Balsamic Pasta Salad with Grilled ChickenOne of my favorite things to make in the spring and summer is pasta salad. It’s hearty, quick and so delicious.

I usually just whip up a batch of my all time favorite balsamic vinaigrette and then toss in some fresh veggies. My carnivores need their protein so I simply use some of that same balsamic vinaigrette as a marinade for chicken. A few minutes on the grill and you have a hearty meal that your whole family will love!

Recently the folks at Good Cook sent me a ton of fun new kitchen goodies so I put them to use in this recipe. They have a new promotion called the Build Your Kitchen Drawer Sweepstakes where you can build and win YOUR ideal kitchen drawer filled with great Good Cook tools and gadgets.

Starting June 2nd you can visit goodcook.com and choose up to 15 items from selected Good Cook products to create your ideal kitchen drawer then enter to win everything that you selected. If you can’t decide what you want, you can let the Kitchen Experts help – simply choose one of the featured Kitchen Expert Blogger drawers and enter it for a chance to win.

c1989-addmeThere will also be instant win prized awarded daily. Look for the “ADD ME” icon on any participating product and add that item to your drawer for a chance to win.

kitchen-drawerHere’s what I chose for my drawer –

I used my gadget to whip up my recipe for Balsamic Pasta Salad with Grilled Chicken. Give the recipe a try and let me know what you think.

Balsamic Pasta Salad with Grilled Chicken
Author: Michelle
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 6 – 8
[url href=”https://www.iheartpublix.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/balsamic-vinaigrette-1.jpg”][img src=”https://www.iheartpublix.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/balsamic-vinaigrette-1.jpg” width=”500″ height=”342″ class=”aligncenter size-full” title=”balsamic-vinaigrette”][/url]
Ingredients
  • [u]Vinaigrette & Marinade[/u]
  • 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
  • 3/4 cup olive oil
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced or grated
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 1 tablespoon honey dijon mustard [url href=”https://www.iheartpublix.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/pasta-ingredients-1.jpg”][img src=”https://www.iheartpublix.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/pasta-ingredients-1.jpg” width=”500″ height=”390″ class=”aligncenter size-full” title=”pasta-ingredients”][/url]
  • [u]Pasta Salad[/u]
  • 16 oz pasta, cooked according to package instructions and allowed to come to room temperature
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
  • 2 tablespoons basil, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons black olives, sliced
  • 1/2 cup heart of palm, quartered
  • 1/2 cup artichoke hearts, chopped
  • 1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
  • 4 oz crumbled feta
  • 1/2 – 1 pound chicken breast, cut into large chunks
Instructions
[u]Vinaigrette & Marinade[/u]
  1. Mix all ingredients together except olive oil.
  2. Gradually whisk in olive oil until emulsified.
[u]Pasta Salad[/u]
  1. Pour 1/4 cup of prepared vinaigrette over chicken chunks and allow to marinade for 30 min – 1 hour.
  2. Skewer chicken and grill for approximately 3 minutes per side, or until cooked through.
  3. Mix cooked pasta, basil, tomatoes, black olives, artichoke hearts, heart of palm, chickpeas and remaining dressing.
  4. Toss to mix.
  5. Sprinkle with feta and serve with cooked chicken.

Need more meal ideas? Check out these other recipes from other Good Cook Kitchen Experts.