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Short-Order Kitchen

Chicken Pasta Salad

By Wes Ellis1 min read
A bowl of rotini pasta salad with crispy chicken, olives, corn, lettuce and boiled eggs.
Recipe card
Servings
1
Prep
10 minutes
Cook
8 to 10 minutes
Method
Stovetop
Heat
Boiling water
Difficulty
Easy
Jump to ingredients & directions ↓

Part 18 of the thread Bowls, salads and wraps

THE SHORT VERSION4 points
  • 2 oz of dry chickpea pasta and 3 oz of chicken for one bowl.
  • Six ingredients, and the only cooking is boiling pasta.
  • Light Italian dressing keeps it simple.
  • Keeps 2 to 3 days, so make a few at once.
THE RECIPE · CHICKEN PASTA SALAD

Ingredients

You'll need

  • Pot
  • Colander
  • Bowl
  • Knife and cutting board

Directions

  1. Cook the pasta until al dente. Drain, rinse under cold water until completely cool, and drain again.
  2. Dice the chicken, chop the cucumber and cut the tomatoes.
  3. Put the pasta, chicken, cucumber and tomatoes in a bowl, pour on the dressing and toss.
  4. Sprinkle with Parmesan. Eat it now or chill it first.
Notes Keeps 2 to 3 days in an airtight container in the fridge. If you're making a few at once, hold back a splash of dressing to add before eating. Roughly 340 calories and 36 g protein per bowl, give or take.

wesellis.com/blog/chicken-pasta-salad/

Not everything needs a technique section. This is a lunch that's just six ingredients in a bowl: chickpea pastaPasta made from chickpea flour instead of wheat. It has more protein than regular pasta and a slightly firmer, nuttier bite.More: Air Fryer Baked Pasta, chicken, cucumber, tomatoes, a bit of Italian dressing, a pinch of Parmesan. It's here because it works, and because it's the kind of thing you can make four of on a Sunday and stop thinking about lunch for a while.

Scaling it up

The recipe card is sized for one bowl, but it multiplies cleanly. Boil four portions of pasta at once, rinse it all cold, and divide it between containers with the chicken and vegetables. Keep the dressing in a little cup on the side, or toss most of it in and save a splash for the day you eat it. Pasta soaks up dressing overnight and tastes dry otherwise.

Tip

Chickpea pasta goes soft quickly. Pull it a minute before the package time, especially if it's going to sit in dressing for a few days.

Swaps that work

Leftover chicken is ideal here, including whatever's left from Air Fryer Chicken Tenders, cut into chunks. Bell pepper or red onion can join the cucumber. The How Long Food Keeps chart is worth a look before you prep a week's worth.

For a creamier version, the High-Protein Macaroni Salad goes the ranch direction instead.

LINKED FROM3 notes

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