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Big platter of pasta salad recipe with chicken, spinach and blue cheese by bestrecipebox.com
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Chicken, Spinach & Blue Cheese Pasta Salad

Make sure to add enough salt/seasoning for maximum flavor. For this much pasta, you must add enough salt to bring out the tasty flavors. Best part about this salad is that you can totally customize it the way you want.
Add more of less of any ingredient to make it perfect to your personal taste!
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time25 minutes
Servings: 10 Servings
Calories: 265kcal

Ingredients

For The Salad:

  • 12-16 ounces (340-454) dried pasta , cooked to package instructions 
  • 2 cups (280 g) shredded chicken
  • 4 cups (120 g) spinach , rough chopped or baby spinach
  • 1/4 cup (40 g) sliced red onions
  • 1 cup (150 g) cherry tomatoes , halved
  • 1 cup (135 g) crumbled blue cheese
  • 1/2 cup (60 g) dried cranberries

For The Dressing:

  • 1 cup (240 ml) olive oil
  • 1/3 cup (80 ml) red wine vinegar
  • lemon zest , from 1 medium lemon
  • juice of one medium lemon (about 1/4 cup-60ml)
  • 3 cloves garlic , minced
  • 2 teaspoons (10 ml) sugar or honey
  • 2 teaspoons (10 ml) kosher salt , or to taste
  • 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 ml) black pepper , fresh cracked if possible
  • 1 teaspoon (5 ml) dried oregano , or 2 teaspoons fresh chopped oregano

Instructions 

  • Prepare the pasta: Fill a large bowl (big enough to hold cooked pasta) halfway with ice water. Boil pasta to package instructions. Drain pasta, rinse with cold water and shock the pasta by adding it to the cold water to get it cold fast. Once cold, drain the pasta, transfer to a large bowl and set aside.
    Cook Pasta
  • In a jar or bowl, add all the dressing ingredients (olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, sugar/honey, salt, pepper, oregano). Shake or whisk the dressing to combine. Taste the dressing and adjust salt, pepper or additional seasonings, to taste.
    Make Dressing
  • Add pasta, chicken, spinach, red onion, tomatoes, blue cheese and cranberries in a large bowl. Pour dressing in the bowl and stir everything together to coat with the dressing.
    Chill pasta salad for at least 1 hour before serving.
    Combine Salad Ingredients
Course: Salad, Side Dish
Cuisine: Party, Pasta, Salads

Nutrition

Calories: 265kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 31mg | Sodium: 1178mg | Potassium: 299mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 1574IU | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 106mg | Iron: 2mg