Chicken & Broccoli Pasta Salad

Chicken & Broccoli Pasta Salad is the ultimate pasta salad without any mayo! A simple yet addictive pasta salad made with al dente broccoli, chicken bits, red bell pepper, onion, basil and feta drizzled with olive oil!

This Chicken & Broccoli Pasta Salad is an addictive “wake up in the middle of the night for a bite” meal… a “you have more than me” meal. This is a recipe from way back in the days when I used to sleep over at my friend’s house, and her mom knew I was coming. Then, she would make me that pasta salad. I could not get enough, it looked like a simple pasta salad, but something in it made it impossible to stop eating… With the years, I transformed it even more to my taste; I’ve added feta cheese and fresh basil leaves.

The Golden Dressing

The dressing for this pasta salad is simply fresh extra-virgin olive oil, and that’s it! But, please, not the commercial blend they sell in transparent plastic bottles. If you want good olive oil, it must be fresh from the year… The best bottles usually are dark greenish coloured and show you the production date. You’ll pay a bit more, but the difference is tremendous! With this fresh olive oil, everyone will ask you what the dish’s secret is. For ages, people have marinated and conserved their food in this golden liquid; it is simply the best!

A Meal that Gains in the Fridge

Also, this salad becomes better the longer it stays in the fridge. All the flavours mix well then, so it’s one of those few meals that gets better over time. Another plus of this recipe is that once done, you have it for a while, lunch for the kids, for example. You’ll see, soon the little friends of your kids will ask you for it, just like I did!

Storage

This pasta salad stays covered in the fridge for a good three days. It goes great for lunch, picnics, potluck, etc. Just be careful not to let the chicken more than an hour at room temperature.

Variations

Sometimes I would add a few Kalamata olives to give it this extra salty punch. Other times, I would switch the onions for fresh scallions. It’s a meal that is easy to customize to your taste! The essential elements are the marinated chicken bits, feta and broccoli; the rest is up to you!

To Serve with

Here are a few drinks that would complement this recipe well:

• TAMARIND ICED TEA
• WATERMELON PUNCH WITH ICED KIWIS

So let’s make that pasta salad!

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Chicken & Broccoli Pasta Salad

5 from 1 vote

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Servings 6

Calories 521

Chicken, Feta & Broccoli Pasta Salad is the ultimate pasta salad without any mayo! A simple yet addictive pasta salad made with al dente broccoli, chicken bits, red bell pepper, onion and feta drizzled with olive oil!

Ingredients

• 400 g penne (could be fusilli, farfalle, etc.)
• 2 chicken breasts (cut into small dices)
• 200 g feta cheese (cut into small cubes)
• 1 red bell pepper (cut into small pieces)
• 1 onion (cut into small pieces)
• 1 broccoli (cut into small florets)
• 2 tbsp dried basil or thyme
• 50 ml olive oil
• fresh basil leaves
• salt and pepper

Metric – US Customary

Instructions 

• Cook the pasta following directions, drain and rinse in cold water.
• In a big pan or wok, at medium-high heat, cook the chicken in olive oil with thyme, salt and pepper.
• Reserve.
• In the same pan or wok, cook at medium-high heat the vegetables until al dente, adding the broccoli 2 minutes before the rest with 3 tbsp of water.
• Add vegetables into the pasta pot and let it cool for 10 minutes.
• Add the rest of the ingredients; marinated chicken, feta, fresh basil, salt and pepper mix and serve.

Notes

Better to serve cold with a minimum of one hour of rest. 

Author: thefoodolic

Calories: 521kcal

Course: Plato principal

Keyword: broccoli, chicken, cold, feta, no mayo, olive oil, pasta, pasta salad, pepper

Nutrition

Calories: 521kcal | Carbohydrates: 62g | Protein: 35g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 66mg | Sodium: 424mg | Potassium: 831mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 1388IU | Vitamin C: 122mg | Calcium: 81mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutrition Facts

Chicken & Broccoli Pasta Salad

Amount per Serving

Calories

521

% Daily Value*

Fat

 

15

g

23

%

Saturated Fat

 

4

g

25

%

Trans Fat

 

0.01

g

Polyunsaturated Fat

 

2

g

Monounsaturated Fat

 

6

g

Cholesterol

 

66

mg

22

%

Sodium

 

424

mg

18

%

Potassium

 

831

mg

24

%

Carbohydrates

 

62

g

21

%

Fiber

 

6

g

25

%

Sugar

 

6

g

7

%

Protein

 

35

g

70

%

Vitamin A

 

1388

IU

28

%

Vitamin C

 

122

mg

148

%

Calcium

 

81

mg

8

%

Iron

 

2

mg

11

%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.