Chicken Asparagus Pasta Salad

Total Time: 25 mins Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 10 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 1 lb penne rigate or 1 lb rotini pasta
• 6 -8 ounces of fully cooked boneless chicken, seasoned to your own taste (italian seasoning, salt, and garlic work well in this recipe and i use leftover roast chicken)
• 1 lb fresh asparagus
• 16 ounces fresh grape tomatoes
• 2/3 cup fresh basil, chopped
• 1/2 cup pitted coarsely chopped olive (kalamata or the olives of your choice)
• 1 cup crumbled feta or 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

Recipe

• 1 bring 4 quarts of water to boil in a stockpot.
• 2 cook pasta according to package directions until al dente.
• 3 drain pasta and keep warm.
• 4 wash asparagus and remove and discard tough ends.
• 5 slice asparagus into one inch pieces.
• 6 cook asparagus in a large skillet in shallow water and steam for 1-2 minutes until crisp tender.
• 7 drain well and reserve.
• 8 chop chicken into one inch pieces.
• 9 cut grape tomatoes in half.
• 10 combine italian dressing ingredients in a large bowl.
• 11 add cooked pasta and asparagus to the italian dressing and mix together until everything is evenly coated.
• 12 add chicken, tomatoes, basil, olives, and cheese and stir to combine.
• 13 serve pasta salad warm or at room temperature.