Chicken and Bacon Pasta Salad

Name: Chicken and Bacon Pasta Salad
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 200g dried penne or fusilli pasta; 1 tsp olive oil; 4 rashers of smoked back bacon; 2 chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces; 10 black pitted olives, halved; 12 cherry tomatoes, quartered; Handful fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped; 5 spring onions, trimmed and sliced; 1/2 red bell pepper, deseeded and diced; 1/2 green bell pepper, deseeded and diced; 1/2 medium sized cucumber, diced; Juice of 1/2 a lemon; 5 tbsps mayonnaise; 2 large handfuls spinach; Salt and black pepper, to taste

by Amy Massey

4 Servings

25 min

This is another quick and easy meal prep pasta salad option. Pasta salads have become quite popular in our household as a meal to take to work for lunch when we want to increase our vegetable intake in the form of a salad but need something more filling that will fuel is for the rest of the day.

This recipe was born out of me trying to use up what was left in the fridge one day and has been developed since, ensuring the right balance of flavour and meaning I always have most of these ingredients to hand just in case now.

Chicken and bacon have always been a match made in heaven and I like to use smoked bacon for extra saltiness, but you can use regular if you prefer. I have used a mixture of crisp and juicy vegetables which all have their own great flavours and compliment each other well and I feel the addition of fresh basil leaves adds an extra herby punch to the overall dish.

This pasta salad recipe is the perfect meal prep option to take to work or if you're in need of a lunch on the go.

Tender chicken breast is pan fried with salty and smoky bacon.

A medley of fresh vegetables give this dish it's flavour while packing in lots of extra nutrients.

Chicken and Bacon Pasta Salad

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Recipe details

Yield 4 Servings
Time spent: Prep time: 10 Minutes Cook time: 15 Minutes Total time: 25 min

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Ingredients

200g dried penne or fusilli pasta
1 tsp olive oil
4 rashers of smoked back bacon
2 chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
10 black pitted olives, halved
12 cherry tomatoes, quartered
Handful fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped
5 spring onions, trimmed and sliced
1/2 red bell pepper, deseeded and diced
1/2 green bell pepper, deseeded and diced
1/2 medium sized cucumber, diced
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
5 tbsps mayonnaise
2 large handfuls spinach
Salt and black pepper, to taste

Instructions

Cook the pasta in a large saucepan of salted boiling water, according to packed instructions, then drain and set aside.
Heat a large frying pan until hot and add the oil.
Add the bacon and fry for 1 minute to allow the juices to release into the oil.
Add the chicken breast and stir fry for approx 8 minutes until the chicken is thoroughly cooked and the bacon is crispy.
Mix the vegetables, pasta, chicken and bacon together in a large bowl.
In a small bowl, mix the mayonnaise, lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste.
Stir the sauce into the bowl of pasta salad and serve.

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Chicken and Bacon Pasta Salad

Chicken and Bacon Pasta Salad

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Chicken and Bacon Pasta Salad

Chicken and Bacon Pasta Salad

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