Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Balsamic Chicken Pasta Salad + A Guest Post over @ The Country Cook

This pasta was so light and so delicious that I am thinking about going back for thirds right now! Yes, you heard it, I said thirds :) Not seconds, THIRDS! :)  

I came up with this dish while I was at Costco, shopping around, buying way more than I needed to.  What is it about Costco? I mean I really can't go in there and NOT spend under $100!  Do any of you have that same problem. I mean I went there on the intentions of only buying diapers and I came out with, diapers, wipes, water, raspberries, hummus, pajamas for the little one, salad, milk, some cheese, a huge thing of balsamic vinegar, a rotisserie chicken (those things are deadly good!), some ribs for fathers day, fruit snacks, crackers, cherry tomatoes, and last but DEFINITELY not least, 2 loaves of rosemary bread! So much for only buying diapers Ha... 

Anyways, I was on a major Italian kick and that's when this pasta popped into my mind.  Lets just say that I am glad it was so good cause when you buy most of the ingredients from costco, you are bound to have one Large dish!

Also, check out my Guest Post over @ The Country Cook today!  I feel so blessed and lucky to be a guest post twice this week and on 2 of my favorite and AMAZING blogs. Brandie is one of the sweetest people that I have met through this whole blogging process and I KNOW FOR A FACT, that any of you out there that know her, would definitely agree with me!  Check it out and check out Brandie's awesome blog! She is the one to thank for these amazing Pork Chops in/a Creamy Gravy that I have on my blog! Thanks again Brandie, I had a blast :)

Recipe:
2 cups Shredded Chicken (I used a rotisserie chicken, made it that much easier to throw together)
1 lb. Penne Noodles (this is all I had on hand, you could use Linguine, bowtie, spiral, etc.)
1 cup of cherry tomatoes (chopped)
8 oz. Fresh Mozzarella (diced into cubes)
2 large Garlic Cloves (minced)
3 Tbsp. Balsamic Vinegar
6 Tbsp. Olive Oil
1 cup of fresh Basil (chopped)
1/2 tsp. of Salt 
1/2 tsp. pepper

Cook the noodles as desired on package.  While the noodles are cooking, shred the chicken into bite sized pieces, dice up the tomatoes, and mozzarella cheese and place all these ingredients into a large bowl and set aside.  

In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper. Slowly mix in the oil. Chop up the fresh basil and pour 1/2 cup of it into the sauce. Whisk for 1 minute.

When the noodles are done cooking, drain, and place them into the bowl with the chicken.  Add in the remaining basil and pour the dressing over the noodle/chicken mixture and toss till everything is well combined.  Serve with a slice of warm bread. (Costco's Rosemary Bread goes great with this dish!)

9 comments:

  1. I am a Costco Freak! (Going to my local Costco this Friday to find my Wedding Dress - no, seriously, I am)
    This looks fantastic Ms. M!! And so refreshing for pasta on a hot summer day :) Love it! ~Megan

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  2. We don't have Costco here but we do have Sam's club and I know exactly what you mean! You can never buy just one thing..lol.
    I love any type of Pasta Salad so I know I would love this. This would be a great picnic past salad because there isn't any mayo in it - love that!

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  3. Costco will get you like that everytime, happens with me, just the other day I loaded up on berries. I saw your post over at Brandie's and now glad to be a follower!

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  4. Hey Muriel! Just wanted you to know that I am passing the Versatile Blogger Award on to you! Check out my post and pick up your badge :)

    http://steaknpotatoeskindagurl.blogspot.com/2011/06/versatile-blogger-award.html

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  5. Love this! What a perfect summer pasta salad!

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  6. Hi, Muriel! I'm popping over from Brandie's blog...and LOVE your place :) This pasta salad sounds fabulous...perfect for these hot days! I'm a new follower, too~

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  7. I hopped over from The Country Cook!
    This pasta recipe looks delicious! I can't wait try it! My family loves pasta salads!

    You have a new follower!

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  8. Thanks you guys! All of your sweet comments seriously make my day! And to all ofmyounwhomare new to my site thanks for stopping by and becoming followers! I look forward to sharing recipes with you all far into the future!

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  9. I agree with you - I also love Brandie over at the Country Cook. She's fun. AND I totally agree with you about Costco. Our equivalent in France is Carrefour and you go in with a couple of things on your list and come out an hour later LADEN with promotional stuff. Look at that pasta - delicious. No wonder you would want thirds :-)

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