Sesame Chicken Pasta Salad

This is a pasta salad that I made a long time ago. Before I really got into cooking. I found this recipe on All Recipes, and I took it to a party of my then-boyfriend, now-husband’s co-workers. And…no one ate it. Well, I did. And of course my “trying to impress” boyfriend did. But no one else did, and that still stings a little. But I actually really enjoyed it, so I made it again this weekend, 8 years later, for one of my own parties. And I can’t say that I set it out with much confidence, but that all changed when everyone started complimenting it. And eating it. In fact, by the time the night was over there was none left at all. So I’m not sure what was wrong with that first group of people, but clearly they don’t know what’s up! This is a fairly simple pasta salad to make, but it’s got a lot of great flavor, and it’s definitely different from your traditional summer pasta salads. Don’t be like that first party—try it!

1 (16 ounce) package bow tie pasta

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/3 cup light soy sauce

1/3 cup rice vinegar

2 teaspoon sesame oil

3 tablespoons white sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

3 cups shredded, cooked chicken breast

1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1/3 cup chopped green onion

One thing to note right off the bat. I generally have to make a second batch of the sauce. The pasta and chicken just really suck it up. So usually, I make it as directed and let it spend the night in the fridge. In the morning I stir it up and test it, and almost always end up making another half batch of the sauce to add in. I definitely recommend making it ahead of time since the sauce really needs to get into the pasta and chicken to hold on to that flavor.

Boil your chicken breasts and shred them first. At the same time, you can boil your farfalle (bowtie) pasta to al dente. Rinse it under cold water to cool and put in a large bowl or Tupperware. In a jar or a Tupperware container (something that you can tightly close) mix the vegetable oil, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, sugar, ginger, and black pepper. Close the lid (tightly!) and shake the dickens out of it. Then pour it over the pasta and mix in the chicken, cilantro and green onion. Let it sit in the fridge overnight and then assess the flavor. If it seems a little bland or dry, make another half batch of sauce and pour it in. Let it sit for another fifteen minutes at least before serving.