Chicken-Pasta Salad

Adapted from Cooking Light

Any kind of short pasta can be substituted for farfalle.

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 1 1/3 cups)

Ingredients

• 4 cups cooked farfalle (about 8 ounces uncooked bow tie pasta)
• 2 cups diced ready-to-eat roasted skinned, boned chicken breasts (about 2 breasts)
• 3/4 cup sliced carrot
• 3/4 cup sliced celery
• 1/2 cup frozen petite green peas, thawed
• 1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
• 1 teaspoon dried tarragon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Preparation

Combine the first 6 ingredients in a large bowl. Combine the olive oil and remaining ingredients, and stir mixture well with a whisk. Drizzle vinaigrette over salad, and toss gently. Cover salad and chill.

Ok, I didn't follow the recipe that closely but the part I did follow closely was the dressing and that was the best part! My modifications:

- Used grilled chicken breast from the night before

- Omitted celery and peas (didn't have them) and added green onion

- Used baby spinach as a lettuce base

- Used orzo pasta in place of farfalle

- Doubled dressing recipe but you could do at least that much - we almost ran out for just 2 servings.

lms_bride