Since I’ve been married there have been a ton of adjustments… The biggest being, walking into an already pre-made family. With that comes a lot of learning, fine-tuning, and grace. Because in a remarriage, there is no time to build up to making a family. You get one from the onset… And as you know with life, there is no guide book. So it has been a huge change.
And in that, one thing that has really helped me run a more smooth household is menu planning. I’m a planner in general, but this has been crucial for me, especially since I’m cooking for four now.
Keeping that in mind, I find that I always have these top 10 ingredients in my fridge and pantry. These items are ones that we love, and I use them a lot in different variations anyway. So… Bonus!
My list includes: chicken stock, different types of beans, sundried tomatoes, capers, artichoke hearts, garlic, a variety of cheeses, pesto, citrus and fresh herbs. The possibilities are endless here!
Now, let’s fast forward to how this dish came to be. One evening, as I stood in the pantry gazing over all of my options, it literally just came to me… I saw the sundried tomatoes, artichoke hearts and capers, and right then and there I knew I wanted to make a pasta salad with it.
It’s quite funny actually, but my husband credits me all the time for the ability to come up with good dishes “on the fly” just by looking in the fridge or pantry. And this is definitely one of those meals!
Mediterranean Chicken Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 1 half breast Rotisserie Chicken, chopped
- 3/4 cup Sundried Tomatoes, drained and chopped
- 1-2 tbsp Sundried Tomato Oil, reserved
- 1 cup Artichoke Hearts, drained and chopped
- 1 tbsp Capers, drained
- Feta Cheese Crumbles, to taste
- small handful Fresh Parsley, chopped or torn
- Lemon Juice
- Linguine Pasta
- Salt, to taste
- Freshly Ground Black Pepper, to taste
Instructions
- In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package directions. During this time you can prep all your other ingredients.
- In a large bowl, combine chicken, sundried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, and capers; set aside.
- Stir in hot linguine pasta, sundried tomato oil, some black pepper, and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice until well combined.
- Top off with a healthy sprinkle of feta crumbles and fresh parsley.
- Serve immediately!
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