Grilled Chicken Pasta Salad

Perfectly grilled chicken tossed with tricolor spirali makes a quick and healthy weeknight dinner.

I have professed my love for pasta salads on the blog before. I do love pasta salads, and love playing with variations. This one is a simple, easy weeknight pasta salad with grilled chicken.

The problem with grilling/cooking boneless chicken breasts is that it can easily become dry if you don’t pay attention. Since chicken breasts are uneven some parts cook faster than the middle, and as a result while you wait for the middle to cook, the other part of the chicken becomes dry and chewy. Pounding the chicken helps in solving this problem. The chicken is cooked evenly and it cooks faster. Thin breasts also mean more moist breasts. (That doesn’t sound right, does it?!) But it is true. Since cooking time is less, the result are juicy, moist chicken breasts.

Mix the perfectly grilled chicken breasts with some pasta, cherry tomatoes, fresh basil, onion and drizzle a light Italian dressing and delicious light dinner is ready.  I have used tricolor spirali here, but you could sub with penne or regular spiral pasta as well.

My photography work has been keeping me very busy the past few weeks. Recipes are piling up, with no time to post them on the blog. I am very happy that I am busy and honestly wouldn’t want it any other way. I am getting to meet people from so many different fields, and while not all projects pay as much as I would like them to, I am pretty happy with the kind of work I am getting and the people I get to work with.

While its good to be busy, I would love to go on a vacation. A vacation with no mobiles, laptops- basically no touch with the outside world and no technology.

I have never traveled to a new place completely alone, and its something that I keep going back and forth in mind whether I can do it or not. Have you traveled alone? What has your experience been? Where did you go, and would you do it again? Would love to know your thoughts. And in the meantime, if you do get to try this salad out, please let me know how it goes. You can tag me on facebook, instagram or leave a comment here.

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Grilled Chicken Pasta Salad

 

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Perfectly grilled chicken tossed with tricolor spirali makes a quick and healthy weeknight dinner.

Author: Shumaila

Recipe type: Dinner, salad

Serves: 2

Ingredients

For the salad:

• • 150 gms Tricolor Spirali
• • 1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
• • 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
• • handful of fresh basil, roughly chopped

For the marination:

• • 2 boneless chicken breasts
• • 2 tbsp olive oil
• • 1 tbsp lemon juice
• • 2 tsp dried Italian herbs
• • salt and pepper to taste

For the dressing:

• • 1 clove garlic, minced
• • ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• • 2 tsp dried Italian herbs
• • 2 tsp Dijon mustard
• • 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
• • 2 tbsp parmesan cheese

Instructions

1. Pound the chicken breasts between two pieces of parchment paper till they are an even ½ inch thick.
2. In a bowl mix together the olive oil, lemon juice, dried Italian herbs, salt and pepper. Add chicken breasts and massage marinade into meat until evenly coated. Refrigerate for 4 hours.
3. Heat grilling pan, and lightly grease. Place chicken breasts on the pan and grill per side for 2-3 minutes.
4. Once fully cooked, remove chicken from pan, and slice it into bite sized pieces.
5. While chicken is cooking, boil some water with salt in a pot. Cook the tricolor spirali, according to packet instructions till al dente. Drain the pasta, and toss in some olive oil.
6. Mix the ingredients for the dressing in a bowl. Toss in the pasta, grilled chicken, cherry tomatoes, fresh basil and red onions. Check for seasoning.

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