Best Chicken Pasta Salad With Roasted Red Pepper Dressing Recipes

CHICKEN PASTA SALAD WITH CREAMY DRESSING

Steps:

• Cook pasta: Bring a large pot of water to the boil. Add salt, then cook pasta per packet directions. Drain well, let cool.
• Dressing: Mix Dressing ingredients in a bowl. Set aside 10 minutes+.
• Cook bacon: Place bacon in a cold non-stick skillet (Note X). Turn stove on to medium high, then cook bacon until golden. Drain on paper towels.
• Toss! Place cooked pasta in a large bowl along with all the Pasta Salad ingredients, reserving some bacon for garnish. Pour over Dressing, then toss well.
• Set aside for 20 minutes. Transfer to serving bowl, sprinkle with remaining bacon. Serve!
• Storage: Keeps for 3 - 4 days in the fridge. Best to bring to room temp before serving!

ITALIAN CHICKEN PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• Cook pasta according to package directions, drain, place in a large bowl, and set aside.
• To a medium bowl or large measuring cup, add 2 tablespoons olive oil, lemon juice (zest the lemon before juicing it), apple cider vinegar, honey, Italian seasoning, lemon lest, salt, pepper, and whisk to combine; set sauce aside.
• To a large skillet, add 1 tablespoon olive oil, add chicken and season with salt and pepper to taste, and cook over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, flipping intermittently so all sides cook evenly. Cooking time will vary based on thickness of chicken breasts and sizes of pieces. Chicken should be about 90% cooked through.
• Add the sauce and allow it to bubble at a medium-fast boil for about 3 to 4 minutes, or until sauce has reduced some and chicken is cooked through. Stir sauce and flip chicken intermittently throughout. Add chicken and any cooking liquid to the pasta bowl.
• Add the tomatoes, basil, cucumber, cheese, and toss gently to combine. Taste and check for seasoning balance, making any necessary adjustments (more Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, pinch of cayenne, splash of lemon juice, etc.) before serving.

ITALIAN CHICKEN PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the macaroni and cook until al dente, according to the package directions. Drain in a colander, rinse with cold water and shake until very dry. Transfer the pasta to a large mixing bowl, drizzle 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over it and toss well to coat.
• Add the chicken, cucumber, tomatoes, olives, peppers, salami, onions and parsley. Season with salt and toss well to combine.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar and remaining 1/2 cup olive oil; pour it over the salad and toss well. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. For best flavor, let the salad stand at room temperature for about 30 minutes before serving.

ROASTED-PEPPER PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• Preheat the broiler. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook as the label directs. Drain and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking. Shake off the excess water. Meanwhile, place the bell peppers cut-side down on a foil-lined broiler pan, add the garlic and broil until charred, 7 to 8 minutes. Transfer the peppers to a bowl, cover and set aside about 5 minutes. Heat a dry skillet over medium-high heat. Add the almonds and toast, shaking the pan, 4 to 5 minutes. Let cool, then coarsely chop. Squeeze the garlic from its skin onto a cutting board. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt; mince and mash the garlic into a paste with a large knife. Peel the roasted peppers and slice into strips; transfer to a large bowl. Add the garlic paste and drizzle with the olive oil. Finely grate about 1 teaspoon lemon zest into the bowl and squeeze in all of the lemon juice. Add the bocconcini, basil, almonds, pasta, 1 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste; toss.
• Photographs by Antonis Achilleos

CHICKEN PASTA SALAD WITH ROASTED RED PEPPER DRESSING

Steps:

• Cook pasta as directed on package, adding broccoli for last 3 minutes of cooking. Rinse with cold water; drain.
• In small bowl, mix Alfredo sauce, bell peppers and salt. In large bowl, mix pasta, broccoli, chicken and corn. Add pepper mixture to pasta mixture; toss until coated. Serve immediately, or refrigerate until serving.

ROASTED RED PEPPER CHICKEN PASTA

Steps:

• Roast your red peppers in the oven at 450° for 15-20 minutes on each side. To prepare for roasting, brush the peppers with 2 T vegetable oil (don't use olive oil as it can smoke at a lower temperature). Place on a shallow baking dish (don't use a cookie sheet as the juices can flow off the sides). For a more in-depth tutorial, see here: http://allrecipes.com/HowTo/Roasting-Peppers/Detail.aspx Make sure to remove the seeds before proceeding.
• While you're waiting for the bell peppers to cool, in a large frying pan, heat 2 T olive oil then add the onion, garlic and spices, except the bay leaves. Saute for 5-7 minutes on medium-high heat.
• Add your (thawed) chicken to the frying pan. Cook through on both sides at medium heat.
• Chop up your roasted red peppers and add to the chicken. Saute for 5 minutes on medium heat.
• If you decide to add a can of tomato paste, I'd recommend skipping this step. At this point, there will be a lot of extra liquid in the chicken mixture. Get out a small sauce pan (I actually used what I was going to boil the pasta in for this) and pour the additional liquid in it and cook on medium to high heat uncovered for 10 minutes while the chicken mixture finishes cooking. Try to get it cooked down a bit. Pour this back into the chicken mixture. You can skip this step if you'd like, but the chicken mixture gets kind of watery.
• Cook pasta according to directions. Drain, and add to the frying pan to toss with chicken mixture. I tossed an additional 2 T of olive oil in at this point, but this is optional. Cook for 2-4 minutes or until you think the mixture is combined.
• Take off heat and serve with grated parmesan or mozzarella cheese.

ROASTED PEPPER PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• Cook pasta according to package directions; drain and rinse in cold water. In a large bowl, combine the pasta, onions, red peppers and cheese. , In a small bowl, whisk the salad dressing mix, broth and vinegar. Pour over pasta mixture; toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

ROASTED RED PEPPER DRESSING

Steps:

• Preheat the oven's broiler and set the oven rack at about 6 inches from the heat source. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
• Cut the peppers in half from top to bottom; remove the stem, seeds, and ribs, then place the peppers cut-side-down onto the prepared baking sheet.
• Cook under the preheated broiler until the skin of the peppers has blackened and blistered, about 5 minutes. Place the blackened peppers into a bowl, and tightly seal with plastic wrap. Allow the peppers to steam as they cool, about 20 minutes. Once cool, remove the skins and discard. Transfer the roasted peppers to a blender or food processor. Add the red wine vinegar, olive oil, and salt; process until smooth.