Chicken Pasta Salad a l'Orange

This summer heat is stifling. Husband and I lead pretty ‘green’ lifestyle and I’m usually on top of making sure we are conserving resources but this heat is making me think we may need to recheck out insulation. Our basement is wonderfully cool, the first floor is comfortable and our upstairs (where Husband’s office and the master bedroom are located) are not comfortable at all.

 

Normally when I don’t like the weather I like to make something in the spirit of the season I wish I was in, but it’s too hot to be making chili or beef stew. I opted for a nice salad. I pulled this recipe out of the binder and decided that after looking it over for years I would finally make it. I had to do a little research to find credit for this recipe. I copied the recipe out of a cookbook that a coworker in Denver let me borrow. I have a small pile of recipes from the cookbook that i hae tried and they are all yummy.

 

I had already cooked chicken earlier in the week knowing that it was going to be hot. I only had to heat the water to cook the pasta. I omitted the olives and used all 15 oz of mandarin oranges from my can. I did not add the sugar or the avocados. Instead of mixed greens I used some lovely bib lettuce that we received from the farm.

 

I was only able to eat this for dinner once. Husband loved the salad so much he had seconds at dinner and devoured the leftovers for lunch the next day. I definitely take that as a compliment, but the salad was so yummy I really did want more! Oh well, with this heat I wouldn’t be hesitant about making it again.

 

2-1/2 cups uncooked bow tie pasta

2 cups cubed cooked chicken breast

2 celery ribs, thinly sliced

1 can (11 ounces) mandarin oranges, drained

1 can (2-1/4 ounces) sliced ripe olives, drained

1/3 cup fat-free plain yogurt

1/3 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise

1/4 cup thawed orange juice concentrate

1 tablespoon white vinegar

2 teaspoons sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground mustard

6 cups torn mixed salad greens

1/2 cup cubed avocado

 

Cook pasta according to package directions; drain and rinse in cold water. In a large bowl, combine the pasta, chicken, celery, oranges and olives.

For dressing, in a small bowl, combine the yogurt, mayonnaise, orange juice concentrate, vinegar, sugar, salt and mustard. Pour over pasta mixture and toss to coat.

For each serving, spoon 1-1/3 cups pasta mixture over 1 cup of greens; top with about 1 tablespoon avocado.

 

http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Chicken-Pasta-Salad-a-l-Orange?addtolist=y