During warm weather, the last thing you want to do is spend an hour or more over a hot stove making dinner. Here's a solution that's easy, quick and economical. This chicken pasta salad recipe does just as well for lunch or dinner and can be ready to eat in less than half an hour.
Next time you're cooking chicken breasts, cook one or two extra. Put these in a freezer bag with chicken broth to cover which keeps your chicken moist and flavorful and freeze. When you make your chicken pasta salad, you can shave even more off your prep time. The night before, take the cooked chicken out of the freezer and transfer it to the frig.
Use three cups of dry egg noodles, bow ties or large shells, as you prefer and cook according to the package instructions, adding a tablespoon of oil to the water to prevent the noodles from sticking together. Drain in a colander and run cold water over the noodles for several minutes. Allow to drain while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
On a large cutting board, use a sharp knife to dice the chicken breast into bite sized pieces, about one inch square and set aside in a large bowl. (This chicken pasta salad can be made in just one dish, which makes for an easy cleanup!) Save the chicken broth for another use, if you like.
Drain a can of sliced black olives and add this to the chicken mixture. Finely slice 3-4 green onions, one medium red Spanish onion, a couple of stalks of celery and a large sweet red bell pepper. Toss all of these into the bowl. With a scissors, cut about a cup of fresh parsley or cilantro cilantro provides a piquant, refreshing taste and add this to your bowl of goodies. Sprinkle a couple of pinches of cayenne pepper evenly over these ingredients and mix well. You can omit the cayenne if you like, but it adds a little zip to the finished dish.
Add the drained noodles to the bowl and mix thoroughly, until all of the ingredients are evenly distributed throughout the chicken pasta salad. Add 2 teaspoons of white or apple cider vinegar and stir again. Now stir in mayonnaise or salad dressing until the chicken pasta salad is moistened to your taste. You're ready to serve!
This chicken pasta salad can also be made ahead of meal time and stored, tightly covered, in the frig until you're ready to eat. There's an advantage to the do-ahead method, as the seasonings 'marry' over several hours for an even fuller flavor.
This recipe is quite versatile. You can add other veggies, such as a small can of drained corn, or a can of sliced water chestnuts, quartered, for additional color and crunch, according to your taste.
If you have leftovers, just store in a plastic container for a snack or lunch bag addition. This easy, economical, chicken pasta salad may well become a family favorite even with kids! It's sure to be a cook's choice, with just one bowl, a spoon and a cutting board to wash. This one's a keeper for your recipe box!
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