Caesar Pasta Salad with Zesty Grilled Chicken
Recipes BBQ and grilling Chicken Main Dish Pasta Salad
Description
Enjoy this grilled chicken with a Caesar pasta salad anytime of the year. The chicken is marinated in lemon lime soda and zesty Italian salad dressing and then grilled. The salad is made with spiral pasta, lettuce, Parmesan cheese and croutons.
Ingredients
6 - 8 chicken breasts, each about 1 inch thick
1 bottle Zesty Italian salad dressing
1 can lemon lime soda
2 - 7 oz. Caesar Salad bagged salad kits (Fresh Express brand)
1 pkg. Rotini Spiral Pasta (Barilla Rotini with veggies)
1 c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 - 2 c. prepared Caesar salad dressing
1 pkg. Caesar Salad croutons
Directions
Log in to Faxo
Create, share, and connect with millions of people.Continue with Google
Continue with Apple
Use phone or email
In a ziploc bag or container with a lid, add chicken breasts. If the chicken is thick or in large pieces, pound it with a mallet until it's about one inch thick so that the breasts marinate properly.
Combine the soda with 2 c. Italian dressing; whisk; pour over the chicken. Seal the bag or cover with the lid. Refrigerate overnight.
If using chicken breasts that are too thin, leaving them to marinate overnight will start to cure them and they will be tough! If using thin chicken breasts, marinate for just a few hours.
When ready to cook, remove them from the refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking. Remove the chicken from the marinade; let excess marinade drip off or pat it slightly dry with paper towels. Too much marinade on the chicken will cause it to burn.
Heat grill to 400 degrees F. Add chicken breasts to the hot grill. Grills are different and the thickness of chicken makes a difference in cooking time. Cook about 7 - 9 minutes per side. If trying to flip the chicken and it's sticking to the grill, it's not ready to be flipped yet. Reduce the heat if it's getting too charred, but it should easily flip when it's time. Flip; cook on the other side. It's best to use a meat thermometer until you begin to know what done chicken looks and feels like. After the chicken is fully cooked, reduce the heat and use some FRESH Italian dressing to baste each side, leaving it on the grill several more minutes.
Allow chicken to rest under aluminum foil for about 10 minutes before serving.
Salad:
Boil about 3 c. pasta until al dente. Drain; rinse under cold water. WHEN USING PASTA IN A SALAD, RINSE IT so the dressing doesn't get gummy from the pasta.
Add the lettuce from the salad kit to a big bowl; add the pasta. Add the dressing from the salad kit and add a little more from the bottled dressing until it is lightly coated; toss.
Right before serving, add the fresh Parmesan cheese. Crush up some of the croutons and sprinkle them and the cheese from the salad kid over the chicken and the salad.
Serve the chicken on the side with the salad.
4-6 servings.