Easter weekend is just a few days away, and I don’t even have a menu planned out yet! Is that just shameful? :0)

How many of you are cooking and feel ready for the Easter feast this year? Well I know one recipe that is for sure on our menu now; Chicken Bow Tie Pasta Salad with poppy seed dressing.

This salad has got it all; tender chicken, pasta, almonds, cheddar cheese, craisins, mandarin oranges, crunchy romaine lettuce and poppy seed dressing brings it all together. And it’s quick and easy to assemble, so less stress right? It makes like a gazillion servings too, I mean you’ll be busting out the biggest mixing bowl you’ve got for this recipe. If you have many mouths to feed, this salad will satisfy them all. It’s a great recipe for potlucks as well, and you will have people asking for this recipe. Just FYI :0)

The pasta in this recipe gets an extra flavor boost by cooking in the poaching liquid that is left over from the chicken. You’ll just add some extra water to it so there’s enough for the whole box of Farfalle. Waste not want not, right? I love a recipe like this that doesn’t let extra flavor go down the drain. Anyway it’s a fun trick to making this salad even more yummy.

My friend Shannon brought my family a bowl of this salad one evening shortly after we lost mom to cancer last October. Our fellow church members were just phenomenal in all the support they gave me and my family during that time. We had meals for at least two weeks, probably more. And it was such a blessing, since I sure didn’t feel like cooking and we were busy making preparations for the funeral. I was introduced to some amazing recipes, and I wanted to say thanks by featuring them here on my blog! I hope you give this recipe for Chicken Bow Tie Pasta Salad a try, and as always leave me a comment below :0)

Chicken Bowtie Pasta Salad

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• Author: Emily
• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Yield: 10 1x

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Ingredients

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• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1 chicken or vegetable bullion cube
• 1 box of Farfalle pasta (bow tie pasta)
• 1 5oz. bag of dried cranberries (Craisins)
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds
• 6 cups of chopped Romaine lettuce
• 1 15 oz can mandarin orange slices
• 1 small bag of shredded cheddar cheese (2 cups)
• 3/4 cup poppy seed salad dressing

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Instructions

1. Fill a large pot with 8 cups (2 quarts) of water. Place chicken and bullion cube in and set to medium high heat. Boil for 10-50 minutes, or until temperature in the center of meat registers 165 degrees. Remove the chicken, but do not discard poaching liquid. Add another 8 cups of water to poaching liquid (pour into a larger pot if needed) and bring to a boil over high heat. Stir in the Farfalle pasta and boil for 11 minutes until al dente. Drain pasta and set aside to cool.
2. In a large mixing bowl, add the almonds, lettuce, whole can of oranges, and entire package of cheese.
3. Empty the bag of dried cranberries into a microwave safe container and add enough water to cover the fruit. Microwave for about 2 minutes to soften. Drain and add the cranberries to the large mixing bowl with the rest of the salad ingredients.
4. With two forks, shred the chicken and add to the bowl. Add the pasta and salad dressing and toss to combine. Chill for at least one hour before serving.

• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook Time: 25 minutes
• Category: Salad
• Cuisine: American