BBQ Chicken Pasta Salad

This BBQ Chicken Pasta Salad is perfect for everything from dinner on a hot night to a summer picnic or cookout. It’s packed with protein, fiber, and vegetables and can be made ahead of time!

Thanks to Dreamfields for sponsoring this post. 

Hi friends!

I’m excited to share this BBQ Chicken Pasta Salad with you guys today, just in time for your Memorial Day cookout! I think it’s best eaten cold, which makes it the perfect option for prepping ahead of time so you have one less thing to stress about on a busy day.

To make this pasta salad, I teamed up with Dreamfields to help introduce you guys to a fun summer event they’re hosting called #Pastapalooza2018! For the next six weeks, from Memorial Day until 4th of July, Dreamfields will be sharing delicious summer pasta blockbuster recipes, hosting exciting weekly giveaways (including a Grand prize of a year’s supply of pasta and a $1,000 VISA gift card), sharing coupons, and basically making summer more fun!

If you haven’t heard of Dreamfields, their pasta is made with premium durum wheat semolina and a blend of fiber and plant proteins that offers 5g fiber and 7g plant protein per serving! It also provides prebiotic fiber which aids in healthy digestion, all with the taste and texture of regular pasta!

When they asked me to create a recipe showcasing their pasta, this BBQ chicken pasta immediately came to mind. I don’t know about you, but for me, pasta salad basically screams summer. I love that you can make it ahead of time, throw in all your favorite veggies, add a flavorful sauce and boom! A healthy, flavorful dinner or side dish is born.

Here’s how you make it:

BBQ Chicken Pasta Salad

Print Recipe

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4 from 1 review

 

• Author: Lindsay
• Prep Time: 10 min
• Cook Time: 15 min
• Total Time: 25 minutes
• Yield: serves 8

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 box (13.25 oz) Dreamfields rotini pasta (uncooked)
• 2 Tbsp avocado oil (or olive oil)
• 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, diced
• 2 tsp cumin
• 2 tsp paprika
• 1 cup diced red onion (or white onion)
• 2 cups diced bell pepper (red, orange or yellow)
• 1.5 cups fresh or frozen corn kernals
• 1.5 cups cherry tomatoes, quartered
• 1 cup no-salt-added black beans, drained
• 2/3 cup BBQ sauce
• 2 medium avocado (approx 1 pound)
• 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice (1 medium lime)
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• fresh cilantro to garnish, optional

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Instructions

1. Cook Dreamfields pasta according to package directions. 
2. While Dreamfields pasta is cooking, heat avocado oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. 
3. Add diced chicken, cumin, paprika, onion, and peppers and cook 5-6 minutes, stirring frequently.
4. Add corn, tomatoes, and black beans and cook an additional 5-6 minutes until chicken is cooked to 165 degrees F (stack several cubes of chicken and pierce with a thermometer to register temperature).
5. Transfer chicken mixture to a large bowl. Add BBQ sauce and mix well. 
6. Stir in cooked, drained pasta and stir to combine. 
7. In a small bowl, scoop avocado out of shell, remove pit and mash with a fork. Add lime juice and salt and stir to combine. 
8. After chicken and pasta mixture cools at least 20 minutes (or just before serving), stir guacamole into pasta mixture. 
9. Garnish with fresh cilantro if desired. 
10. Optional: Mix some minced fresh cilantro into guacamole before adding to pasta mixture and drizzle with additional bbq sauce if desired.

Notes

This BBQ Chicken Pasta Salad is perfect for everything from dinner on a hot night to a summer picnic or cookout. It’s packed with protein, fiber, and vegetables and can be made ahead of time!

Pretty easy, right? This would also be great to make for dinner and then you’ll have leftovers to pack for lunch all week long!

Be sure to follow Dreamfields on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest and enter to win some great prizes during #Pastapalooza2018.

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

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