Tyler made this recipe last Saturday as a bit of a Valentine’s surprise. I had to work that day and informed him that I did not want to have to do dishes at the end of the day, so while a nice elaborate romantic dinner would be great, I’d rather we just get pizza! Instead he chose to make this pasta salad which was filling and required minimal cleanup. He knows me well! Tyler made this salad with canned chicken but you could use the “real” thing too of course. It was delicious and I think it would be great for picnics and bbqs in the summer months. You can add different veggies to it as well, we just used what we had on hand, which was sugar snap peas.
Sesame Chicken Pasta Salad (adapted from allrecipes.com)
Ingredients:
1/4 cup sesame seeds
16 oz pasta
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup light soy sauce
1/3 cup rice vinegar
1 t sesame oil
3 T white sugar
1/2 t ground ginger
1/4 t ground pepper
3 cups shredded chicken meat
1/3 cup fresh chopped cilantro
1/3 cup chopped green onion
Directions:
- Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add sesame seeds, and cook stirring frequently until lightly toasted. Remove from heat, and set aside.
- Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta, and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, or until al dente. Drain pasta, and rinse under cold water until cool. Transfer to a large bowl.
- In a jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine vegetable oil, soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, sugar, sesame seeds, ginger, and pepper. Shake well.
- Pour sesame dressing over pasta, and toss to coat evenly. Gently mix in chicken, cilantro, and green onions.
Great choice of pasta – so pretty! This looks like a delicious recipe!