Picnic season is right around the corner ... and I couldn't be happier! This Bruschetta Chicken Noodle Salad is a fabulous light weeknight dinner or an awesome picnic side dish.
Maybe you have some leftover grilled chicken, but if not, just pick up a rotisserie chicken at the market and add in a cup or cup and a half of shredded chicken into this salad for the same effect!
If you ask me, there's nothing quite as summery as the combination of tomatoes, garlic and basil ... which is why this flavor combination makes for the perfect picnic side dish. It's bright, refreshing and delicious. With a splash or two of balsamic vinegar, this Bruschetta Chicken Noodle Salad gets zippy and a fabulous accompaniment for burgers and hot dogs.
And if you're looking to keep things vegan or vegetarian, you can leave out this chicken. But to make it a main dish, try adding in some cannellini beans for protein in place of the chicken!
I highly recommend making this a few hours (or the day before) you want to serve it. The color will get darker from the balsamic vinegar, but the flavors will have plenty of time to soak in together and coat the noodles!
Bruschetta Chicken Noodle Salad
Ingredients
- 1 grilled chicken breast
- 1/2 lb pasta any shape you like
- 1/2 pint grape tomatoes
- 3-4 sprigs basil about 10-15 leaves
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to the directions on the package.
- Dice the cooked chicken breast, quarter the tomatoes and julienne the basil (cut it into thin strips). In a large bowl, combine the cooked linguine with the chicken, tomatoes and basil.
- In a small bowl, mix together the olive oil, balsamic, garlic, salt and pepper and pour over the noodles and chicken. Mix well and serve.
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