Weeknight Grilled Chicken Pasta Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette

Ingredients

• 1 ½ lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 3 red bell peppers, stemmed and halved
• 4 green onions
• Kosher salt, to taste
• Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
• ¾ lb whole grain penne pasta
• ¼ cup + 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 2 tsp lemon zest
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• ½ cup olive oil, plus more as needed
• ¼ cup chopped parsley
• ½ cup basil leaves, roughly torn
• Grated parmesan cheese, for serving

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Instructions

1. Preheat the Grill

• Heat the grill over high heat.
• Coat the chicken, red peppers, and green onions with olive oil and season well with kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper.

2. Grill the Ingredients

• Grill the chicken and red peppers, covered, for about 6 minutes per side, or until slightly charred and cooked through.
• Grill the green onions for about 3 minutes per side, until softened and charred.

3. Cook the Pasta

• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
• Stir in the penne pasta and cook according to the package’s instructions.
• Drain the pasta when done.

4. Slice and Rest

• Transfer everything from the grill to a cutting board and let rest for about 5 minutes.
• Thinly slice the chicken against the grain, roughly chop the peppers, and slice the green onions.

5. Make the Vinaigrette

• In a large mixing bowl, combine the balsamic vinegar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and garlic.
• Whisk to combine, then slowly drizzle in the ½ cup olive oil, whisking continuously to emulsify.
• Stir in the chopped parsley. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.

6. Combine Pasta and Vinaigrette

• Add the cooked pasta to the bowl of vinaigrette.
• Let sit for about 5 minutes to allow the pasta to soak in the flavors.

7. Add the Grilled Ingredients

• Add the sliced chicken, chopped peppers, green onions, and torn basil to the pasta.
• Toss everything to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.

8. Serve

• Serve the pasta salad warm, topped with grated parmesan cheese and more black pepper over the top.

Enjoy your delicious grilled chicken and veggie pasta salad!