Southwestern Chicken Pasta Salad

This recipe has become a favorite side dish for parties. In fact, I am whipping it up today for a Super Bowl party. Check your grocer for Foster Farms Lemon marinated chicken and you can freeze the remaining unused chipotle peppers for future use. Colorful and tasty . . . follow recipe as noted.

I made this recipe using a cup of chopped plum tomatoes. Also, after making and tasting the dressing, I found that the chipotles were too spicy for my taste. I strained the dressing, reducing the sharpness of the chipotles, but keeping the smokieness of the peppers. Very yummy!

This salad makes a light, tasty lunch that's pretty easy to put together, especially if you have some of the ingredients on hand. I made a couple of changes: I was feeding it to kids, so instead of the tablespoon of chopped chipotle chilis (which can have a lot of kick), I just used a couple of teaspoons of the adobo sauce and added a teaspoon of ground cumin. I also added about 1/4 cup of chopped cilantro because I had it in the fridge. I will definitely make this salad again!

I really enjoyed how light this pasta was. Will be great for this summer.

Note - this review comes from a former Texan. I like my food deep fried and smothered in gravy. Ranch for dipping? Yes, please. I do not consider myself someone who likes low-cal recipes. That being said, this pasta is amazing. You can definitely eat it cold, as pasta salad, but it works warm as a main entree, too. I didn't change much - I just subbed frozen corn for fresh since it's not in season at the moment, and used extra chiles since I like things spicy. Honestly, I think next time I'll eliminate the cheddar since there is more than enough flavor from the chiles and veggies. Thank you so much for this recipe!