Chicken Caprese Tortellini Salad

Summer is in full swing and it’s hotter than hello here in East Texas. We live off of cold salads in the summer and today’s recipe is something I had in my mind for a couple of years but just haven’t found the right time to make until this last week.

We love caprese salads and pretty much eat them every night in the summer but I was wondering how it would taste in a pasta salad. Fresh mozzarella, fresh basil, cherub tomatoes, rotisserie chicken and a balsamic dressing tossed in along with some cheese tortellini, are all my favorites. This salad turned out so good!! I think next time, I’ll toss in some marinated olives (pitted) too and maybe some cubed salami and see what’s like as sort of antipasto salad. I could instantly tell that this will be a staple recipe for us.

Below is the recipe but this ratio is rather large because I like to make bigger batches that we can nimble on for several days.  If it’s too much for you, you can cut the recipe in half.

Chicken Caprese Tortellini Salad (serves 6-8 dinner size)

Ingredients;

1-16oz. Box/package of Cheese Tortellini-Cooked Al Dente
2 Cups Shredded Rotisserie Chicken
1 LB Fresh Mozzarella Cut Into Small Cubes
1/2 Cup Fresh Basil Washed and Finely Sliced (very fine)
1 Cup Balsamic Dressing (I used Litehouse but any balsamic would work)
1/4 Cup Balsamic Vinegar
1/2 Cup Shaved or Shredded Parmesan Cheese (adds that extra umph)
1-10.5 oz. Cherub Salad Tomatoes- Sliced in Half
1 teaspoon Garlic Salt
2 teaspoons Fresh Cracked Ground Pepper

Mix the cooled tortellini with the dressing and balsamic vinegar until all of the tortellini is covered. Next, fold in all of the rest of the ingredients and gently fold in until salad is completely mixed. Chill for at least two hours before eating so the tortellini can absorb the flavors. Top with parmesan cheese to serve.

Cheers!

Cyndy