BBQ Chicken Protein Pasta Salad (Printable)

Smoky BBQ chicken tossed with protein pasta, colorful veggies, and a zesty yogurt-lime dressing for a satisfying meal.

# What You’ll Need:

→ Chicken

01 - 2 medium boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 14 oz)
02 - 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
03 - 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
04 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
05 - 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
06 - 1 tablespoon olive oil
07 - 3 tablespoons BBQ sauce (plus extra for drizzling)

→ Pasta

08 - 9 oz high-protein pasta (e.g., chickpea, lentil, or whole wheat penne)

→ Vegetables

09 - 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
10 - 1 cup yellow bell pepper, diced
11 - 1/2 cup red onion, finely diced
12 - 1 cup cucumber, diced
13 - 1/2 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
14 - 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

→ Dressing

15 - 3 tablespoons Greek yogurt
16 - 2 tablespoons BBQ sauce
17 - 1 tablespoon lime juice
18 - 1 teaspoon honey or agave syrup
19 - 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
20 - Salt and pepper to taste

# Directions:

01 - Pat the chicken breasts dry and coat evenly with smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper on both sides.
02 - Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Sear the chicken for 5 to 6 minutes per side until golden brown and cooked through. Brush generously with BBQ sauce during the final 2 minutes of cooking. Transfer to a plate, let rest for 5 minutes, then dice into bite-sized pieces.
03 - While the chicken cooks, bring a medium saucepan of salted water to a boil. Cook the high-protein pasta according to package directions until al dente. Drain and rinse under cold running water to halt cooking and cool the pasta.
04 - In a large mixing bowl, combine the cooled pasta, diced chicken, cherry tomatoes, yellow bell pepper, red onion, cucumber, black beans, and chopped cilantro.
05 - In a small bowl, whisk together the Greek yogurt, BBQ sauce, lime juice, honey or agave syrup, chili powder, and salt and pepper to taste until smooth and well combined.
06 - Pour the dressing over the salad and toss gently until everything is evenly coated. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Drizzle with extra BBQ sauce and garnish with additional cilantro before serving if desired.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • The combination of BBQ sauce and Greek yogurt in the dressing creates this creamy, tangy situation that tastes indulgent but keeps things light and high protein.
  • It genuinely tastes better on day two, which makes it the rare meal prep recipe that you will actually look forward to eating again.
02 -
  • Rinsing the pasta under cold water is not optional here, because warm pasta will absorb the dressing unevenly and turn gummy by the next day.
  • High protein pasta like chickpea or lentil varieties cook differently than regular wheat pasta and can go from perfect to falling apart in under a minute, so start checking early.
03 -
  • Let the dressed salad sit in the fridge for at least thirty minutes before eating, because the flavors meld and transform into something noticeably better than when it was first mixed.
  • Use a BBQ sauce you already love, since its flavor is the backbone of both the chicken glaze and the dressing, and a sauce that is too sweet or too vinegary will throw everything off balance.

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