Kalamata olives, halves (125 grams)
• 1 can (14 ounces) quartered artichoke hearts, drained
• 1/2 heaping cup crumbled feta (2 1/2 ounces) (leave off for paleo/Whole30)
• 1/4 cup packed fresh parsley, rough chopped
• 1/4 cup packed fresh mint, rough chopped
• 2 tablespoons packed fresh dill, rough chopped
• salt and pepper, to taste

Greek Dressing

• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• salt and pepper, to taste

instructions

• Add the chicken tenders, 1 teaspoon olive oil, 1/2 tablespoon oregano, and salt and pepper in a medium bowl and mix until chicken is coated. Heat a large saute pan over medium-low heat. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil and let it get hot, about 30 seconds. Add chicken and cook for 15 minutes, flipping once halfway through, until golden brown and cooked through.
• While the chicken cooks, prep your veggies. Cut off ends of your zucchini and then cut a slit lengthwise halfway though the zucchini. This will create half moon shapes when you spiralize it. Run through the spiralizer with using the thicker noodle shape attachment (mine is blade B on my Inspiralizer). Chop the tomatoes, onions, olives, and add them to bowl along with the artichoke hearts and feta. Chop parsley, mint, and dill and set aside.
• Make the dressing by adding the lemon juice, red wine vinegar, olive oil, dried oregano, red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper to a small jar. Mix well to combine.
• Once chicken is done, roughly chop and add to the large bowl with the veggies. Pour the dressing over it and mix well to combine. Add the fresh herbs and mix one more time. Serve and enjoy!

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notes

Leave off the feta cheese for Paleo and Whole30

Make pasta salad one day in advance to let the flavors marinate overnight. We love it this way!

nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Greek Chicken Pasta Salad with Zucchini Noodles

Amount Per Serving (1 heaping cup)

Calories 172 Calories from Fat 90

% Daily Value*

Fat 10g15%

Saturated Fat 2g13%

Polyunsaturated Fat 1g

Monounsaturated Fat 3g

Potassium 479mg14%

Carbohydrates 9g3%

Fiber 2g8%

Sugar 4g4%

Protein 12g24%

Vitamin A 1250IU25%

Vitamin C 23.1mg28%

Calcium 250mg25%

Iron 0.7mg4%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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