Description
Creamy chicken broccoli pasta salad brings classic comfort to your summer table with Mediterranean-inspired flavors. Crisp broccoli, tender chicken, and zesty dressing blend perfectly for a refreshing meal you’ll crave again and again.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Protein and Carbohydrates:
- 1 cup cooked, chopped chicken breast
- 2 cups cooked pasta (rotini, penne, or bowtie)
Vegetables and Extras:
- 1 cup broccoli florets, blanched
- 1/2 cup red bell pepper, diced
- 1/4 cup red onion, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
- 1/4 cup black olives, sliced
- 1 garlic clove, minced
Dressing and Seasonings:
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 2 tablespoons (30 milliliters) white wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package instructions, ensuring al dente texture. Drain and rinse with cold water to stop cooking process and cool quickly.
- While pasta cools, dice cooked chicken into uniform bite-sized cubes for consistent texture and easy eating.
- Steam broccoli florets until tender-crisp, maintaining vibrant green color and preventing mushiness. Immediately plunge into ice water to halt cooking and preserve crispness.
- Finely chop red bell pepper, red onion, and sun-dried tomatoes into delicate, uniform pieces to distribute flavor evenly throughout the salad.
- Slice black olives into thin rounds to provide balanced olive flavor in each bite.
- In a spacious mixing bowl, gently combine cooled pasta, diced chicken, steamed broccoli, chopped vegetables, and sliced olives.
- Create creamy dressing by whisking mayonnaise, sour cream, white wine vinegar, sugar, and minced garlic until smooth and well-integrated.
- Season dressing with salt and pepper, adjusting to personal taste preferences.
- Drizzle dressing over salad ingredients, using folding technique to coat evenly without crushing delicate components.
- Cover and refrigerate for minimum one hour, allowing flavors to harmonize and develop depth.
- Before serving, give salad gentle stir to redistribute dressing and ingredients.
Notes
- Choose rotisserie chicken for a quick, time-saving option that adds delicious pre-seasoned flavor to the pasta salad.
- Steam broccoli briefly to maintain a crisp texture and vibrant green color, avoiding overcooking which can make it mushy.
- Swap regular mayonnaise with Greek yogurt for a healthier, protein-rich alternative that reduces calories and adds tangy depth.
- Make this dish gluten-free by using gluten-free pasta and checking that all dressing ingredients are certified gluten-free.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Category: Lunch, Dinner, Appetizer
- Method: None
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4
- Calories: 450
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 600 mg
- Fat: 28 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 20 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 36 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 18 g
- Cholesterol: 50 mg