Chicken Pasta Salad

Ingredients

• 1 lb penne pasta
• 1 cup plain yogurt (not Greek)
• 0.75 cup mayonnaise
• 2 tbsp grainy dijon mustard
• 1 tsp lemon zest
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 0.5 tsp ground black pepper
• 0.25 tsp cayenne pepper
• 3 cup rotisserie chicken (shredded)
• 3 celery stalks (chopped)
• 4 green onions (thinly sliced)
• 2 cup red grapes (halved)
• 0.75 cup fresh parsley (chopped)
• 0.25 cup fresh dill
• 0.5 cup sliced almonds (toasted)
• butter lettuce (to serve)

Steps

1. 1

   Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

2. 2

   Add the penne pasta and cook for one minute longer than the package directions suggest to ensure it doesn't dry out when chilled.

3. 3

   Drain the pasta, rinse immediately with cold water to stop the cooking process and remove excess starch, and let it cool completely.

4. 4

   In a large bowl, whisk together the plain yogurt, mayonnaise, grainy dijon mustard, lemon zest, lemon juice, kosher salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper until smooth.

5. 5

   Fold the cooled pasta, shredded rotisserie chicken, chopped celery, sliced green onions, halved grapes, chopped parsley, and fresh dill into the dressing until well combined.

6. 6

   Refrigerate the salad until chilled and ready to eat.

7. 7

   Just before serving, sprinkle the salad with toasted sliced almonds and serve over butter lettuce leaves if desired.

Notes

To avoid dry pasta salad, ensure you cook the pasta one minute past al dente; undercooked pasta will absorb too much dressing as it sits. This salad can be made one day in advance, but wait to add the almonds until serving to maintain their crunch.

Nutrition per serving

• main
• salad
• chicken
• pasta salad
• picnic
• lunch
• cold salad
• rotisserie chicken