Greek Chicken Pasta Salad Food

GREEK-STYLE CHICKEN PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• Cook pasta as directed until al dente, careful not to overcook the pasta, just until chewy and firm, but cooked; drain well.
• Rinse in cold water.
• Mix together all pasta ingredients in a bowl.
• Mix all dressing ingredients; add to pasta mixture; toss well to coat.
• Let sit in refrigerator for 2 or more hours before serving, to blend the flavours.
• Sprinkle more Feta cheese on top to garnish.
• ***NOTE*** since this is a big favorite in my house, I usually just cook up the entire package of pasta, and just increase the vegetable amounts, there is really no need to double the dressing ingredients if you should use the whole package of pasta, as the salad may become oily, but by all means it may certainly be doubled if desired. The bacon is optional, I rarely add it.

GREEK CHICKEN PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• Slice the cherry tomatoes in half and chop the cucumber, bell pepper, and onion.
• Now cook your pasta al dente or according to the package. Once the pasta is cooked pour it into a colander and rinse with cold water to stop the pasta from cooking. 
• No place to cook pasta into a large bowl along with the chopped vegetables, cooked chicken, drained olives, and feta cheese
• Now pour the homemade Greek salad dressing (or store-bought) over the pasta salad ingredients and stir everything until well incorporated.

GREEK CHICKEN PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• Use a zester, microplane, or small-holed cheese grater to remove the zest from the lemon. Set the zest aside. Squeeze the juice from the lemon into a separate bowl. You'll need at least 1/4 cup juice.
• Prepare the dressing and marinade by mincing two of the three cloves of garlic and combining them with 1/4 cup lemon juice, olive oil, oregano, salt, some freshly cracked pepper, and a pinch of the lemon zest. Whisk these ingredients until well combined.
• Place the chicken thighs in a small zip lock bag and add half of the dressing, saving the rest to add to the salad later. Mince one more clove of garlic and add it to the bag with the chicken and marinade. Squeeze the air out and massage the bag to make sure the thighs are well coated in the marinade. Refrigerate the thighs for at least 30 minutes.
• While the chicken is marinating, cook the pasta according to the package directions, drain in a colander, and let cool.
• Heat a skillet over a medium flame. Once hot, add the marinated chicken thighs and cook on each side until they are well browned and cooked through (about 5 minutes each side). There should be enough oil in the marinade to keep the meat from sticking. Remove the cooked chicken from the skillet and let it rest for about five minutes. Once slightly cooled, chop the chicken into smaller, bite-sized pieces.
• While the chicken is cooking, prepare the rest of the vegetables. Dice the cucumber and bell pepper. Slice the tomatoes in half (or dice if using Roma or regular tomatoes). Pull the parsley leaves from the stems and give them a rough chop.
• Finally, build the salad. Add the cooked and cooled pasta to a large bowl. Top the pasta with the cucumber, bell pepper, tomatoes, parsley, and chopped chicken. Crumble the feta over top and add a pinch or two of the lemon zest. Pour the remaining dressing over the salad and toss to coat. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to eat.

GREEK CHICKEN AND ORZO PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• For the chicken: In a medium bowl, whisk together the olive oil, salt, oregano, garlic powder, pepper and lemon juice. Add the chicken and toss to coat. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 4 hours.
• Preheat a grill or grill pan to medium high.
• Remove the chicken from the marinade. Grill the chicken until cooked through, about 5 minutes per side. Slice the chicken into 1-inch-wide pieces. Set aside.
• For the breadcrumbs: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• In a medium ovensafe skillet, heat the butter, olive oil and garlic over low heat until the garlic begins to sizzle. Add the breadcrumbs and salt and toss to coat. Transfer to the oven and toast until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes.
• For the dressing: Whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, salt, oregano, pepper, garlic and lemon juice in a small bowl until combined.
• For the salad: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the orzo and cook until al dente, 7 to 8 minutes. Drain and transfer to a large serving bowl. Toss with the dressing while still hot, then let cool to room temperature.
• When cool, stir in the tomatoes, cucumber and parsley. Top with the feta, sliced chicken and breadcrumbs.

GREEK PASTA SALAD WITH FETA AND CHICKEN

Steps:

• Cook pasta according to package directions.
• In a small bowl, whisk together broth, oil, vinegar, Dijon mustard, thyme, salt and pepper to taste. Add diced chicken, green pepper, and mint.
• Drain pasta and add to bowl with dressing and chicken. Toss to combine. Cover with plastic and refrigerate until ready to serve. Top with feta cheese just before serving.

GREEK CHICKEN PASTA

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook pasta in boiling water until tender yet firm to the bit, 8 to 10 minutes; drain.
• Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; saute until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Stir in the chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until chicken is no longer pink in the center and the juices run clear, about 5 to 6 minutes.
• Reduce heat to medium-low; add artichoke hearts, tomato, feta cheese, parsley, lemon juice, oregano, and cooked pasta. Cook and stir until heated through, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat, season with salt and pepper, and garnish with lemon wedges.

GREEK CHICKEN TORTELLINI SALAD

Steps:

• Cook pasta as directed on package, omitting salt. Rinse with cold water; drain well.
• Mix yogurt, dressing, lemon zest and juice until blended.
• Place pasta in large bowl. Add chicken, olives and yogurt mixture; mix lightly. Refrigerate several hours or until chilled.
• Add tomatoes and parsley; mix lightly.

GREEK CHICKEN WITH CUCUMBER-FETA SALAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl, stir together the yogurt and garlic; season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer 1/2 cup of the yogurt to a medium bowl and reserve for Step 5.
• Coat the chicken: To the large bowl, add the oregano and stir to combine. Season the chicken all over with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and a few grinds of pepper. Add the chicken to the large bowl and turn to coat; set aside.
• Start the salad: Smash the cucumbers with the side of your knife until craggy and split. Rip into ½- to 1-inch pieces and transfer to a colander placed in the sink. Slice or chop the tomatoes into bite-size pieces. Add to the cucumbers along with 1 ½ teaspoons salt. (It may seem like a lot of salt, but most will drain away.) Toss to combine and leave to drain.
• In a large nonstick or well-seasoned cast-iron skillet, heat the olive oil over medium. Scrape excess marinade off the chicken, then cook the chicken in batches, adding oil to the pan if necessary, until it's well browned and releases from the pan, 5 to 7 minutes. Flip and cook until cooked through, another 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to plates to rest. (For grilling info, see Tip.)
• To the medium bowl of yogurt, add the feta and mash with a fork until a chunky paste forms. Shake the cucumbers and tomatoes to get rid of any excess moisture. Add to the feta yogurt along with the olives and stir until coated. The balance is dependent on your produce and feta, so season to taste with salt and pepper until flavors are vivid. Eat alongside the chicken.

GREEK-INSPIRED CHICKEN SALAD

Steps:

• Place cucumbers in a colander; set onto a plate. Toss cucumbers with 1 teaspoon salt. Let rest to draw about liquid, about 30 minutes. Pat dry with paper towels.
• Place red onion and 1 cup cold water in a bowl. Let soak until the strong onion flavor is weakened, 5 to 10 minutes. Drain and rinse.
• Combine cucumbers, red onions, Greek yogurt, Kalamata olives, dill, vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, lemon zest, oregano, and black pepper in a bowl. Fold in chicken, feta cheese, and tomatoes. Cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate salad for at least 1 hour.
• Stir salad and serve on lettuce leaves.

GREEK CHICKEN PASTA

Steps:

• Cook pasta according to package directions. , Meanwhile, in a large ovenproof skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add onion; cook and stir until tender. Stir in flour until blended; gradually add broth. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in the chicken, artichoke hearts, cheese, tomatoes and olives. , Drain pasta; stir into the pan. Broil 3-4 in. from the heat for 5-7 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown. Sprinkle with parsley.