This light salad with chicken and cheese tortellini, topped with a lemon dressing, is a perfect summer meal for busy nights.
Jump to RecipeTortellini is one of my favorite kinds of pasta, as long as it’s cheese filled. They are such fun little circles and contain all that cheesy goodness inside. For a long time, the only way I knew how to make it into a meal was with sauce, such as in Herbed Tortellini.
A while ago, I found a recipe in a magazine for a salad that includes tortellini and I was so excited to try it! This is a perfect, light, easy meal. And it’s completely different than having pasta sauce over the tortellini, which gives me another option. I’ve made this a few times, both with and without the chicken. While it’s still good without chicken, the chicken adds a lot to the recipe.
The first day we eat the chicken tortellini salad warm since it’s ready. But, the leftovers always make their way to the refrigerator, and I like this cold the next day. It’s perfect for bringing lunch with you to school or work since it doesn’t need to be reheated. Of course, you can reheat it, but I would keep the salad separate when you store the leftovers because heated lettuce doesn’t sound great.
Step by Step
Ingredients
- 9 oz cheese tortellini
- 1 lb chicken breast (boneless, skinless)
- 1 clove garlic (minced)
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1/2 tsp lemon zest
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp granulated sugar
- 3 cups arugula
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese (shaved)
Preparation
Cook the tortellini according to the package.
Meanwhile, boil the chicken until it is cooked through and shred. You could also use rotisserie chicken if you want to purchase that, but we always use boneless, skinless chicken breasts.
While the tortellini and chicken are cooking, use a small mixing bowl to combine the garlic and olive oil. Add the salt, pepper, lemon zest, lemon juice, and sugar, stirring with a wire whisk.
In a large mixing bowl, place the tortellini and shredded chicken and gently stir to mix them together.
Add two tablespoons of the lemon mixture into the tortellini and chicken and toss to coat.
Gently fold in the arugula and remaining lemon dressing.
Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and serve.
Recipe
Originally Published On: May 30, 2019
Updated On: May 17, 2021
Chicken Tortellini Salad with Lemon Dressing
Ingredients
- 9 oz cheese tortellini
- 1 lb chicken breast (boneless, skinless)
- 1 clove garlic (minced)
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1/2 tsp lemon zest
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp granulated sugar
- 3 cups arugula
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese (shaved)
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- Cook the tortellini according to the package
- Meanwhile, boil the chicken until it is cooked through and shred
- While the tortellini and chicken are cooking, use a small mixing bowl to combine the garlic and olive oil
- Add the salt, pepper, lemon zest, lemon juice, and sugar stirring with a whisk
- In a large mixing bowl, place the tortellini and shredded chicken and gently stir to mix them together
- Add two tablespoons of the lemon mixture into the tortellini and chicken and toss to coat
- Gently fold in the arugula and remaining lemon dressing
- Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and serve
All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutrition content will vary based on brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes, and more.
This sounds like a delicious meal – absolutely perfect for summer! My family love anything with chicken so we’ll have to give this recipe a go…
You’re right, it’s perfect for summer. It’s light and refreshing, and still tastes yummy cold the next day for when it’s hot outside.
Looks delicious and a bit fancy I’d say. I like the idea of lemon dressing – tempted
It looks fancy, but it’s pretty easy to make and so delicious.
This is such a unique salad idea! It looks very good. I’m going to have to share it with my friends and family that would love it.
It’s definitely different, and so light and refreshing for the summer months!
This dish looks so easy to make. It also looks very delicious for the family. Thank you for sharing. I plan to make it for my family.
Yes, it’s very easy. We all love it here, the dressing is what really pulls it together for me.
Wow this looks so delicious 😍 it is another one of your recipe that I am gonna try soon! As I havent tried this combination yet.
I love the combination! It’s nothing like I’ve had before, but so light and yummy.
Yum, this looks so delicious! I love the combo of flavors and I think my entire family will love it!!
It comes together so well, especially with the lemon dressing over it all.
Never had anything like this! I love chicken and tortellini and salad so I mean Im sure I would love it! Looks delicious!
Trust me, it’s so good. I’ve made it quite a few times now because I love the taste. Especially with the dressing on top.
Tortellini stuffed with cheese is one of my favorite pasta as well. This really does look pretty darn delicious. I will have to try it out soon. Chicken sounds like a delicious addition.
I wasn’t sure at first about it all together, but it really works well. The chicken goes great with the tortellini.
What a great variation with tortellini!! I need to try it!
We traditionally eat tortellini in broth, also traditionally tortellini are stuffed with meat rather than cheese, but some people make it with “ricotta” which is a kind of soft cheese too!
I had a soup recipe with tortellini in it, but I never thought about adding it just to broth. That sounds delicious, too! For some reason, I’ve never cared for pasta with meat inside so I prefer the cheese ones. And ricotta is one of my favorite cheeses 🙂