Chicken Pasta Salad
Ingredients
– 2 cups whole wheat pasta spirals
– 1 cup chicken breast from whole roasted chicken
– 1 cups frozen peas
– 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
– 2 cups chard or other leafy green, chopped
– 1/2 cup roasted red peppers (optional) *Recipe follows*
– 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese (optional)
– 1/2 cup Ranch dressing (recipe below)
– 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
– 1/2 teaspoon pepper, or to taste
– 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
Instructions
• Begin boiling water for pasta.
• Pull chicken breast and/or thigh meat from roasted chicken, cut into cubes
• Combine ingredients for dressing in a small bowl.
• In another large bowl, combine peas, chopped basil, chopped chard, roasted red peppers, and parmesan cheese.
• Cook noodles till done, then strain and rinse under running cold water.
• Mix noodles, chicken, and dressing with other ingredients.
• Serve immediately, or place in refrigerator to store up to 3-5 days
Makes 4-6 servings
Ranch Dressing:
– 1/2 cup mayonnaise
– 1/2 cup plain yogurt
– 1 teaspoon garlic powder
– 1 teaspoon onion powder
– 1 teaspoon dried dill
– 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
– 1 tablespoon fresh parsley (optional)
– 1-2 tablespoons milk (to make it thinner if desired)
Roasted Red Peppers
Roasting changes the flavor of foods and naturally brings out their sweetness and adds the unique flavor of FIRE!
Preheat oven 450°F
– 2 red peppers (more if you want them for later)
• Cut in half and take out seeds.
• Place on cookie sheet with skin side up.
• Put on top rack in oven.
• Check after 15-20 minutes.
• It’s normal for it to blacken on the top.
• If the peppers are soft all the way through, they are done.
• Take them out of the oven.
• Once they cool, remove any black charred areas.
• Serve immediately or you can put them in a jar covered with olive oil and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.
If you have a toaster oven, you can place the peppers right on to the rack and bake at 450°F and they are done in about 10-15 minutes! Much easier and faster than heating up the whole stove oven!
Nutrition Information (per serving): Calories: 313 (24% from fat) Total Fat 9 g Sat Fat: 1 g Cholesterol: 32mg Sodium: 433 mg Total Carbohydrate: 38 g Fiber: 5g Protein: 21 g Calcium: 171 mg Iron: 3.3 mg
