Asian Pasta Salad

Has everyone had enough football food? And now with Valentine’s Day less than a week away, I thought it might be time to lighten things up just a bit before we dive into all the chocolate that will be showing up in our homes soon. This pasta salad is simple, light and versatile. It’s a great dish to bring to a pot luck, serve as a side dish at a barbecue, or eat on it’s own as a light lunch. I’m once again utilizing the handy dandy rotisserie chicken to make it super quick and easy to put together. But it’s the dressing that sets it apart from other pasta salads and gives it that special Asian flavor.

Here’s the grocery list – brown sugar, low sodium soy sauce, sesame oil, vegetable oil, seasoned rice vinegar, toasted sesame seeds, bow tie pasta, rotisserie chicken, cilantro,  green onion, shredded carrot, slivered almonds or peanut pieces.

A note about sesame seeds – you might find toasted sesame seeds at your store but if your store only carries the regular variety, just place them in a small dish and bake them at 350 degrees for about 5 minutes or till lightly toasted.

I like to use a small mason jar to make the dressing. Just place all the dressing ingredients into the jar, place on the lid and…shake, shake, shake.

The salad dressing is ready. Boil your bow tie pasta just till al dente – a couple of minutes shy of the package directions. Immediately drain and rinse the pasta with cold water.

In a large bowl, combine the bow tie pasta, chopped rotisserie chicken, cilantro, green onion, cilantro, carrot, and nuts. Pour the dressing over and stir to mix it through the salad.

Pretty and light but full of flavor. This salad keeps well in the refrigerator for several days, but it won’t last that long.

Enjoy!

Asian Pasta Salad

Servings: 8

Ingredients:

Dressing:

• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons low sodium soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 3 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

Salad:

• 1 pound package of bow tie pasta
• 2 cups chopped, cooked chicken breast meat (to save time use a store bought rotisserie chicken)
• 3/4 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup green onion, chopped
• 1 cup carrot, shredded
• 1/2 cup slivered almonds or peanut pieces

Directions:

Mix together dressing ingredients in a jar or bowl with tight fitting lid. Shake well and set aside.

Boil pasta for 9 to 10 minutes till al dente. Pour cooked pasta into a colander and rinse with cold water. Drain well and transfer to a large bowl. Mix in remaining salad ingredients. Give dressing a good shake and pour over the salad. Mix well.
Stores well in the refrigerator for a couple of days.