Grilled Lemon Pepper Chicken Pasta Salad |
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Prep Time: 20 Minutes Cook Time: 15 Minutes |
Ready In: 35 Minutes Servings: 4 |
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From Penzy's. I used their salt-free lemon pepper seasoning. I was a little leary about using oranges with broccoli but the salad was refreshing. From the flyer: The combination of grilled chicken, pasta, oranges and a light citrus vinaigrette will brighten any summer picnic. The salad is an excellent way to use leftover grilled chicken. Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs boneless chicken breasts, spilt |
3 tablespoons lemon pepper seasoning, divided |
1 lb dry pasta, any shape (corkscrews are fun) |
2 oranges, cut into segments (see tip below) |
4 celery ribs, minced (about 1 cup) |
1 bunch broccoli, cut into florets |
1 medium onion, minced (about 1 cup) |
1/3 cup rice wine vinegar |
2/3 cup vegetable oil (for vinaigrette) |
1 tablespoon vegetable oil (for cooked noodles) |
2 tablespoons honey |
1 tablespoon water |
Directions:
1. Place the chicken on a plate and rub both sides of the chicken fillets with 1-2 Tablespoons lemon pepper. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 1 hour to let the flavors develop.
2. While the chicken is in the fridge, get the grill ready. When the coals are ready, spray the grill with a nonstick spray and place the chicken on the grill.
3. Cook for about 6 minutes and turn over. Cook for another six minutes. Put the chicken on a plate to rest and to collect the juices.
4. While the chicken is marinading, get a large pot of water boiling and put in the pasta noodles. Bring back to a boil, stirring the noodles so they don't stick to the bottom. Reduce the heat to a simmer and continue to cook for about 7-11 minutes (or until the noodles are tender).
5. Drain off the hot water and run a stream of cool water over the noodles until they are cold. Drain off most of the water, add 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil to prevent the noodles from sticking, and drain into a colander.
6. To cook the broccoli florets, get a large saucepan with about 3 inches of water in it on the stove. Bring the water to a boil and put the broccoli in and toss to cook evenly. It only needs to cook for about 2-3 minutes, drain off all the water and run cold water on the florets to cool them off and stop the cooking process so they won't be mushy.
7. All of these steps can be done ahead of time to make the salad easy to assemble. To make the dressing right in the bowl for the salad, place 1 Tablespoon lemon pepper with 1 Tablespoon water in a large serving bowl and let stand for 5 minutes. With a whisk, blend in the vinegar, oil, mustard, and honey.
8. Slice the chicken into 1 inch cubes and put in the bowl with the dressing, adding the cooked pasta, broccoli, celery, oranges, and onion. Toss to coat.
9. TIP: To get the segments from the orange, with a sharp paring knife, cut off the top and bottom of the orange so it will sit evenly on the cutting surface. Using the paring knife, cut down along the peel, following the shape of the fruit, removing any peel and white rind. Hold the fruit in your hand and carefully cut along both sides of each segment, going towards the center to free each segment. If you do this over a plate, you get all the beautiful juices from the fruit to add to the vinaigrette.
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