Chicken Pasta Salad

Submitted by Sarah

"Fabulous light dish that's great on a hot summers night. An easy recipe to swap different ingredients around. Coriander (cilantro) instead of basil is yum! Also some crispy bacon or prosciutto goes well. Please note an Australian tablespoon is 4 teaspoons."

 

• Ready In: 15mins
• Ingredients: 12
• Serves: 4

ingredients

• 200 g pasta shells
• 425 g cooked chicken, chopped
• 250 g cherry tomatoes
• 1 small red capsicum
• 6 green onions, chopped
• 1⁄2 cup kalamata olive, sliced
• 1⁄4 cup fresh basil, shredded

• Dressing

• 1⁄3 cup lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 teaspoons coarse grain mustard

directions

1. Cook pasta according to packet directions, drain and rinse under cold water.
2. Combine pasta with chicken, tomatoes, capsicum, onion, olives and basil in a large bowl.
3. Make dressing - combine all ingredients in a screw top jar, shake to combine.
4. Add dressing to chicken pasta and toss gently to combine all ingredients.

Reviews

[Mama_Jennie]

This is a refreshingly light salad. There's a lot of flavors going on in each bite. I felt like it was still missing something however. I think shredded mozarella or cheddar cheese would've really pulled all the different flavors together nicely. We had it for lunch and it was very good. I think this would be best as a side dish. Thanks for posting!

 

[Charlotte J]

Very nice simple salad. I enjoyed the basil and hint of lemon. I'll need to use smaller pasta shells next time but that is what I had on hand. I made this for *Zaar World Tour game* 2008 for the *Italian Region* and the *Basil OR Nutmeg Challenge* YUM Oh yes team *Tastebud Tickling Travelers*

 

[Susie D]

This was a very nice lunch on a hot & steamy day. It went together quickly and my 3 yr old grandson even asked for more so you earn bonus points from me. The only thing I would do differently next time would be to reserve a portion of the dressing to stir in right before serving. I served with Recipe #198419 and recipe #306861. Made for the ZWT4.

 

[Dr. Jenny]

This chicken pasta salad is light and refreshing. DH and I made it for lunch the other day. We prepared everything as posted, using basil. I agree that this salad seems very versatile and I will try it with the suggested herb substitutions, such as cilantro. This is easy and quick to put together and DH and I thought it would make for a nice side dish to serve or bring to a summer BBQ. Thanks for this keeper. Made for ZWT4.

 

[Jen T]

Loved this as a quick & easy salad for a hot summer evening meal. The dressing is one I will also use on other salads. A "keeper' for me for sure. :)