Chicken Berry Pasta Salad with Strawberry Balsamic Vinaigrette
Chicken Berry Pasta Salad is a sweet and savory summer dish drizzled with fresh Strawberry Balsamic Vinaigrette. And with its red, white, & blue color scheme, it's the perfect recipe for 4th of July picnics, potlucks, and BBQs!
Course Salad
Cuisine American
Prep Time 10 minutesminutes
Cook Time 20 minutesminutes
Chilling Time 4 hourshours
Total Time 4 hourshours30 minutesminutes
Servings 4to 6 servings of pasta salad; 1 ½ cups vinaigrette
8ouncesfarfalle (bowtie pasta)OR your favorite shape of pasta
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2tablespoonsbutter
2tablespoonsextra-virgin olive oil
2large chicken breasts boneless, skinless
1cupquartered strawberries
1cupblueberries
4ouncescrumbled feta cheese
FOR THE DRESSING:
1small clove garlic
2teaspoonsfresh thyme leavesOR heaping ½ teaspoon dried thyme
1cupsliced strawberries
⅓cupbalsamic vinegar
⅓cupwater
1 ½teaspoonsDijon mustard
¼teaspoonsalt
Freshly ground black pepperto taste
Instructions
Cook pasta, according to package directions, in well-salted water. Drain, rinse, and cool.
Generously season both sides of the chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Set a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add butter and olive oil and swirl pan to coat. Cook chicken breasts until deep golden brown on the underside, about 5 to 8 minutes. Flip chicken and cook until the second side is browned and the chicken is cooked through, another 5 to 8 minutes. Set aside on a cutting board to cool.
Make the dressing by placing garlic and thyme in a small food processor; pulse until finely minced. Add sliced strawberries, balsamic vinegar, water, Dijon, salt, and pepper. Process until very smooth. Adjust seasonings, to taste; set aside.
Transfer the cooled pasta to a large bowl. Cube the chicken breasts and layer on top. Scatter the quartered strawberries, blueberries, and feta cheese on top. Drizzle with about ⅔ of the dressing and toss until evenly coated (reserve the remaining ⅓ of the vinaigrette to add just before serving).
Cover salad and refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Remove from the refrigerator and stir in remaining vinaigrette (to taste).