Step 1

Prep the chicken first! You can make this a day or two before - even just marinating it or marinating it and grilling it. Place the chicken into a baking dish or resealable bag. Whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, garlic, dried basil and a big pinch of salt and pepper. Measure out about ¼ cup of the dressing and pour it over the chicken. Reserve the rest and store it in a sealed container in the fridge. This is your pasta salad dressing!

Step 2

Marinate the chicken for at least 30 minutes, or even overnight. When ready to grill, preheat your grill to the highest setting. Once the grill is hot, add the chicken (let the marinade run off into the dish) and grill for about 5 to 6 minutes per side, or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F. Once the chicken is done, let it rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Then cut it into chunks.

Step 3

While the chicken is cooking, you can cook your pasta! You can also cook it the day before and store it in the fridge. You can also chop the tomatoes and the basil!

Step 4

Now it’s time to layer or assemble the pasta salad. I like to do layers of the pasta, chunked chicken, tomatoes, mozzarella and basil, then repeat. But of course, you can also just toss everything together!

Step 5

Once it is layer or tossed, drizzle it with the remaining dressing. Toss to serve and serve immediately, or store in the fridge until ready to serve.

Step 6

Note: if you assemble the pasta ahead of time, I would wait to add the fresh basil until right before serving!