Greek Chicken Pasta Salad
Servings: 6 as a main (8-10 as a side)
Calories: 455kcal
Ingredients
- 1 lb chicken
- 12 oz brown rice spirals pasta (or small shape pasta of choice), uncooked
- 4 medium tomatoes sliced into small wedges, about 2 cups
- 1 English cucumber diced, about 2 cups
- 1 large green bell pepper diced
- ¼ cup red onion sliced
- ¼ cup olives
- 3 oz feta cheese crumbled, about ¾ cup
Mediterranean Dressing
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil good quality
- 2 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 and ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon ground pepper
Instructions
- Prepare chicken breasts by cooking as per your preferred method and then dice or shred. I like to season them with ¼ teaspoon each salt, pepper, garlic powder and oregano before cooking for extra flavor.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the ingredients for the dressing.
- Bring generously salted water to a boil and add the pasta. Cook as per the package directions for 2-3 minutes longer than it says for al dente.Drain pasta, toss with a bit of olive oil (about 1 tablespoon) and spread out onto a baking sheet for 5 minutes to cool slightly. Add the pasta to a large mixing bowl and mix with 2 tablespoons cup of the dressing.
- While the partially dressed pasta finishes cooling, cut the vegetables. Place the red onion in warm water for 10 minutes to help remove some of the bite (drain before adding to the salad).
- Add the vegetables, chicken, feta and ¼ cup of dressing to the bowl with the pasta and toss to combine. *I like to reserve about 2 tablespoons of the dressing to add just before serving.
- Chill or serve immediately. Before serving, allow to sit at room temperature for 15-30 minutes (if it was refrigerated). Then toss with the reserved dressing, sprinkle with additional feta cheese or herbs and serve.
Notes
Leftovers
Store leftover salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Nutrition
Serving: 1of 6 | Calories: 455kcal | Carbohydrates: 50g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 61mg | Sodium: 541mg | Potassium: 753mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 942IU | Vitamin C: 36mg | Calcium: 111mg | Iron: 2mg
