Made with chicken instead of tuna, this Nicoise pasta salad is a fun spin on a classic Nicoise salad. It’s light, fresh, colorful, and the perfect dish to make easy spring or summer lunches or brunch.
I have a tendency to “pasta-fy” my favorite salads. Case in point: my BLT pasta salad with avocado, my kale Caesar pasta salad, and my caprese pasta salad. Can’t stop, won’t stop.
In This Post
This Nicoise pasta salad has all of the flavors and ingredients you’ll find in my classic Nicoise salad, but with shredded chicken breast instead of tuna and the addition of egg pasta noodles for when that carb craving calls. It’s light and simple and can be prepped ahead for baby showers, bridal showers, al fresco lunches, and definitely potlucks and picnics. Even more, with all the food groups represented, you can certainly consider it a complete meal for an easy spring or summer dinner as well.
What’s in This Nicoise Pasta Salad
The components of the classic Nicoise salad are tossed with a few extra vegetables and chicken instead of tuna.
Here’s what I put in my Nicoise pasta salad:
- Lemony Dijon vinaigrette dressing
- Egg noodle pasta such as tagliatelle or pappardelle
- Cooked chicken breast — I usually poach mine or use the breast from a rotisserie chicken
- Baby potatoes — creamy, white potatoes with tender skins that don’t need to be peeled
- Green beans — blanched for the best color and texture
- Tomatoes — I like using sweet cherry tomatoes
- Kalamata olives — these too add a nice briny bite
- Red bell pepper
- English cucumber — less bitter and a more tender skin
- Red onion — I prefer red over white or yellow in this recipe for color
- Capers — these pickled flower buds lend a briny pop to each bite
- Hard-boiled eggs
How to Make the Best Nicoise Pasta Salad
Follow these easy tips for making the best Nicoise pasta salad:
- Shred the chicken and chop the veg so they’re similar in size. For more flavor in each forkful, make all the bites about the same size.
- Use an egg-based pasta. Made with egg yolks, egg pastas are richer in flavor than regular pasta. I use long pasta like pappardelle or tagliatelle.
- Salt your potato water for more flavorful potatoes. Salted water adds flavor as the potatoes cook. To avoid pitting your pot, wait to add the salt until the water boils.
- Blanch the green beans in the reserved pasta water. A quick dunk for 30 seconds in the hot water takes away green bean’s raw flavor.
- Dress the potatoes with some of the dijon vinaigrette (I substitute the vinegar with lemon) while they’re warm. Hot potatoes absorb the dressing, adding another layer of flavor.
- Add the hard-boiled eggs after tossing the rest of the ingredients together. That way the yolks and whites stay intact.
Nicoise Pasta Salad Substitutions or Additions
- Serve on a bed of baby lettuce, mixed greens, bibb, or arugula if you’d like.
- Try an oil-packed tuna or smoked or grilled salmon instead of chicken
- Use other types of briny olives
- Try Nicoise salad with jammy eggs instead of hard-boiled
- Instead of white potatoes, try using red or purple baby potatoes
Make it Ahead
- This pasta salad can be made the day before serving.
- Add more dressing before serving if the salad seems dry.
- The salad will keep in the refrigerator for 3-4 days but is def best served within the first day of making.
What to Serve With This Pasta Salad
- The Best BBQ Chicken
- The BEST Caprese Sandwich
- Mozzarella and Tomato Caprese Flatbread
- The Best Juicy Grilled Pork Chops
- Grilled Skirt Steak with Chimichurri
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating on this recipe below and leave a comment, take a photo and tag me on Instagram with #foodiecrusheats.
Nicoise Pasta Salad with Chicken
Ingredients
- 8 ounces egg noodles , such as tagliatelle or pappardelle
- 2 cups petite white or red potatoes
- 6 ounces green beans , trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 3 cups shredded chicken breast
- 1 ½ cups cherry tomatoes , about 8 ounces, halved
- 1 cup pitted kalamata olives
- ½ English cucumber , peeled, seeded, and sliced
- ½ cup sliced red bell pepper
- ½ cup sliced red onion
- ⅓ cup capers , about 4 ounces drained
- 4 hard-boiled eggs , quartered
For the Vinaigrette Dressing
- ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon minced shallot
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon whole grain mustard
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Add the potatoes to a medium pot and fill with enough water to cover the potatoes by 1 inch, then bring to a boil. Add 1-2 teaspoons of kosher salt, reduce to a rolling simmer, and cook until tender or when the potatoes can be pierced with a fork or skewer, about 15 minutes. Use a spider or strainer to transfer the potatoes from the pot to a colander or bowl, reserving the hot water. Quarter the potatoes (you can leave the skins on) then place in a bowl and while still warm, drizzle with 2-3 tablespoons of the vinaigrette dressing and set aside to cool.
- While the potatoes are cooking, bring a large pot of water to a boil, season generously with kosher salt, and cook the pasta according to package directions or until al denté. Use tongs or a spider to transfer the noodles to a colander so you can reserve the hot pasta water to blanche the green beans. Give the noodles a quick rinse in cool water then set aside.
- Add the green beans to the hot pasta water and simmer for 1 minute or until the green beans turn bright green. Drain the water, rinse the green beans, and set aside to cool.
- Add the noodles to a large mixing bowl with the dressed potatoes, blanched green beans, shredded chicken, cherry tomatoes, kalamata olives, cucumber, red bell pepper, red onion, and capers. Toss with the vinaigrette dressing. Taste for seasoning and add more salt and pepper to taste. Nestle the hard-boiled egg quarters into the pasta salad and serve.
Nutrition
More Great Pasta Salads for Entertaining
- BLT Pasta Salad with Avocado
- Caprese Pasta Salad
- Asian Ramen Noodle Salad
- Greek Pasta Salad with Cucumbers and Artichoke Hearts
- THE BEST Italian Pasta Salad with Pepperoni
- Creamy Tuscan Pasta Salad
We send good emails. Subscribe to FoodieCrush and have each post plus exclusive content only for our subscribers delivered straight to your e-mail box.
Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter for more FoodieCrush inspiration.
As always, thank you for reading and supporting companies I partner with, which allows me to create more unique content and recipes for you. There may be affiliate links in this post of which I receive a small commission. All opinions are always my own.
