High Protein Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad with Crunchy Chickpea Croutons!
All things protein have taken the internet and grocery stores by storm. For awhile I scoffed it off as another trend..
But truth be told- between Hypothyroidism, hashimotos, and adrenal fatigue sometimes sending my bloodsugar levels all over the place it has been a very big struggle to manage my weight for the last 10+ years. Last year I decided to try a new approach and started working regularly with a nutritionist -I went into it thinking I wouldn’t learn or benefit much but figured some level if accountability might be helpful. Turns out I had plenty to learn- and thanks to my nutritionist protein became the forefront of my eating. I discovered when I got 75-100 mg a day I felt much less hungry. It became significantly easier to stay in a calorie deficit and for the first time in a long time the scale started dropping little by little! So far I’m down 30 lbs and figured I should share some of the recipes that I have enjoyed along the way!
If this is something club members are interested in seeing more of I can keep them coming. :)
I love meal prepping this pasta salad and keeping the elements separate to avoid anything getting soggy. I store each item in its own container and eat it over the span of a few days!
It has a delicious blend of textures and flavors. The kale combined with the chewy pasta & crunchy chickpeas with crispy chicken & creamy caesar dressing is all around delicious.
Instead of using traditional croutons I opted to make crispy roasted chickpeas (because protein and fiber of course!) using a spice blend typically found on ceasar salad croutons.
Then to further up the protein I chose a brand of pasta with protein added! There are a variety of options available - with or without gluten. Choose whichever brand works best within your diet.
For the cheese you can use regular parmesan OR Vegan Parmesan. (Trader joes has a fantastic option for vegan part). You can always skip it entirely.
For the dressing any brand of caesar dressing works. Most stores have a variety of options including Dairy Free & Vegan versions!
High Protein Chicken Caesar Pasta Kale Salad
Ingredients
- 2 cans Chickpeas
- 1 Tbsp Dried Parsly
- 1 Tsp Garlic Powder
- 1/2 Tsp dried Oregano
- 3/4 Tsp Salt
- 1/4 Tsp Black Pepper
- Olive or Avocado Oil Spray
- 6 Cups of Kale- stems removed , finely chopped and massaged
- 1/2- 1 Cup Shredded Parmesan (regular or vegan) Optional
- 1 Box of High Protein Pasta
- Chicken of choice (the amount if up to you!) You can use gluten free chicken tenders chopped or grilled chicken breast.
- Ceasar dressing
Instructions
- Make Crispy chickpeas. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment. Drain cans of chickpeas. Pour them on the baking sheet. Evenly coat with Olive oil spray and then sprinkle all the spices over- mixing to evenly coat them. Bake them for 45-50 minutes. (If you bake them 55 minutes they will be extremely crispy/and dried through!)
- Boil the pasta according to the directions on the box. Drain and toss the pasta in a large bowl with a bit of oil, salt and pepper.
- Warm up chicken. (I recommend just using chicken tenders and heating them up in an air fryer).
- Remove the stems from the kale- massage it to make it more tender and then finely chop. Add kale to the bowl with the pasta. Stir in the shredded parmesan. toss well. Serve in a bowl with chicken, crispy chickpeas and Caesar dressing.
- For leftovers: Store the chickpeas, chicken and dressing separately to prevent sogginess.