Chicken Pasta Salad

Sarah!'s Note:

Fabulous light dish that's great on a hot summers night. An easy recipe to swap different ingredients around. Coriander (cilantro) instead of basil is yum! Also some crispy bacon or prosciutto goes well. Please note an Australian tablespoon is 4 teaspoons.

• Total Time: 15 mins
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 0 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

• 200 g pasta shells
• 425 g cooked chicken, chopped
• 250 g cherry tomatoes
• 1 small red capsicum
• 6 green onions, chopped
• 1/2 cup kalamata olive, sliced
• 1/4 cup fresh basil, shredded

Dressing

• 1/3 cup lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 teaspoons coarse grain mustard

Directions:

1. Cook pasta according to packet directions, drain and rinse under cold water.
2. Combine pasta with chicken, tomatoes, capsicum, onion, olives and basil in a large bowl.
3. Make dressing - combine all ingredients in a screw top jar, shake to combine.
4. Add dressing to chicken pasta and toss gently to combine all ingredients.

Reviews

[Mama_Jennie]

This is a refreshingly light salad. There's a lot of flavors going on in each bite. I felt like it was still missing something however. I think shredded mozarella or cheddar cheese would've really pulled all the different flavors together nicely. We had it for lunch and it was very good. I think this would be best as a side dish. Thanks for posting!

[Charlotte J]

Very nice simple salad. I enjoyed the basil and hint of lemon. I'll need to use smaller pasta shells next time but that is what I had on hand. I made this for *Zaar World Tour game* 2008 for the *Italian Region* and the *Basil OR Nutmeg Challenge* YUM Oh yes team *Tastebud Tickling Travelers*

[Susie D]

This was a very nice lunch on a hot & steamy day. It went together quickly and my 3 yr old grandson even asked for more so you earn bonus points from me. The only thing I would do differently next time would be to reserve a portion of the dressing to stir in right before serving. I served with Italian Olive Bread and Fancy Schmancy Citrus Granita. Made for the ZWT4.