
LOVE this salad- have served it for many events- baby shower, bbq’s etc. Everyone always loves it and asks for the recipe. It feeds a lot of people too.
CHICKEN PASTA SALAD
www.RecipeGirl.com
16 oz bow tie pasta, cooked and drained
CHICKEN:
4 large chicken breast halves, boneless, skinless
¼ cup chopped onion
1 tsp rosemary
1 clove chopped garlic
DRESSING
¾ cup olive oil
¾ cup fresh lemon juice
4 tsp sugar
4 tsp dijon mustard
2 cloves chopped garlic
1 tsp crushed rosemary, to taste
SALAD INGREDIENTS:
1 lb mixed salad greens
½ cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 bunch green onions, sliced
½ cup sun dried tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup crumbled, cooked bacon
1 cup toasted pine nuts
1. PREPARE CHICKEN: Sauté chicken with onion, rosemary and garlic in 12″ skillet over medium heat. Remove chicken from pan and cut into bite-sized pieces. Discard onion. Set chicken aside.
2. DRESSING: Whisk dressing ingredients together. Pour dressing over cooked noodles and chicken. Cover and marinate overnight in refrigerator.
3. JUST BEFORE SERVING: Add remaining salad ingredients and toss.
Servings: 14
Cooking Tips
*The great thing about this recipe is that you can prepare it the night before your event. Get all of the pasta & chicken marinating in the dressing and then assemble it the next day with the greens, etc. You can lighten it up a bit by using less oil, more lemon juice and turkey bacon.
*Sun-dried tomatoes are sold pre-packaged and already cut into strips (rather than packed in oil). To soften them up, put them in a small bowl of water and microwave for 2 minutes!
*Use roasted chicken and shred it up to save time.
