Lemon Chicken Pasta Salad Recipes

LEMON-CHICKEN PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• Empty Pasta mix into 3-quart saucepan 2/3 full of boiling water. Gently boil uncovered 12 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Drain pasta; rinse with cold water. Shake to drain well.
• In large bowl, stir together seasoning mix, mayonnaise, lemon peel and lemon juice. Stir in chicken, pea pods and almonds. Serve on lettuce leaves. Serve immediately, or refrigerate.

CHICKEN SALAD WITH LEMON-SESAME DRESSING

Steps:

• In a large (12-inch) skillet, heat 1 tablespoon sesame oil over medium-low. Add the chicken, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and cook, breaking up into small pieces, until opaque and just cooked through, 3 to 6 minutes. (You're not looking to brown the meat here, which would risk drying it out.) Remove from heat to cool.
• In a large bowl, stir together the miso, lemon zest and juice, ginger and 1 1/2 teaspoons sesame oil.
• When the chicken is no longer hot (warm or cool both work), use a slotted spoon to add it to the bowl with the dressing, leaving any chicken juices behind. Stir to combine. Add the sliced celery, celery leaves, basil and sesame seeds; stir to combine. Taste, and if it needs more spice, add black pepper; if it's bland, add salt; if it's dry, add sesame oil. Eat warm or at room temperature. (Leftovers will keep for up to 2 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator.)

LEMON CHICKEN PASTA

Steps:

• Pound chicken breasts with a meat mallet to 1/4-in. thickness. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Place flour in a shallow bowl. Dip chicken in flour to coat both sides; shake off excess., Cook pasta according to package directions for al dente. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium heat. Add chicken; cook 2-3 minutes on each side or until no longer pink. Remove and keep warm., In same pan, heat remaining oil over medium heat; add garlic. Cook and stir 30-60 seconds or until garlic is lightly browned. Add wine to pan; increase heat to medium-high. Cook, stirring to loosen browned bits from pan, until liquid is reduced by half. Stir in lemon juice., Drain pasta, reserving 1/2 cup pasta water; place in a large bowl. Add cheese, 1/3 cup parsley, half of the garlic mixture, and remaining salt and pepper; toss to combine, adding enough reserved pasta water to moisten pasta. Serve with chicken. Drizzle with remaining garlic mixture; sprinkle with remaining parsley. If desired, serve with lemon wedges.

LEMONY CHICKEN SALAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the first seven ingredients. Stir in the chicken, celery, green pepper, apple, onion and parsley. Cover and chill for several hours. Stir in walnuts just before serving.

GRILLED LEMON PEPPER CHICKEN PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• Place the chicken on a plate and rub both sides of the chicken fillets with 1-2 Tablespoons lemon pepper. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 1 hour to let the flavors develop.
• While the chicken is in the fridge, get the grill ready. When the coals are ready, spray the grill with a nonstick spray and place the chicken on the grill.
• Cook for about 6 minutes and turn over. Cook for another six minutes. Put the chicken on a plate to rest and to collect the juices.
• While the chicken is marinading, get a large pot of water boiling and put in the pasta noodles. Bring back to a boil, stirring the noodles so they don't stick to the bottom. Reduce the heat to a simmer and continue to cook for about 7-11 minutes (or until the noodles are tender).
• Drain off the hot water and run a stream of cool water over the noodles until they are cold. Drain off most of the water, add 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil to prevent the noodles from sticking, and drain into a colander.
• To cook the broccoli florets, get a large saucepan with about 3 inches of water in it on the stove. Bring the water to a boil and put the broccoli in and toss to cook evenly. It only needs to cook for about 2-3 minutes, drain off all the water and run cold water on the florets to cool them off and stop the cooking process so they won't be mushy.
• All of these steps can be done ahead of time to make the salad easy to assemble. To make the dressing right in the bowl for the salad, place 1 Tablespoon lemon pepper with 1 Tablespoon water in a large serving bowl and let stand for 5 minutes. With a whisk, blend in the vinegar, oil, mustard, and honey.
• Slice the chicken into 1 inch cubes and put in the bowl with the dressing, adding the cooked pasta, broccoli, celery, oranges, and onion. Toss to coat.
• TIP: To get the segments from the orange, with a sharp paring knife, cut off the top and bottom of the orange so it will sit evenly on the cutting surface. Using the paring knife, cut down along the peel, following the shape of the fruit, removing any peel and white rind. Hold the fruit in your hand and carefully cut along both sides of each segment, going towards the center to free each segment. If you do this over a plate, you get all the beautiful juices from the fruit to add to the vinaigrette.

LEMON-BASIL CHICKEN-PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• Fill a 4-quart Dutch oven about half full of water. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt if desired. Cover with lid; heat over high heat until water is boiling rapidly. Add the pasta. Heat to boiling again. Boil uncovered 9 to 11 minutes, stirring frequently, until tender but not mushy. While water is heating and pasta is cooking, continue with recipe.
• Break off and discard the tough ends of the asparagus stalks where they snap easily; wash asparagus. Cut asparagus into 1-inch pieces to measure 2 cups. Add asparagus to the pasta during the last 2 to 3 minutes of cooking.
• Peel and finely chop the garlic. Cut the chicken into 1/2-inch cubes to measure about 2 cups. Tear the basil leaves lengthwise into narrow strips.
• Place strainer or colander in the sink. Pour pasta and asparagus in the strainer to drain. Rinse with cold water; drain.
• In a large glass or plastic bowl, toss pasta, asparagus and chicken. Stir in garlic, basil, cheese, oil and lemon peel. Cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate 1 to 2 hours or until chilled.

LEMON POPPY SEED CHICKEN PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the penne pasta, and cook until al dente, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain, and rinse under cold water until the pasta is cold; drain well.
• Place the drained penne pasta into a large mixing bowl, and stir in the chicken, celery, cranberries, and green onions. Pour in the salad dressing and lemon juice; stir until evenly mixed.