Grilled Chicken Pasta Salad With Bacon and Cheddar

Mikey Kone's Note:

I was inspired by the chain pizza places that have BBQ chicken pizza, so I thought I would try that in a pasta dish. You could use the prepared southwest seasoned chicken strips to save time. I hope you like this. This is my first submission.

• Total Time: 2 hrs 45 mins
• Prep Time: 2 hrs
• Cook Time: 45 mins

Ingredients:

Serves: 4-6

Yield: 8.0 cups

• 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts

Chicken Marinade

• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 tablespoon McCormick's Montreal Brand steak seasoning
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3 teaspoons paprika
• 1/4 cup olive oil

Dressing

• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 1/2 cups Italian dressing
• 3 tablespoons barbecue sauce
• 1 lb rotini pasta
• 4 slices cooked crumbled bacon
• 1 medium red onion
• 0.5 (13 ounce) can black beans
• 2 cups cheddar cheese, grated

Directions:

1. Marinate chicken for 1 hour: Combine water and lime juice. Sprinkle chicken breast with steak seasoning, salt, and paprika. Lay chicken pieces in water and lime juice mixture, turn to coast, let marinate for 1 hour or more.
2. Grill Chicken until juice runs clear. Cool and cut into bite size pieces.
3. Prepare Good Seasons dressing and add tomato paste and BBQ sauce. Mix well.
4. Cook pasta according to package directions. Rinse.
5. Combine all ingredients, except for cheese. Allow to cool for 1 hour. Add grated cheddar cheese before serving.

Reviews

[Sydney Mike]

You definitely have a great tasting salad here! I had to cut it in half to feed just 4 of us (not wanting much in the left-over department, & there wasn't!), but other than that, your recipe was followed right on down & all 4 of us were so happily satisfied! Absolutely enjoyed the combo of flavors in this pasta salad, & will be keeping the recipe around to make again in the future! Thanks for sharing it! [Made & reviewed for one of my adopted chefs in this Spring's Pick A Chef event]