Good Morning and happy Friday!!!! We finally reached the end of the week and it feels great. I’m so happy to bring you a new recipe that is perfect for the nice weather BBQs and parties this summer. Its perfect for lunch or dinner! Its been a while since my last post….I’ve been doing so many new and fun things. I’m actually debuting this recipe today live at 12:15pm EST on nom.com. If you’re not busy make sure to tune in and watch me whip up this pasta salad like its nobody business lol.
Family tradition with pasta salad is adding veggies of choice, protein (or not), and zesty italian dressing. While its super delicious I wanted to create something that was homemade and something I could call my own. I honestly can’t wait to prepare this over the summer for all of my friends and family. I actually created this recipe this week with a couple of friends in mind. I hope they enjoy it as much as I do!
I added chicken to the recipe to make it more of a main entree rather than a side; however you could always leave out the chicken to make this a side dish. Also I chose the veggies in the recipe based on my personal taste and their pretty colors for presentation….but I strongly encourage you to try different veggies based on you taste. This recipe is a no fuss type of recipe! Its super easy and delicious.If you decide to try out this recipe please let me know how it turns out! You can tag me on Instagram or Twitter @margaritasontherocks
Grilled Chicken Pasta Salad w/ Creamy Basil-Garlic Dressing
Ingredients
- Salad
- 1 3/4 cup cucumbers (sliced half moons)
- 1 cup Orange bell pepper (diced)
- 1 cup Red & gold cherry tomatoes (halved)
- 1/2 cup Red onion (diced)
- 1 cup Monteray & jack cheese (cubed)
- 1 1/2 lbs of Chicken breast
- Dressing **Feel free to double the dressing recipe if you want more dressing**
- Juice from half of lemon
- 1 Crushed garlic clove
- 1/2 tsp minced basil
- 3 tbsp Mayo
- 3 tbsp Olive oil
- 1 1/4 tsp Honey
- 1/2 tsp Onion powder
- 1/2 tsp Paprika
- 1/4 tsp Celery seed
- Salt & Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package directions; rinse with cool water once fully cooked. Set aside.
- Chop and cut cucumber, bell pepper, cherry tomatoes, red onion, and monteray jack cheese; place in a large bowl. Set aside.
- Grill chicken; once fully cooked place in the refridgerator to allow meat to cool before adding it to the salad.
- In a small bowl whisk lemon juice, garlic, basil, mayo, olive oil, honey, onion powder, paprika, celery seed, salt, and pepper until fully combined.
- Remove chicken from fridge and chop into cubes.
- Add chicken, dressing, and pasta to the bowl of chopped veggies. Mix until fully combined and evenly coated.
- Enjoy!
