My inviting Lemon Chicken Pasta Salad is perfect for New England spring and summer potlucks. Tender chicken, basil, and asparagus give this salad brilliant color and flavor.
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Maybe it's Spring. Maybe it's summer! Heck, even if you're in the middle of a snowstorm, Lemon Chicken Pasta Salad with Basil, Asparagus, and Goat Cheese is a way to bring some sunshine to the table.
The salad takes advantage of fresh basil and lemon flavors to really give your taste buds a warm-weather vibe. Tender chicken breast and fresh veggies make this salad a lovely side dish or even a light meal.
In a nutshell... 🐿️
- What this is: A bright pasta salad that brings warmth to your kitchen and your New England spring and summer cookouts. It's a blend of tender chicken, fresh asparagus, and a lemony vinaigrette.
- You'll love this part: It's a great pasta salad to make for a light lunch, or to bring to a backyard party. It's surprisingly easy to put together. You can even make it with leftover chicken.
- How it's made: Cook and cool pasta and chicken. Toss them with asparagus bell peppers, basil, and a lemony dressing that shakes up in a second.
Jump to:
Why you'll love Lemon Chicken Pasta Salad
There are loads of fresh, bright flavors in this salad, from the lemon vinaigrette to the fresh basil to the steamed asparagus. It's pretty to look at too, with vibrant yellow and green veggies, and it's so tasty to dig into.
With diced chicken and a sprinkle of goat cheese, you can make the salad for a light meal, a side, or as your main dish. Bring this chicken pasta salad out for your next potluck, picnic, or barbecue.
Perfect for a bbq!
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🔪 How to make Lemon Chicken Pasta Salad with Basil, Asparagus, and Goat Cheese
Ingredients:
- Pasta: I use spiral, cavatappi pasta; rotini or elbows can also be used.
- Chicken Breast: The recipe has steps to cook the chicken, or you can use leftover, cooked chicken instead.
- Lemon Juice: It gives loads of bright, citrusy flavor to the chicken and dressing.
- Oil: Use extra virgin olive oil to cook the chicken and for the dressing.
- Bell Peppers: Any type will do, but yellow bell peppers look pretty with the green asparagus.
- Asparagus: Pick up the freshest-looking asparagus spears for this salad, they should be firm, and no larger than the width of a pencil.
- Basil: Use fresh Italian basil leaves with no brown spots.
- Sour Cream: Part of the dressing for the salad, sour cream adds a little tang and a creamy texture.
- Vinegar: Use white vinegar in the dressing to add acidity and brighten the flavor.
- Dijon Mustard: This zippy mustard adds a little kick to the dressing.
- Goat Cheese: This crumbly, tangy cheese adds so much flavor to the salad. My go-to brand is Vermont Creamery
- Salt and Pepper: Just a pinch of salt and pepper is all the additional seasoning you'll need.
Make the pasta
Cook the pasta and rinse it in cold water.
Cook the chicken
Slice the chicken breasts into thinner halves. Season the chicken, then brown the chicken on one side in a skillet. Flip the pieces, add lemon juice, and cover. Let the chicken finish cooking over low heat.
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Prepare the veggies
Slice the peppers. Steam and slice the asparagus. Place these veggies in a bowl with the basil and the cooked, diced chicken.
Make the dressing
Put the dressing ingredients in a lidded jar and shake well to combine them.
Finish the salad
Pour the dressing in the bowl and toss everything together. Spoon the salad into serving dishes and top each with crumbled goat cheese.
Lemon Chicken Pasta Salad FAQs
My recipe includes directions for cooking chicken breasts in a skillet, then cooling it to add to the salad. You can also use leftover cooked meat from a Sunday roast chicken or other supper dish. Another option is to pick up a rotisserie chicken at the store and slice the meat from it for the salad.
Cooked pasta for cold pasta salads should be al dente, with a little bit of bite to it. It's not only tastier this way, it ensures the pasta will keep its shape when mixed with the other ingredients. Cook the pasta in salted water, and begin checking it for doneness a few minutes before the end of cooking time. As soon as it's tender but with a little bite, immediately drain the pasta to stop the cooking, and rinse it under cold water until cooled through.
More fresh veggies!
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Tips:
- I use yellow bell peppers in this salad because they look sooo pretty with the green asparagus. If you wish, you can use another color of bell pepper instead.
- Leftover, cooked chicken breast can also be used in this salad.
The recipe for Lemon Chicken Pasta Salad with Basil, Asparagus, and Goat Cheese is below. Here are more tasty salads, too!
💬 Did you make and devour this recipe? Leave a comment below.
📖 Recipe
Lemon Chicken Pasta Salad with Basil, Asparagus, and Goat Cheese
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Ingredients
For the Salad:
- 12 ounces corkscrew or elbow pasta
- 1 pound boneless chicken breast
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 3 large yellow bell peppers
- 1 pound fresh asparagus
- ½ cup fresh basil leaves
For the Dressing:
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ½ cup lemon juice
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup crumbled goat cheese
Instructions
Prepare the pasta and chicken:
- Cook the 12 ounces corkscrew or elbow pasta according to the package directions. Rinse the pasta under cold water until it is completely cool. Pour the pasta into a large bowl and hold it aside.
- Slice the 1 pound boneless chicken breast in half horizontally. Season both sides with 1½ teaspoons salt and ½ teaspoon black pepper
- Heat 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot place the chicken pieces in the pan. Cook the chicken for about 3-4 minutes until there is some browning on that first side. Flip the chicken pieces over and reduce the heat to very low.
- Add in 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice over the chicken and cover the pan. Let the chicken sit in the pan over low heat for 20 minutes. The pieces should be cooked through by this time. Remove the pan from the heat and let the chicken cool.
- When cool enough to handle, slice the chicken into cubes and add them to the bowl with the pasta.
While the chicken cooks, prepare the veggies:
- Slice the tops and bottoms off the 3 large yellow bell peppers and discard the tops and the seeds and membranes from inside. Slice the peppers into small pieces. Add these to the bowl with the pasta.
- Wash the 1 pound fresh asparagus and snap off the ends. If the stalks are very thick, use a vegetable peeler to peel the bottoms of the stalks.
- In a medium skillet add enough water for a depth of ¼-inch. Heat the water to a simmer and add in the asparagus. Cover the pan and steam the asparagus for 3-5 minutes until it is just tender.
- Remove the asparagus from the water and run the stalks under cold water until they are cool. Slice the asparagus into small pieces and add them to the bowl.
- Rinse and dry the ½ cup fresh basil leaves, then tear them into small pieces and add them to the bowl.
Make the dressing:
- Place the following into a jar that has a tight-fitting lid: the ½ cup extra virgin olive oil, the ½ cup lemon juice, the ¼ cup sour cream, 1 tablespoon white vinegar, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, the ¾ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon black pepper. Close the jar and shake the dressing vigorously to blend it.
Assemble the salad:
- Pour the dressing over everything in the bowl and stir the salad together with a large spoon. All ingredients should be well mixed and coated with the dressing.
- Spoon the salad into serving bowls and top each bowl with some of the 1 cup crumbled goat cheese. Serve the salad immediately.
- Makes about 8 cups.
For leftover salad:
- Leftover salad can be stored covered in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Store the goat cheese separately and add it to the salads when they are served, along with a fresh squeeze of lemon juice and a few fresh leaves of basil.
Notes
- I use yellow bell peppers in this salad because they look sooo pretty with the green asparagus. If you wish, you can use red or orange bell peppers instead.
- Leftover, cooked chicken breast can also be used in this salad.
Nutrition
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