Monday, August 15, 2011

Bowtie Chicken Salad

This is the ultimate pasta salad.   It is pretty enough to serve at any function, makes enough for a large crowd and every single person in my family loves it.  I make it over and over again in the summer.  One of my favorite things about it is the variety of textures.  With a combination of pasta, chicken, apples, grapes, celery and slivered almonds there's a lot going on at one time.  It just works.  It tastes the best after chilling in the refrigerator for a while so remember to plan ahead.
1 lb. Bowtie Pasta
3-6 C. Chicken, cooked and cubed
4 Green Onions, sliced thinly
2 C. Celery, chopped
1 C. Slivered Almonds
4 C. Red Grapes, halved
3 C. Red Apples, chopped
15 oz. bottle Coleslaw Dressing
2 C. Mayonnaise (Lowfat works fine)
2 t. Salt
1 t. Pepper
1/2 t. Thyme
1/4 t. Ginger

Cook pasta according to package directions then drain and toss with all vegetables, fruit, almonds and chicken in a very large bowl.  Set aside.  In a seperate bowl mix coleslaw dressing, salt, pepper, thyme, ginger and mayo.  Mix until smooth and then fold into pasta mixture.  Mix until dressing evenly coats everything and then refrigerate until serving (at least 1 hour).  Serves 20-25 people.