Thursday, December 29, 2011

Balsamic Chicken, Spinach and Tomato Pasta Salad


Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 6-8

Ingredients:
1 (20-ounce) package cheese tortellini
1 pound  skinned and boned chicken breasts
1 ½  cup  Newman’s Own Balsamic Vinaigrette Salad Dressing, divided
1 teaspoons  Dijon mustard
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
2 cups firmly packed fresh spinach, chopped
1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped
1 ½ cups fresh cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2  cup yellow bell pepper, diced

Instructions:
1. Place chicken in a zip-lock bag and pour 1 cup of balsamic vinaigrette in bag with chicken.  Marinate for at least 2 hour, but best if marinated overnight.  Take chicken out of zip-lock bag and discard marinade. 
2. In a grill pan, grill chicken breasts, about 5 to 6 minutes on each side until cooked through.  Place yellow bell pepper slices in grill pan and grill about 2 minutes on each side.  Once cooled, dice chicken up in small bites.
3. Whisk together remaining ½ cup balsamic vinaigrette dressing and mustard in a small bowl.
4. Cook pasta according to package directions; drain. Transfer pasta to a large bowl and drizzle with 1/2 tablespoon olive oil. Let cool 10 minutes.
5. Toss together pasta, chicken, balsamic mixture, spinach, and remaining 3 ingredients in a large bowl.  Serve immediately, or, if desired, cover and chill 1 hour before serving

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