(Whip it up Wednesday) Chicken Pasta Salad

Happy Wednesday everyone! Sorry I haven’t been here for a while, but I’m back now and busy as ever.

It is so hot today and when the heat is on, dinner time can be a challenge. We wanted something light, and here’s where my chicken pasta salad comes in. It’s light, cold, healthy and everyone loves it. The best part is that it doesn’t take too much time or use too many ingredients.

If you’d like to give it a try, here ya go.

Ingredients: 1- 22 ounce bag of cooked chicken

small bag of both green and red grapes

3-green onions

toasted slivered almonds

1 lb. of your favorite pasta noodle.

Directions: Cook your pasta to the “al dente” stage. You want it to be cooked but a little firm. (I used the pasta Trottole by Archer Farms at Target. I love the fun shape and size of the noodle, but any pasta will work. Drain the pasta and wash with cold water to stop the cooking. Drain well.

Cut the cooked chicken into bite-size pieces and place in a large bowl. ( I opted to speed things up by using Tyson cooked chicken, but you can certainly cook your own chicken.)

Next, cut your red and green grapes in half and add to the chicken.

Finally, chop about 3 greens onions finely and add to the bowl. Add as much or as little onion as you like. Your preference.

About now the pasta is drained well. Add it to the bowl of ingredients and toss it all gently.

Now we’re ready for the dressing. Using a separate smaller bowl, combine:

2 cups of mayonnaise; 2 tablespoons of dijon mustard; pepper to taste and about 1/4 cup of milk. Using a whisk, whip all the ingredients together, adding milk carefully just to thin the dressing.

Pour about 1/2 the dressing over the pasta and toss gently. This is where you decide how much dressing you prefer. Taste test time. ( Be sure to save the remaining dressing for the next day because the pasta will absorb it and you’ll need it.)

Chill the salad for at least a few hours in the refrigerator ( if you’re in a hurry, cover and put in the freezer for about 15 minutes to chill) then sprinkle the top with the almonds for a little added crunch.

There you have it. A refreshing light dinner. It’s also great for a luncheon. Just serve on lettuce leaves. ENJOY!