Greek Chicken Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 6-8 C Water, Boiling
- 1 12 oz box Barilla Gluten Free Penne Pasta or other brand
- 2 lb Chicken Tenderloins
- 1/2 T Paprika
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1/8 tsp Ground Black Pepper
- 1 English Cucumber, Sliced
- 1 lb Grape Tomatoes, Halved Lengthwise
- 6 oz Feta Cheese, Crumbles
- 1 6 oz Jar of Pitted Kalamata Greek Olives as desired, garnish upon serving
- Balsamic Glaze as desired, drizzle upon serving
- Red Wine Vinegar as desired, drizzle upon serving
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil as desired, drizzle upon serving
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 375.
Bring about 6-8 cups of water to a boil. Add pasta, and cook to instructions on box, or until noodles are just softened or al dente. Gluten free noodles can turn to mush quickly. Drain, and set aside.
While noodles are boiling, oil a cookie sheet with EVOO and place chicken tenderloins on greased sheet. Season with paprika, salt and ground black pepper. Bake in 375 degree oven for about 14-17 minutes, or just until no longer pink in center. Remove from oven and cut into bite size pieces. Set aside.
While chicken and pasta is cooking, prep your cucumber and tomatoes. Slice the grape tomatoes in half lengthwise. Slice the cucumber in half lengthwise, and then slices.
Serve salad deconstructed with each topping in a separate container. I like to set out in this order: pasta, chicken, cucumber, tomatoes, Kalamata olives feta cheese, balsamic glaze, red wine vinegar, and extra virgin olive oil.
Recipe Notes
You can serve this with thinly sliced red onion, but my husband has an intolerance to onions so we omit them, although it would be a traditional ingredient in this type of salad.
Alternatively, you can mix ingredients in one large bowl and serve prepared. If you choose to do this, I would recommend leaving the balsamic glaze, red wine vinegar, and EVOO on the side to be added individually to servings. The red wine vinegar can break the noodles down if left on too long, so better added on just before serving.