This tangy rooster pasta salad is filled with Mediterranean flavors and is our family-favorite summer season lunch or dinner! It’s a mixture of tender rooster, solar dried tomatoes, artichokes, Parmesan cheese, recent herbs, and a zesty French dressing.
Summer time is pasta salad season, in our opinion. Right here’s a brand new recipe our complete household goes loopy over: this rooster pasta salad! It’s stuffed with vivid Mediterranean-inspired flavors, and so enjoyable and carefree, Alex and I like it for patio meals or picnic lunches.
The rooster is straightforward to pan sear and comes out so flavorful! Pair that with each recent and solar dried tomatoes, tangy artichokes, Parmesan cheese, recent herbs, and a zesty French dressing, and the combination of flavors and textures is unreal! It’s a spin this in style tortellini salad we’ve been making for years, and this rooster model is a brand new fave.
“This dish is wonderful. The flavors are spot on. Such a refreshing summer season dish. I put the rooster breasts on the grill. Very straightforward recipe. Can’t wait to make it once more!” -Nancy
Components on this rooster pasta salad recipe
We love this rooster pasta salad recipe as a lunch concept (it saves nicely for days) or a easy dinner on the patio. It’s additionally nice as a summer season aspect dish for a potluck or barbecue. Whereas the ingredient record within the recipe under could appear lengthy, by no means worry! Many are pantry staples.
- Rooster: You’ll want rooster cutlets right here, or you’ll be able to butterfly the rooster your self (merely slice it in half horizontally).
- Penne pasta: We like penne pasta in a pasta salad, however you need to use different quick pasta like fusilli (spirals) or shells.
- Cherry tomatoes and sundried tomatoes: Two varieties of tomatoes add massive taste.
- Canned artichoke hearts: Artichokes convey a signature tang: these are required!
- Pink onion, arugula, garlic, and parsley (non-compulsory): These recent components spherical out the recent flavors.
- Recent lemon: Each the zest and juice add massive taste to this recipe.
- Shaved Parmesan cheese: This savory, chewy ingredient makes the salad extraordinarily satisfying. Omit it for dairy-free.
- Seasonings and pantry components: Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, smoked paprika, and salt spherical out the seasonings record. Olive oil is used for cooking the rooster and the dressing, and purple wine vinegar makes a pop within the dressing.
Learn how to make rooster pasta salad (primary steps)
This rooster pasta salad recipe requires about half-hour of prep time to cook dinner the rooster, boil the pasta, and make the dressing. There are some things you are able to do upfront (see under). Listed here are the essential steps:
Step 1: Combine the rooster cutlets with salt and seasonings. Add olive oil to a big skillet and warmth over medium excessive warmth. Add the rooster and cook dinner for 3 to five minutes per aspect, till browned on either side. Relaxation 5 minutes earlier than slicing into cubes, then measure out 2 ½ cups so as to add to the salad.
Step 2: Boil the pasta in salted water till it’s simply al dente. Begin tasting a couple of minutes earlier than the bundle recommends: you need it to be tender however nonetheless a bit of agency on the within; normally round 7 to eight minutes.
Step 3: Whisk collectively the lemon zest, lemon juice, purple wine vinegar, garlic, Italian seasoning, and kosher salt. Chop the tomatoes, solar dried tomatoes, artichokes, onion, and herbs.
Step 4: As soon as the pasta is completed, instantly place it in a bowl with the greens, dressing, cooked rooster, Parmesan cheese shavings, arugula, and recent floor black pepper. Serve and revel in!
💡Why purchase natural rooster? We suggest shopping for natural because it’s the high-quality meat that’s raised sustainably with out chemical substances. Natural requirements require that the chickens have entry to the outside and can’t be given antibiotics or development hormones (glad chickens!).
Variations: different greens & cooking strategies
There are a great deal of methods to combine up this rooster pasta salad — listed here are a number of concepts we love!
- Grilled rooster: One recipe tester used grilled rooster and mentioned it was scrumptious: we love this concept!
- Spinach or kale: Use these greens as an alternative of the arugula
- Recent or canned corn: Including corn provides a pleasant summery ingredient.
- Different greens: like zucchini, bell pepper, or olives are nice adders
- Feta cheese: Utilizing feta as an alternative of Parmesan provides one other pop of salt.
- Basil, dill or oregano: these herbs are additionally scrumptious (take into accout, basil turns brown throughout storage).
Storing leftovers and make forward information
This rooster pasta salad recipe shops as much as 5 days refrigerated and nonetheless tastes nice! Earlier than serving leftovers, permit them to come back to room temperature and add a swirl extra olive oil or a bit extra salt as essential.
Another choice for making this pasta salad forward is cooking the rooster and pasta and making the dressing, then refrigerating them individually. Proper earlier than serving, chop the greens and blend collectively the components.
Extra pasta salad recipes
We’ve made so many pasta salad recipes, and every one has a spot in our hearts! Listed here are a few of our favorites:
Ceaselessly requested questions
Completely! This salad is a superb make-ahead choice. You possibly can put together all of the parts individually, retailer them within the fridge, and mix them simply earlier than serving. The flavors will meld and develop much more over time.
Whereas arugula presents a peppery chew that enhances the opposite components, you’ll be able to substitute it with spinach, kale, and even romaine lettuce should you desire a milder taste.
Should you’d like to extend the protein content material, contemplate including cooked chickpeas or white beans to the salad (enhance the salt as nicely to account for the extra components).
Retailer any leftover salad in an hermetic container within the fridge for as much as 3-4 days. The arugula might wilt barely over time, however the total taste will stay scrumptious
Description
This tangy rooster pasta salad is filled with Mediterranean flavors and makes for a satisfying summer season lunch or dinner! It’s a stellar mixture of tender rooster, solar dried tomatoes, artichokes, Parmesan cheese, recent herbs, and a zesty French dressing.
For the rooster
- 2 boneless skinless rooster breasts or 4 cutlets (about 1 pound, natural if potential)
- 1 to 1 ¼ teaspoons kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon every garlic powder, onion powder, dried oregano, and smoked paprika
- Freshly floor black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
For the pasta salad:
- 8 ounces penne pasta
- 1 ½ cups cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
- ¼ cup sundried tomatoes, chopped
- 1/2 can artichoke hearts, roughly chopped
- 1 handful thinly sliced purple onion
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley or chives, non-compulsory
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice, plus zest of 1 lemon
- 1 tablespoon purple wine vinegar
- 1 garlic clove, grated (or ½ teaspoon garlic powder)
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning or dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cups child arugula
- ¼ cup shaved Parmesan cheese
- Recent floor black pepper, to style
- Prepare dinner the rooster: Pat the rooster dry with a paper towel and sprinkle on either side with the kosher salt*. In a small bowl, combine the garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, smoked paprika, and some grinds of black pepper, then sprinkle over the rooster. Add the olive oil to a big skillet and warmth over medium excessive warmth. Add the rooster and cook dinner for 3 to five minutes per aspect, till browned on either side. When the inner temperature is 165°F or the middle is now not pink, take away to a plate. Relaxation 5 minutes earlier than slicing into cubes, then measure out 2 ½ cups so as to add to the salad.
- Begin a big pot of well-salted water to boil. Boil the pasta till al dente, in response to the bundle directions. Drain the pasta and run cool water over it till it’s room temperature.
- In the meantime, put together the tomatoes, solar dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, onion, and parsley or chives as famous within the components record above.
- In a big bowl, whisk collectively the lemon zest, lemon juice, purple wine vinegar, garlic, Italian seasoning, and kosher salt. Then whisk within the olive oil.
- As quickly because the pasta is completed, add it to the massive bowl of dressing and toss with the chopped greens and herbs. Add the arugula, Parmesan cheese, and recent floor black pepper and stir to mix.
- Style and add extra salt to style if essential. Serve instantly. Shops as much as 5 days refrigerated (leftovers style nice; permit to come to room temperature and add a swirl extra olive oil or a bit extra salt as essential).
Notes
*Observe: If the rooster is nearer to 1 ½ kilos, use as much as 1 ¼ teaspoons kosher salt. Should you purchase the rooster as breasts that aren’t already butterflied or cutlets, butterfly the rooster by putting your hand excessive of every rooster breast and utilizing a pointy knife to fastidiously slice the breast horizontally, leaving the sting intact so it could possibly open up like a guide (or butterfly!). Unfold the breast like a guide, then minimize alongside the fold to separate the 2 halves.
- Class: Pasta salad
- Methodology: Stovetop
- Delicacies: American
