Chicken Bow Tie Pasta Salad

   This salad is a popular one, always served at baby and bridal showers I have been to. Its really simple, yet delicious, containing bow tie pasta noodles, grilled seasoned chicken, chopped romaine lettuce and cherry tomatoes.

  When I serve this at parties I like to have lots of different dressings on the table, so your guests can choose whichever kind they like! My favorite is ranch dressing or creamy poppyseed. Talk about yum! I also like to have seperate bowls of croutons, and shredded parmesan cheese next to it, so they can pile on as much or as little as they want.

   Have some warm breadsticks to enjoy with this salad, and its the perfect party meal!



Chicken Bow Tie Pasta Salad
Serves about: 8-10

3-4 heads Romaine lettuce, rinsed and chopped
2 pounds Chicken breasts
salt, pepper, lemon pepper seasoning
1 pound Bow Tie pasta noodles
1-2 cups cherry tomatoes, rinsed

Toppings:
Seasoned Croutons
Shredded parmesan cheese
Assorted dressings: Ranch, Creamy Poppyseed, Caesar, Raspberry Vinaigrette


Directions: Rinse the romaine lettuce in water, then  pat dry with paper towels. Chop. Place chopped lettuce in a large serving bowl, cover and place in fridge to chill.

Season chicken breasts with salt, pepper and lemon-pepper seasoning. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil on a large skillet, over medium-high heat. Cook chicken for 6 minutes on each side, or until cooked through. Set cooked chicken on a platter. Cover with foil and let rest a few minutes before slicing into bite-size pieces.

*While chicken is cooking, boil the bow tie pasta noodles in a large pot of water; according to package directions. Drain water, then rinse pasta with cold water to stop cooking process, and to cool.

Assemble salad:  Add the cooked chicken pieces, cooled pasta and cherry tomatoes to the bowl of romaine lettuce. Toss with salad tongs. Serve salad with assorted dressings, croutons and parmesan cheese. Enjoy ♥

*Note: Whenever I make this salad, I like to cook the bow tie noodles in advance, so theyre cold in the salad. I just boil the noodles in the morning. Drain the water, then rinse in cold water. I shake all the excess water off and then place the noodles in a large ziplock bag. I place the bag in my fridge until Im ready to put them in the salad.