Rooster Pasta Salad with Apricots, Spinach, Bacon, and Feta is a unbelievable Summer time salad that makes a lightweight dinner, lunch, or snack. Tossed with the do-it-yourself Honey Dijon Mustard Lemon Dressing, this wholesome salad is filled with fruit, veggies, protein, and fiber. It will likely be a particular crowd-pleaser at Summer time potlucks, picnics, BBQ events, and cookouts.
Summer time rooster pasta salad
This summer season pasta salad options seasonal produce (apricots), skinless boneless rooster thighs (cooked in scrumptious seasonings), bacon, feta cheese, and really gentle do-it-yourself summer season dressing! The entire recipe takes solely half-hour and makes a ravishing appetizer, gentle meal, and even dinner! Your loved ones and buddies with love the recent, savory, and candy mixture of flavors! Should you love summer season pasta salads, make sure to take a look at this common corn pasta salad with bacon and refreshing peach rooster pasta salad with spinach, and tomatoes.
Salad elements
- Rooster. I pan-seared skinless and boneless rooster thighs, then sliced them thinly. To make this recipe even less complicated, use leftover cooked rooster, grilled rooster, or pre-cooked rotisserie rooster.
- Pasta. I used penne. You should utilize any type of short-cut pasta, comparable to fusilli (spiral pasta) or bow-tie pasta (farfalle).
- Apricots. Purchase apricots which can be agency and crisp. They need to be plump and agency (or barely gentle) to the contact, with unwrinkled pores and skin. Keep away from overripe apricots which can be simply indented when touched or those which have cuts or wrinkled pores and skin.
- Spinach is filled with vitamins and antioxidants. It’s excessive in fiber and a superb supply of many nutritional vitamins and minerals. Spinach is a superb supply of nutritional vitamins A and C, in addition to folic acid, iron, and calcium.
- Feta cheese is kind of nutritious, as properly, and is a superb supply of calcium. This scrumptious cheese has a gentle texture and briny taste.
- Cooked bacon. I cooked bacon within the oven to attenuate the cleanup. A very good substitute for bacon is prosciutto. I’d rapidly crispy up the prosciutto within the preheated oven at 350 F for about 10 minutes.
Honey Dijon mustard lemon dressing
- Salad dressing elements embrace additional virgin olive oil, honey, freshly squeezed lemon juice, and Dijon mustard. I like to recommend utilizing freshly squeezed lemon or lime juice (not the bottled variety) and additional virgin olive oil. You should utilize both maple syrup or honey.
- Simply mix all of the elements for the dressing in a mason jar and whisk with the fork (or shut the jar with the lid and shake it vigorously to mix the flavors).
What sort of rooster to make use of
- Skinless and boneless rooster thighs. That is what I used for this summer season rooster pasta salad – the darkish meat of rooster thighs is juicy and tender and is often fairly forgiving to cook dinner.
- Rooster tenders are additionally an ideal selection for this recipe. Ensure to keep away from overcooking as rooster tenders cook dinner quick.
- Skinless and boneless rooster breasts are likely to dry out sooner, so make sure to watch your cooking instances carefully, making certain that the rooster is cooked by means of rapidly, with out drying out.
- Cooked rooster. This can be a excellent recipe for leftover cooked or grilled rooster.
- Rotisserie rooster. Shred it into small items and use it on this pasta salad.
Cooking ideas
- Prepare dinner pasta al dente. To cook dinner pasta al dente means to cook dinner the pasta in order that it is gentle but agency on the core of the noodle. It ought to really feel agency to the chew, laborious underneath your enamel, whereas being gentle but not mushy. This type of texture works finest with the apricot rooster pasta salad.
- Don’t overcrowd the pan when cooking the rooster. Creating house between the rooster thighs will enable the rooster to sear properly as an alternative of steaming. Use a big sufficient pan to accommodate your entire rooster or work in batches. The cast-iron pan works the most effective!
Recipe ideas and suggestions
- Use recent agency apricots. Contemporary apricots work fantastically for this summer season rooster pasta salad. Contemporary apricots have a brief season (Might by means of August) so benefit from this scrumptious Summer time produce!
- Don’t peel the apricots. Preserve the apricots’ pores and skin on – not solely does it add coloration and vibrancy to the dish, however why additionally do away with the fiber contained within the peaches’ pores and skin?! Nonetheless, make sure to wash apricots totally in heat operating water to do away with any dust and particles.
- Use leftover rooster. This can be a nice recipe to make use of the leftover cooked or grilled rooster or rotisserie rooster.
- Use completely different greens, comparable to arugula, backyard greens, or lettuce.
- Bacon could be changed with prosciutto.
- Make it gluten-free through the use of brown rice pasta, lentil pasta, chickpea pasta, or some other gluten-free selections.
- Add nuts for crunch and texture. Toasted pine nuts, pecans, almonds, and walnuts will work properly.
- Use a special type of cheese. My favorites embrace feta, parmesan, Gruyere, and goat cheese.
- Serve it heat or at room temperature. This apricot rooster pasta salad tastes the most effective when it is a bit warmed up.
The right way to retailer it
- The apricot rooster pasta salad retains properly refrigerated in an hermetic container for as much as 3 days.
- For finest outcomes, add spinach solely when able to serve.
Ideas for making it forward
- Make forward the salad dressing. Preserve it in a clear glass jar (comparable to a mason jar) with a lid. Refrigerate for as much as every week.
- To make the salad forward, mix sliced apricots, cooked pasta, sliced cooked rooster, sliced cooked bacon (skip including spinach), and feta cheese and blend properly. Add salad dressing proper earlier than serving.
- Add spinach final – proper earlier than serving. In any other case, it’ll wilt an excessive amount of.
Different summer season pasta salads you would possibly like
Rooster Pasta Salad with Apricots,Spinach,Bacon,and Feta
Rooster Pasta Salad with Apricots,Spinach,Bacon,and Feta is a unbelievable Summer time saladthat makes a lightweight dinner,lunch,or snack. Tossed with the do-it-yourself Honey Dijon Mustard Lemon Dressing,this wholesome salad is filled with fruit,veggies,protein,and fiber. It will likely be a particular crowd-pleaser at Summer time potlucks,picnics,BBQ events,and cookouts.
Components
Bacon and pasta
- 6stripsbacon
- 8ozpenne pasta
Rooster
- 1lbrooster thighsskinless,boneless
- 1teaspoonItalian seasoning
- ½teaspoonpaprika
- ½teaspoonchili powder
- salt and black pepperto style
- 2tablespoonsolive oil
Salad dressing
- ⅓cupadditional virgin olive oil
- 2tablespoonsDijon mustard
- 3tablespoonshoney
- 3tablespoonsfreshly squeezed lemon juice
Contemporary salad Components
- 5ozrecent child spinach
- 1lbapricotsthroughly washed,pitted,and sliced
- 6ozFeta cheesecrumbled
Directions
Prepare dinner bacon
Preheat the oven to 375 F. Unfold bacon in a single layer on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
Prepare dinner for about 15 or 20 minutes or extra till cooked by means of and crispy. Take away from oven.
Take away bacon (being cautious to not burn your self) from the baking sheet onto a plate lined with paper towels to empty fats.
Proceed with the recipe as you look forward to the bacon to cook dinner.
Prepare dinner pasta
Deliver a big pot of water to a boil. Add pasta and cook dinner pasta al dente in line with the package deal directions.
Proceed with the remainder of the recipe whereas the pasta is cooking.
When the pasta is completed,drain. Preserve the drained pasta in the identical pot the place you cooked it.
Prepare dinner rooster
Generously season the rooster thighs with Italian seasoning,paprika,chili powder,salt,and freshly floor black pepper.
Warmth an empty cast-iron skillet over medium warmth for two minutes. This permits the cast-iron skillet to warmth by means of. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add rooster thighs. Prepare dinner the rooster on medium warmth for five minutes on one aspect,with out transferring it.
Flip the rooster thighs over,scale back warmth to low-medium,and cook dinner for about 5 extra minutes or longer on the opposite aspect,undisturbed,till it is cooked by means of. The meat thermometer ought to register 165°F (74°C) within the thickest a part of the rooster. Take away from warmth.
Slice the rooster thinly.
Salad meeting
Wash,core,and slice apricots.
In a pot the place you cooked and drained the pasta,mix heat,cooked,and drained pasta along with spinach and the salad dressing. Combine properly.
Add sliced apricots,crumbled feta cheese (saving ⅓ of it for later),and sliced cooked bacon. Toss to mix.
When serving,prime every particular person portion with thinly sliced cooked rooster and the remaining ⅓ of crumbled Feta cheese. Or,merely combine in sliced cooked rooster into the pasta salad.
Vitamin
Vitamin Info
Rooster Pasta Salad with Apricots,Spinach,Bacon,and Feta
Quantity per Serving
% Every day Worth*
* P.c Every day Values are primarily based on a 2000 calorie eating regimen.
Vitamin Disclaimer:
The dietary info on this web site is just an estimate and is offered for comfort and as a courtesy solely. The accuracy of the dietary info for any recipe on this web site isn't assured. It shouldn't be used as an alternative to an expert nutritionist’s recommendation.
