There are, by my count, at least seven levels of fried chicken. The worst of them is good; the best, which I waited forty-four years to find, led to what can only be called an out-of-body experience. Let’s start at …
Pesto Chicken Pasta Salad
Pesto chicken pasta salad will please even gourmet food aficionados, and you can prepare it in under an hour. Save money by creating the delicious dish in your own kitchen rather than buying it from a costly deli or cafe. If you're pressed for time, make the pasta salad using your favorite bottled pesto sauce rather than creating it from scratch. Using high-quality ingredients, such as ripe, ruby red tomatoes and juicy chicken breasts, will enhance the pasta salad's flavor even more. Add this to my Recipe Box.
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Things You'll Need
- 16-oz. bow-tie pasta
- Pot
- Colander
- Large glass mixing bowl
- Knife
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 tsp. olive oil
- Nonstick skillet
- 1 2 1/4-oz. can of sliced black olives, drained
- 1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
- 1 red onion, chopped
- 1 tomato, chopped
- 1/2 cup pesto sauce
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
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1
Boil 16 oz. of bow-tie pasta in salted water for eight to 10 minutes. Drain the pasta in a colander, and pour it into a large glass mixing bowl.
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2
Cut four boneless, skinless chicken breasts into bite-size pieces. Heat 1 tsp. of olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat, and add the chicken pieces. Saute the chicken until it is golden brown on the outside and cooked all the way through. Add the chicken to the bowl of pasta.
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3
Drain 1 2 1/4-oz. can of sliced black olives, and add it to the bowl of chicken and pasta. Chop one yellow bell pepper, one tomato and one red onion and add to the bowl as well.
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4
Pour 1/2 cup of pesto sauce into the pasta and chicken mixture and stir to coat all of the ingredients evenly. Add salt and ground black pepper to taste. Top with 1/2 cup of grated Parmesan cheese.
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1
Tips & Warnings
Cook chicken until its internal temperature reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit to prevent food-borne illness.
Serve the pasta dish with crusty Italian bread or a fresh garden salad.
References
- Photo Credit John Foxx/Stockbyte/Getty Images
