The Most Delicious Chicken Pasta Salad

I may be a little bold in making the title of this post “The Most Delicious” but trust me, this chicken pasta salad recipe is really out of this world. The grapes, dill weed, blanched asparagus and shredded fresh parmesan take this salad to a whole new level of pasta salad wonderful-ness.

I can’t take full credit for the recipe.  It was inspired by a D’Amico Brothers restaurant that use to be in downtown Minneapolis called “Toulouse” that served this amazing pasta salad. Sadly {and yes, oddly}, I ate this pasta salad almost daily for close to five years when I use to work downtown with the goal of trying to copy figure out this recipe. After a couple years of tweaking and trying to guess each ingredient and seasonings, I finally got the recipe to my satisfaction.  Of course, it’s not identical to the original recipe but it sure tastes pretty darn close!

So let’s jump right in to the recipe!!

Toulouse Chicken Pasta Salad

Serves; 6 (double if you are making for a larger group and want some extra for yourself)

Ingredients;

2 1/2(two and a half) Cups of uncooked Penne Pasta
Small store bought rotisserie chicken shredded into small pieces (Makes all of the
difference using a rotisserie chicken because of the flavoring) Or 3 boiled and shredded chicken breasts.
Half of a bundle of asparagus
2 cups of sliced purple seedless grapes (slice in half)
6 oz of Shredded Parmesan Cheese (I usually pick up pre-shredded, not grated)
1 Cup Mayo (Real Mayonnaise) *** I like my pasta salad really creamy with a lot of dressing. Reduce Mayo to 3/4th cup or even 1/2 cup if you do not care for a lot of dressing
1/2 Cup Sour Cream
3 teaspoons of dill weed seasoning
1 teaspoons salt (taste at the end and add more to your liking)
2 teaspoons lemon pepper (taste at the end and add more to your liking)
1 teaspoon garlic salt
Ground pepper to taste

Keep in mind that you can adjust this recipe and seasonings to your taste. I love a lot of salt in my pasta salad, so I add more at the end. Also, Toulouse served this recipe with finely diced purple onions but I felt like the onions were too much but if you love onions, you would probably love it.

Directions;

1) Boil the pasta al dente and drain- I add a teaspoon of olive oil to my water and it helps to keep the pasta from sticking together when it’s drained and cooled ***Hint** Run cold water over your pasta and toss with ice cubes in the colander to get the pasta cold and it won’t take as long to “chill” your salad to eat.

2) I pat dry my pasta with a paper towel after I have drained it because the pasta is creamier when the pasta is completely dry:

3) Add the Mayo, sour cream and all seasonings and mix well. I use a large wooden spoon to mix the salad.

4) Add the shredded chicken and 2/3rds of the the Parmesan and mix (save the rest for the top pf the salad).

5) Cut the bottom ends of the asparagus off (about an inch off of the ends and toss) and then cut the rest into bit size pieces. Blanch (boil for exactly two minutes) and then drain and immediately submerge pieces into a ice water bath and let sit for two minutes. This makes the asparagus crispy. Pat dry the blanched asparagus and mix into the salad.

6) Add the sliced grapes and finish mixing.

7) Taste and add any additional salt, pepper or dill to your liking

8) Chill for at least 2-3 hours and serve by adding the rest of the Parmesan to the top of the salad.

This recipe is a great basic chicken pasta salad as well.  You can easily add or take away ingredients.  The salad is good for several days but I always freshen it up by adding a little more Mayo before we eat it a day or two later.

I created a printable of the recipe to make it easier to print and you can go to the printable file by clicking directly below:

Printable Recipe- Toulouse Chicken Pasta Salad

I hope you have a wonderful week and I’ll be back for Friday Favorites.  If you missed last week’s Friday Favorites “Great Ideas for Getting Organized” you can go to it by clicking the picture below:

Cheers!

Cyndy

The Most Delicious Chicken Pasta Salad

Inspired by the D'Amico Brothers restaurants, this chicken pasta salad recipe is one of the most delicious pasta salads and is easy to make. 

Print Pin Rate

Course: Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Chicken, Chicken Pasta Salad, Side Dish

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Chilling Time: 2 hours

Total Time: 2 hours 25 minutes

Servings: 8

Calories: 597kcal

Author: Cyndy

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups uncooked penne pasta
• 1 small store bought rotisserie chicken shredded
• 1/2 bundle asparagus
• 2 cups purple seedless grapes sliced in half
• 6 oz parmesan cheese shredded
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 3 tsp dill weed seasoning
• 1 tsp lemon pepper seasoning
• 1 tsp garlic salt
• 1 tsp salt to taste
• 1 tsp pepper to taste

Instructions

• Boil the pasta al dente and drain, then pat pasta dry with a paper towel *
• Add the mayo, sour cream and all seasonings to the pasta and mix well.
• Add the shredded chicken and 2/3rds of the the Parmesan and mix well.
• Cut the bottom ends of the asparagus off (about an inch off of the ends and toss) and then cut the rest into bit size pieces. Blanch (boil for exactly two minutes) and then drain and immediately submerge pieces into a ice water bath and let sit for two minutes. Drain and pat dry.
• Add the asparagus and sliced grapes into the salad and mix well.
• Add any additional salt and pepper to your liking.
• Chill for at least 2-3 hours and serve by adding the rest of the Parmesan to the top of the salad.

Notes

1. Adding a teaspoon of olive oil to the water when boiling will help to keep the pasta from sticking together when it’s drained and cooled.
2. Run cold water over your pasta and toss with ice cubes in the colander to get the pasta cold and it won’t take as long to “chill” your salad to eat.

Nutrition

Calories: 597kcal | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 34g | Fat: 36g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 106mg | Sodium: 1375mg | Potassium: 203mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 305IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 284mg | Iron: 1mg