FB Foodie Friday - Grilled Chicken and Pasta Salad

A Light Dinner for Nicer Weather

Hi everyone, FB Hubby is back again with another $15 FB Dinner Challenge, grilled chicken and pasta salad. It looks like winter has finally decided to leave us. I don't know about you, but this one was a particularly long and hard one. My only hope is that summer does not come rushing in. There is nothing like New York in spring, it is certainly something to enjoy. Even as I type this, the windows are open all around the house. So when the weather starts to warm up, I like to move to some lighter meals. It also helps with undoing any weight damage the winter has done to me. The other thing I like to do is a lot more on the grill. Grilling just makes me feel like all the food is better. This grilled chicken and pasta salad certainly fits the bill.

One Ingredient Goes a Long Way

I always like when one main ingredient can be used across more than one part of a meal. So this week, the ingredient is (imagine a big drum roll), House Italian Dressing. (OK, so maybe the drum roll was a bit much). Now I know some of your are thinking, "FB Hubby, you always use such a variety of ingredients, this seems too simple." Well, sometimes simple can be both tasty, and financially fit. I am not totally sure how I started making both of these items the way I do. I think that it dates back to my early days of teaching when a lack of both ingredient and money led to this great tasting combination.

Why House Italian Dressing?

One of the tricky parts about grilling a chicken breast is the thickness. Not done correctly, and you have some really dry chicken. That is where a marinade comes in handy. House Italian dressing makes for a great combination of oil and spices for a really great marinade, and helps keep the chicken flavored while grilling or cooking. Using the thin sliced chicken breasts cooked for a short time also prevents drying out. As for the pasta salad, I really like how the House Italian dressing gives it a much lighter taste than typical mayonnaise based pasta salads. Plus you can add any fresh veggies that you like and it will taste great. As for the costs:1 lb Thin sliced, boneless, chicken breasts - $4.501 Box Rotini - $1.001 Red bell pepper - $1.251 Green bell pepper - $1.00Scallions - $1.001 Red onion - $0.751 Can sliced black olives - $1.251 Bottle House Italian Dressing - $3.50Total - $14.25I like to add some sliced pepperoni or salami if I have it in the fridge. Enjoy!!Here is a link to the recipe!