Chicken Chipotle Pasta Salad

By Susan Palmer

Loaded with fresh vegetables, tender chicken, crispy bacon and a creamy chipotle lime yogurt dressing – this easy to make pasta salad will become a new favorite at outdoor gatherings all summer long. 

  • Prep: 10 minutes
  • Cook: 30 minutes
  • Course: Salad
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INGREDIENTS

1 pound pipe rigate pasta (or similar shape)

1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 red bell pepper, cut into ½ inch dice

1 yellow bell pepper, cut into ½ inch dice

1 orange bell pepper, cut into ½ inch dice

1 small head broccoli, cut into small florets

1 – 15 ounce can large ripe black olives, drained

4 slices thick cut bacon, cooked and crumbled

1 cup plain, non-fat Greek yogurt 

¾ cup buttermilk

2 limes, juiced

2 tablespoons chipotle sauce from canned chipotle in adobo sauce

1 teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon cumin

DIRECTIONS

1. Bring a 6 Qt. Circulon® Innovatum™ of salted water to boil and cook the pasta according to the packages directions.  Drain and set aside. 


2. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and season generously with kosher salt and black pepper.  Heat a Circulon® Innovatum 10” non-stick skillet over medium heat and drizzle 1 tablespoon of avocado or grapeseed oil.  Cook the chicken breasts for 20-25 minutes, depending on the thickness, flipping halfway through making sure they are brown on each side.  You want the internal temperature to reach 165 degrees.  Remove from the heat, let sit for 10 minutes before cutting into 1-inch dice. 


3. In a Circulon® Innovatum 2 Qt. Saucepan, fitted with a steamer, steam the broccoli until tender – about 5-6 minutes. 


4. In a small bowl whisk together the yogurt, buttermilk, lime juice, chipotle sauce, salt and cumin to make the dressing. 


5. In the large pot that you cooked the pasta in, toss together the pasta and 1/3 of the dressing until completely coated.  Add in the diced peppers, broccoli, chicken, olives and crumbled bacon.  Drizzle the remaining dressing over top and toss until completely coated. Transfer to a serving platter and serve the pasta salad warm, at room temperature or chilled. 


6. Store any remaining pasta salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. 


Note:

Recipe created by Circulon recipe developed and food blogger partner, Susan Palmer, of The Girl in the Little Red Kitchen.