Chicken Pasta Salad

I have made the same pasta salad for the past 16 years. Our family loves it and it always gets eaten if I take it to a picnic. Its simple and quick, which makes it nice to whip up and have on hand for a quick side dish or snack. HOWEVER, I needed something different. Something without the traditional italian dressing tossed over noodles. My search landed me at Recipegirl.com where I found the Chicken Pasta Salad recipe. It's a bit more time-consuming than my old standby, but so completely worth the time and effort! I love the fresh greens mixed in with the pasta noodles. The vinaigrette is so light and the bacon adds a nice touch of flavor. We loved the salad and will definitely be serving it this summer! 


CHICKEN PASTA SALAD 
adapted from Recipegirl.com


16 oz. bow tie pasta, cooked and drained


Chicken:
4 large chicken breast halves, boneless, skinless
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
1 clove garlic, minced


Dressing: 
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 cup freshly-squeezed lemon juice
4 teaspoons granulated white sugar
4 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 cloves chopped garlic
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary, to taste


Salad Ingredients:
1 pound mixed salad greens
1/2 cup chopped fresh italian parsley
1 bunch green onions, sliced (1/2 to 3/4 cup)
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup crumbled, cooked bacon
1 cup toasted pine nuts 


*I did not use the sun-dried tomatoes - I have two people in my family who do NOT like tomatoes of any kind. Also, I substituted purple onions for the green onions as I did not have any green onions at the moment. I also skipped out on the pine nuts, as there are not many nut-lovers in my household either.


Directions:
1.  Prepare the chicken. Saute chicken with onion, rosemary and garlic in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat until chicken is cooked throughout. Remove from pan and slice into thin bite-size pieces. Discard onion. Set chicken aside. 
2.  Dressing. Whisk dressing ingredients together. Pour dressing over cooked noodles and chicken. Cover and marinate overnight in refrigerator. 
3.  Just before serving, add remaining salad ingredients and toss.


Have a great weekend!! 
-tish xoxo