A simple, healthy, tasty pasta salad with butter roasted chicken and a lot of crunchy garden fresh vegetables tossed in a light creamy yogurt dressing seasoned with Italian herbs is a refreshing salad that is craved for in the summer time.
My hubby and me always have a craze for Italian dishes. Whenever we go to a restaurant, we look for something Italian. Later decided why not give it a try at home instead of always going to a restaurant. I wanted to keep it simple and easy to make recipe at the same time fancier and refreshing especially during the summer. So decided to go on with pasta salad. We generally prefer a lot of vegetables and a little portion of meat in our dishes and also not very heavy. When it comes to pasta we look forward for soft cooked pasta that is neither mushy nor sticky and completely coated in the sauce or dressing. This salad was perfect for us. Finally made it with the Del Monte Pasta received from Del Monte. My hubby and my little one tried it and was very pleased with the salad. So wanted to try it out with other family members. " Pasta in a salad !!! " was the first big surprise expression from my family members. After seeing the reaction from everyone I was not very certain whether to serve the salad. My hubby encouraged me and I served it in a family lunch. To my surprise everyone complemented me and was asking me to share the recipe of the salad. I am very happy to share the recipe here. Hope you will like it !
Step 1: Ingredients
2) Yogurt/Curd - 1/4 Cup
3) Milk - 1/4 to 1/3 Cup
4) Mayonnaise - 2 Tbsp
6) Butter - 2 Tsp
7) Chicken - 100 g
8) Chili Flakes - 1 Tsp
9) Oregano - 1 Tsp
10) Dry Basil - 1 Tsp
11) Pepper Powder - 1 Tsp
12) Salt - as per taste
13) Water for boiling the pasta
14) Chopped Onion - 1/4 Cup
15) Chopped Tomato - 1/4 Cup
16) Chopped Capsicum - 1/4 Cup
17) Chopped Carrot - 1/4 Cup
18) Sliced Olives - 1/4 Cup
19) Chopped Cilantro - 1/4 Cup
Utensils :
* Heavy bottom pan for boiling pasta
* Pan for frying chicken
* Bowls, plates, spoons for mixing and serving the salad.
Serves : 2 to 3 persons
Served : Cold or room temperature
Preparation time :
* Creamy yogurt dressing - 5 Min
* Preparing vegetables - 5 min
* Cleaning/Frying Chicken - 10 - 15 min
* Cooking Pasta - 10 - 15 min
* Mixing and plating salad - 5 Min
Step 2 : Creamy Yogurt Dressing
1) In a clean Bowl, add the yogurt, mayonnaise, milk and mix.
2) Then add the chili flakes, oregano, dry basil, pepper powder and salt to the yogurt mixture and mix everything well.
3) Then Cover the mixture and refrigerate for a minimum of an hour before using the dressing.
Note :
* The amount of spices added can be increased/decreased as per our taste bud.
* The consistency of the dressing should neither be too runny nor be thick. Creamy pour able consistency can be obtained by increasing or decreasing the milk content.
* Make sure the curd/yogurt is not sour.
* Make sure the milk is either in room temperature or cold.
Step 3 : Boiling the Pasta
1) In a heavy bottom pan, add water and bring it to boil.
2) When it starts to boil then add the salt.
3) After adding salt, when it again starts to boil then add the pasta and stir immediately to avoid the pasta from sticking together.
4) Cook till pasta becomes soft and not mushy. approximately 10 - 12 min depending on the quantity of the pasta.
5) Strain and remove the pasta and run it under cold water to cool it down for the salad.
Note:
* Keep stirring occasionally so that the pasta does not stick to each other or to the bottom of the pan.
* For each cup of pasta, add 4 to 5 cups of water to boil the pasta
* Do not add oil while boiling the pasta as it will not absorb the sauce or dressing.
Step 4 : Butter Roasting Chicken
1) Place a pan on medium heat and add butter.
2) When the butter melts add the chicken pieces to the pan evenly spaced.
3) Allow the chicken to cook on one side and then flip it over to cook on the other side.
4) Then season it lightly with salt.
5) Fry till the chicken is completely cooked and becomes golden brown in color.
6) Remove the fried chicken and chop them into bite size pieces to add them to the salad
Note:
* Make small pieces of chicken without any bone and skin.
Step 5: Mix up the Salad !!!
1) In a clean bowl, add the vegetables one by one (Onions,capsicum,carrots,tomatoes, cilantro) and mix well
2) Then add the cooked penne pasta (after running under cold water) to the vegetable mix.
3) Add the butter roasted chicken that are cut into bite size pieces to the salad and mix.
4) Pour the cold dressing on the salad and mix well.
5) Finally top it with olives and give it a toss and refrigerate.
Chicken Pasta Salad with Creamy Yogurt Dressing is now ready to be served. Enjoy !!!