This tangy hen pasta salad is full of Mediterranean flavors and is our family-favorite summer season lunch or dinner! It’s a mixture of tender hen, solar dried tomatoes, artichokes, Parmesan cheese, recent herbs, and a zesty French dressing.
Why we love this recipe
Summer time is pasta salad season, in our opinion. This new recipe hen pasta salad is one our total household goes loopy over! It’s filled with shiny Mediterranean-inspired flavors, and Alex and I adore it for patio meals or picnic lunches.
The hen is straightforward to pan sear and comes out juicy and seasoned! You’ll pair it with recent and solar dried tomatoes, tangy artichokes, Parmesan cheese, recent herbs, and a zesty French dressing (yum metropolis!). It’s a spin our fashionable tortellini salad we’ve been making for years, and this hen model is a brand new favourite in our home.
“This dish is wonderful. The flavors are spot on. Such a refreshing summer season dish. I put the hen breasts on the grill. Very simple recipe. Can’t wait to make it once more!” -Nancy
Substances on this hen pasta salad recipe
We love this hen pasta salad recipe as a lunch thought (it saves effectively 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 checklist within the recipe beneath could appear lengthy, by no means concern! Many are pantry staples.
- Hen: You’ll want hen cutlets right here, or you possibly can butterfly the hen your self (merely slice it in half horizontally).
- Penne pasta: We like penne pasta in a pasta salad, however you should utilize different brief pasta like fusilli (spirals) or shells.
- Cherry tomatoes and sundried tomatoes: Two forms of tomatoes add massive taste.
- Canned artichoke hearts: Artichokes deliver a signature tang: these are required!
- Crimson 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 aspect 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 checklist. Olive oil is used for cooking the hen and the dressing, and pink wine vinegar makes a pop within the dressing.
Easy methods to make hen pasta salad (fundamental steps)
This hen pasta salad recipe requires about half-hour of prep time to cook dinner the hen, boil the pasta, and make the dressing. There are some things you are able to do prematurely (see beneath). Listed here are the essential steps:
Step 1: Combine the hen cutlets with salt and seasonings. Add olive oil to a big skillet and warmth over medium excessive warmth. Add the hen and cook dinner for 3 to five minutes per aspect, till browned on each 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 package deal recommends: you need it to be tender however nonetheless a bit agency on the within; often round 7 to eight minutes.
Step 3: Whisk collectively the lemon zest, lemon juice, pink 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 hen, Parmesan cheese shavings, arugula, and recent floor black pepper. Serve and luxuriate in!
💡Why purchase natural hen? 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 (joyful chickens!).
Variations: different greens & cooking strategies
There are a great deal of methods to combine up this hen pasta salad — listed here are a number of concepts we love!
- Grilled hen: One recipe tester used grilled hen and stated it was scrumptious: we love this concept!
- Spinach or kale: Use these greens as a substitute of the arugula
- Recent or canned corn: Including corn provides a pleasant summery aspect.
- Different greens: like zucchini, bell pepper, or olives are nice adders
- Feta cheese: Utilizing feta as a substitute of Parmesan provides one other pop of salt.
- Basil, dill or oregano: these herbs are additionally scrumptious (remember, basil turns brown throughout storage).
Storing leftovers and make forward information
This hen 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 vital.
An alternative choice for making this pasta salad forward is cooking the hen 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 each has a spot in our hearts! Listed here are a few of our favorites:
Incessantly requested questions
Completely! This salad is a good make-ahead choice. You’ll be able to put together all of the elements 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 gives a peppery chunk that enhances the opposite components, you possibly can substitute it with spinach, kale, and even romaine lettuce in the event you favor a milder taste.
If you happen to’d like to extend the protein content material, think about including cooked chickpeas or white beans to the salad (improve the salt as effectively 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 general taste will stay scrumptious
Description
This tangy hen pasta salad is full of Mediterranean flavors and makes for a satisfying summer season lunch or dinner! It’s a stellar mixture of tender hen, solar dried tomatoes, artichokes, Parmesan cheese, recent herbs, and a zesty French dressing.
For the hen
- 2 boneless skinless hen breasts or 4 cutlets (about 1 pound, natural if doable)
- 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 pink onion
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley or chives, non-compulsory
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice, plus zest of 1 lemon
- 1 tablespoon pink 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
- Cook dinner the hen: Pat the hen dry with a paper towel and sprinkle on each 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 hen. Add the olive oil to a big skillet and warmth over medium excessive warmth. Add the hen and cook dinner for 3 to five minutes per aspect, till browned on each side. When the interior temperature is 165°F or the middle is 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 package deal 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 checklist above.
- In a big bowl, whisk collectively the lemon zest, lemon juice, pink 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 big 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 vital. 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 vital).
Notes
*Observe: If the hen is nearer to 1 ½ kilos, use as much as 1 ¼ teaspoons kosher salt. If you happen to purchase the hen as breasts that aren’t already butterflied or cutlets, butterfly the hen by putting your hand excessive of every hen breast and utilizing a pointy knife to fastidiously slice the breast horizontally, leaving the sting intact so it could actually open up like a e-book (or butterfly!). Unfold the breast like a e-book, then reduce alongside the fold to separate the 2 halves.
- Class: Pasta salad
- Technique: Stovetop
- Delicacies: American
