Chicken Parmesan Pasta Salad

 

Chicken Parmesan Pasta Salad.  Hello salad season, and what a great introduction to the salad months!!!  Imagine a tasty bowl of perfectly cooked al dente pasta tossed together with crisp garden-fresh vegetables, tender chunks of chicken breast, all brought together with a rich and creamy peppercorn ranch dressing!

This recipe I am sharing with you today comes from an old  Pillsbury magazine from their Classic Cookbooks series entitled Best-Ever Chicken! I used to have a large collection of them that I had saved, which unfortunately got left behind in the U.K. when I  moved back to Canada. Thankfully I have been able to replace a few of them by buying gently used or nearly new copies from a used book shop!

 

This pasta salad is a beautiful marriage of flavors and textures!  Each bite offers a burst of freshness and a bit of heat from the tangy cheesy peppercorn dressing!  You can make your own dressing or use a purchased ready made dressing. I made my own because I like to be able to pronounce all of the ingredients in my food if possible! lol  You also can't get peppercorn ranch dressing here.

This is a small batch recipe making three generous servings. To serve more people, simply double all of the ingredients.  It is the ideal dish for a sunny picnic or a cozy family dinner which promises to be a delightful experience for your tastebuds!

 

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE CHICKEN PARMESAN PASTA SALAD 

• 4 ounces (115g) (1 1/2 cups) nugget style dry pasta (radiatore or anything similar in shape with lots of grooves to cup and capture the dressing.)
• 1/2 cup (125g) baby carrots, cut in half on the diagonal
• 1/2 cup (75g) small broccoli florets
• 1 cup (70g) chopped cooked chicken
• 1 spring onion, washed, trimmed and sliced
• 1/4th of a red bell pepper, washed and diced
• 1/4 of an English Cucumber, washed and diced
• 1/2 cup (125g) of Peppercorn Ranch dressing (see dressing posted separately)
• 2 TBS finely grated Parmesan cheese
• salt and black pepper to taste

 

I could not find any radiatore here where I live but I did fine a kind of a fat corkscrew pasta called TROTTOLE.  This translates to "spinning tops."  It does indeed resemble such. One benefit of using it in this recipe is that not only is it a shorter bite-sized shape, but it also has plenty of deep curves which hug the dressing really well, all of the same qualities that radiatore has.

I am not a person who ever buys baby carrots, but since the recipe asked for them, I did buy a small bag of them. I usually think they taste like bleach. These did not. Maybe that was because of the brief blanching with the pasta.

In any case you could probably also use cubes of raw carrot, or small sticks. You want everything to be bite sized.

  

You also want the broccoli florets to be bite sized. I also used part of the stems, well pared.  I hate to waste anything and the stems are one of my favorite bits.

Do not peel the cucumber, but do wash it well.  I cut it into quarters and then cut each quarter in half again and then into cubes.

Wash your bell pepper before cutting into it. Then cut 1/4 of it into strips, discarding the veins and seeds and then chop into bits.

Slice the onion thinly, only after washing and trimming it.  One spring onion is plenty for this recipe.

I  poached  two chicken breasts the night before to use in this recipe.  You only need one for the recipe, but I thought a second one would come in handy to make some chicken salad filling for sandwiches, or even in a casserole. 

 

HOW TO MAKE CHICKEN PARMESAN PASTA SALAD

This is really very simple to make. A real doddle.  You can also make it up to one day ahead of time if you wish.

Bring a pot of lightly salted water to the boil. Add the pasta and cook to al dente according to the package directions, adding the carrots and broccoli during the last 2 minutes of cook time. Drain well and rinse with cold water. Drain again.

Place the pasta, carrots and broccoli into a large bowl. Add the chopped chicken, peppers, cucumbers, and onions. Fold in the dressing and cheese, tossing everything together to coat evenly.

Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary.

 

HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN HOMEMADE PEPPERCORN RANCH DRESSING

If, like me, readymade peppercorn ranch dressing is not available in your area you can easily and quickly whip up a delicious substitute!

You will need:

1 cup (120g) dairy sour cream

1 clove of garlic, peeled and minced

1 TBS Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp hot sauce

1 tsp salt

1 tsp coarsely ground black pepper

1 TBS chopped fresh dill

1/4 to 1/2 cup (60 to 120ml) fresh buttermilk

Whisk all of the ingredients together in a bowl until well blended, adding only enough buttermilk to give you the consistency you desire.  You can also add one or two tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese to this dressing.

MAKE AHEAD TIP

You definitely can make this salad up to one day ahead of time.  Cover and refrigerate it until serving time. Just prior to serving, give it a good stir to redistribute the ingredients. If necessary add 1 to 2 tablespoons of additional dressing. (Only if it seems overly dry.)

 

If you are someone who enjoys pasta salads in the warmer months, then you might also enjoy the following delicious options!

TURKEY, SOUR CHERRY, & ALMOND PASTA SALAD - This is a lovely main dish salad. I like to use farfalle (bowtie)pasta for this, whole wheat if I can get it It has  the perfect shape to use in a pasta salad. Nice and open, but with a few little pleats to hold in the dressing.  And the dressing for this salad is delicious.  A homemade poppy seed dressing that is lovely and tangy from fresh lemon juice, with a bit of punch from Dijon mustard and sweetness from creamy honey. 

The salad itself boasts the inclusion of cubed cooked turkey breast.  You could also use chicken if you don't have any turkey.  Also in the mix are dried sour cherries for a bit of sweet tartness, sharp red onions, crunchy celery and salted almonds . . .  and creamy tangy Gorgonzola cheese.

ITALIAN PASTA SALAD - This fabulous salad is a small batch salad designed to feed only two people, but can be very easily multiplied to feed more!  Italian Pasta Salad is actually a pretty versatile salad. Basically you can add any Italian style ingredients you wish.  I used a hard Italian Salami in this version, but you could also use bite sized bits of pepperoni!

Bocconcini,  fresh peppers, basil, parsley, Parmesan cheese, tomatoes, artichokes, salami and a punchy Italian dressing complete the picture. You will want to use a nice corkscrew type of pasta that helps to hug in all of that tasty dressing! 

Yield: 3 - 4

Author: Marie Rayner

Chicken Parmesan Pasta Salad

Prep time: 25 MinTotal time: 25 Min

This small batch recipe is a perfect symphony of color, flavors and textures!

Ingredients

• 4 ounces (115g) (1 1/2 cups) nugget style dry pasta (radiatore or anything similar in shape with lots of grooves to cup and capture the dressing.)
• 1/2 cup (125g) baby carrots, cut in half on the diagonal
• 1/2 cup (75g) small broccoli florets
• 1 cup (70g) chopped cooked chicken
• 1 spring onion, washed, trimmed and sliced
• 1/4th of a red bell pepper, washed and diced
• 1/4 of an English Cucumber, washed and diced
• 1/2 cup (125g) of Peppercorn Ranch dressing (see dressing posted separately)
• 2 TBS finely grated Parmesan cheese
• salt and black pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Bring a pot of lightly salted water to the boil. Add the pasta and cook to al dente according to the package directions, adding the carrots and broccoli during the last 2 minutes of cook time. Drain well and rinse with cold water. Drain again.
2. Place the pasta, carrots and broccoli into a large bowl. Add the chopped chicken, peppers, cucumbers, and onions. Fold in the dressing and cheese, tossing everything together to coat evenly.
3. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary.

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