Buffalo Chicken Pasta Salad

I found this on one of my favorite money saving sites, moneysavingmom.com here. She features this recipe from another wonderful blog The Willing Cook. I love Buffalo Chicken (ok, maybe the blue cheese that I can't eat is my favorite part), so I am excited to try this. I will top it with a tiny sprinkle of daiya cheese.

photo from the willingcook.com

Buffalo Chicken Pasta Salad

Ingredients

• 2 cups cooked chicken, diced (I pulled out previously cooked chicken from the freezer and thawed.)
• 8 ounces pasta of choice, gluten-free or whole wheat
• 1/4 cup bell pepper, finely diced
• 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, finely diced (regular tomatoes are fine too)
• 1/4 cup red onion, finely diced
• 1 celery rib, finely diced
• 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
• 5 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 1/2 cup cayenne pepper sauce, like Frank’s Red Hot Sauce
• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• shredded cheddar cheese (optional)

Directions:

1. Cook your pasta according to package directions to al dente.  Once cooked, rinse with cold water and pour into a large bowl.
2. While pasta is cooking, prepare the rest of your ingredients.  Dice your cooked chicken and put in bowl with pasta.  Use any kind of chicken that works for you, whether grilled, leftover roasted whole chicken, baked, etc.
3. Dice your bell pepper, tomatoes, onion, celery, cilantro.  Cook the bacon.  Pour all these ingredients into the large bowl with the chicken and pasta.
4. Season the pasta salad with kosher salt and pepper.
5. In a separate bowl, whisk together the hot sauce and olive oil.  Pour sauce over the pasta salad.  Toss gently to combine all the ingredients with the sauce.  (If cheese is allowed, add desired amount to top of pasta salad.)
6. Refrigerate pasta salad until ready to eat.  Serve with fresh fruit.  Enjoy!