Between packing, moving, wrapping up one project and going live with another plus a trip to Georgia, I haven’t had much time to think, let alone cook.  That is why I love easy meals that you can make the night before and have plenty of leftovers — like a pasta salad.  So I looked for a new recipe that included chicken and something that Hunter would like (like buffalo sauce) and made my own version.
What you’ll need:Buffalo chicken pasta salad
  • 1 (16 ounce) package uncooked rotini pasta
  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  • 1 cup chunky blue cheese dressing
  • 1/2 cup buffalo wing sauce
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 pound chicken, diced
  • 1/2 cup red bell pepper, diced
  • 1/2 cup green bell pepper, diced
  • 1 cup broccoli, raw

Fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Cook the pasta according to the directions on the box, drain well in a colander and set in the sink.

Stir together the mayonnaise, blue cheese dressing, buffalo wing sauce, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Add the chicken, bell peppers, broccoli, and cooked pasta and toss to coat with the dressing. Cover and chill at least 1 hour (or overnight) in the refrigerator before serving.

Results: Delicious!  It was a great variation on the typical pasta salad with balsamic vinegar or salad dressing and had more of a kick than I expected.  I ended up using the rest of some penne and bow tie pasta I had in the cabinet, as well as, you guessed it — Publix rotisserie chicken.  I’ve never been a huge fan of green bell papers, and it appears I’m still not, but Hunter liked them in there.  This made about 4 big servings, or probably 6 smaller servings, so we snacked on it for a few days (plus it was the only food in the apartment).  Since we have the ingredients on hand and it’s easy to put together, we’ll definitely be making this again.

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