Warm chicken and pasta salad

We love pasta and we love salad too. A search of your local farmer’s market will get you nearly all of the ingredients for a nice warm chicken and pasta salad.

This is a really colorful salad that will look great served as part of your next party buffet or as a brunch, lunch, snack, dinner … well, you get the general idea.

Most of the ingredients can be prepared ahead of time and if you omit the French dressing, our warm chicken and pasta salad will work as a hot dish too – in more ways than one!

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Warm Chicken and Pasta Salad – serves 4 – 6

• 1 lb 10 oz sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4″ cubes
• 9 oz cherry tomatoes, halved
• 2 tablespoons Vallecorsa extra virgin olive oil
• 2 7-oz boneless and skinless chicken breast fillets or thighs
• 2 bunches asparagus, trimmed and cut into thirds
• 12 oz Pasta Nostra fusilli
• 1 14 oz can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
• 3 handfuls baby spinach leaves, cleaned
• 3 tablespoons French dressing

1. Preheat an oven to 400. Place the sweet potato at one end of a large nonstick baking dish and the tomatoes at the other end, cut-side down. toss in the olive oil oil and bake for 45 minutes, turning halfway through. Remove the tomatoes after 30 minutes.
2. Preheat a grill over high heat. Cook the chicken for 5 minutes on each side or until cooked through.
3. Bring a large saucepan of lightly salted water to a boil, add the asparagus and cook for one minute. Remove with a slotted spoon and plunge into ice water. Drain.
4. Return the water to a boil and cook the pasta according to the instructions on the packaging. Drain and rinse under warm water to slow it cooking. Drain and toss in a little salt and olive oil.
5. Slice the chicken into 1/2″ thick strips and place in a large bowl with the vegetables, beans, pasta, and arugula and toss until combined.
6. Add the dressing to the salad and toss until well combined.