Rox and I stay incredibly busy most weeks, and every now and then we enjoy kicking our feet up, opening a bottle of wine, and settling in with a no-fuss dinner. It’s evenings like these that lead me to dishes such as this simple Grilled Chicken Pasta Salad, recipes that might never have found their way onto Acadiana Table. No agenda. No planning. No problem.
Grilled Chicken Pasta Salad with chilled wine for a light evening dinner. (All photos credit: George Graham)
To keep the evening as easy as possible, we agreed there would be no mad dash to the grocery store for last-minute ingredients. Instead, dinner would come together entirely from what we already had on hand. Pasta, fresh herbs from the garden, and a handful of ripe vegetables can sometimes become something surprisingly special.
Pairing wine with food is something we do with almost every meal, but this evening we reversed the process and uncorked a bottle of Cakebread Chardonnay for inspiration. As the wine chilled in a bucket of ice, we started thinking about what would make the perfect companion.
The answer was a fresh, simply prepared grilled chicken pasta salad, free of any heavy sauce. Instead, we whisked together a light vinaigrette with nutty Louisiana pecan oil and a squeeze of Meyer lemon, just enough bright acidity to bring everything together. From the garden came basil and mint, sliced into a quick chiffonade to add a fresh herbal note alongside sweet cherry tomatoes and crisp green asparagus.
This Grilled Chicken Pasta Salad and a glass of Cakebread Chardonnay make a pairing that proves great meals don’t have to be complicated. Sometimes, simplicity is the finest ingredient of all.
- 5 tablespoons pecan oil
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 tablespoon Acadiana Table Cajun Seasoning Blend, see recipe here
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 cups spaghetti noodles, cooked
- 2 Clementine oranges
- 2 tablespoons diced red onion
- 2 tablespoons diced green onion tops
- 1 cup red cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 cup yellow cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 cup green asparagus tips, blanched
- ½ cup green peas, cooked
- 1 small green jalapeno, ribs and seeds removed and diced
- ½ cup loosely packed fresh basil, stems removed and chopped
- 2 sprigs of mint, stems removed and chopped
- 1 fresh Meyer lemon
- In a heavy skillet over medium-high heat, add 2 tablespoons of pecan oil. While the oil is heating, season the chicken breasts with Cajun seasoning, salt, and pepper. Once the pan is hot, add the chicken breasts and brown on both sides until completely done, about 15 minutes. Remove to a plate, cover and refrigerate.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the cooked noodles and season with salt and pepper. Drizzle lightly with 1 tablespoon pecan oil. Cover and refrigerate.
- Peel the oranges and remove the seeds. Slice segments of the orange being careful to remove any white pith. Add the orange segments to the bowl of pasta.
- In the large mixing bowl, add the onions, tomatoes, asparagus, peas, jalapenos, basil, and mint. Cut the lemon in half and squeeze 2 tablespoons of the juice over the salad being careful to remove any seeds. Toss while drizzling lightly with the remaining pecan oil.
- Remove the cooled chicken from the refrigerator and slice into strips. Add the chicken to the bowl and toss again. Season lightly with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- For serving, mound the cold salad mixture in the center of a plate making sure to distribute the ingredients evenly. Pair with an ice-cold glass of Chardonnay.
Not a typical Cajun recipe, this Grilled Chicken Pasta Salad is the perfect light no-fuss supper.
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Thanks, George.
Perfect blending of complimentary flavors, so fresh and pleasing. Wonderful photography, too. I’m looking for this delightful Chardonnay! Another winner, George!
i have loved your wonderful tales on many occasions. Thank you for many enjoyable interludes.
Living in Paris, TX I miss easy access to Gulf seafood, but my chicken, sausage and ham gumbo can compete with the best. For the last four years, I have hosted about twenty friends from Orange school days, and plied them with foods of our childhood. Gumbo in their bowls and mayhaw jelly on their biscuits turned back the pages of time.
Allthe best to you and yours.
sincerely.
cat