STRASBURG, Ohio — Chef Sherry Schie is passionate about cooking and is always coming up with new recipes at her Strasburg , Ohio restaurant ‘Shy Cellars’.
When it comes to pasta salads that are easy to make and perfect for light summer dining, Sherry loves this Cajun Chicken Pasta Salad. She shared the recipe with Fox 8’s Wayne Dawson and says that even though this recipe is on the light side — the dish packs a huge wallop of flavor and your guests will think you worked on it all day long.
Click here to learn more about Sherry’s restaurant Shy Cellars.
Cajun Chicken Pasta Salad
3 cups bow tie style pasta, cooked according to package directions
Cook and drain pasta. Set aside to cool. Make sure you drizzle a little olive oil on the pasta to keep it from sticking.
6 cups mixed greens such as lettuce, spinach, kale, etc
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup pine nuts or walnuts
6-7 leaves of chopped fresh herbs such as basil, parsley, rosemary,etc
1 large roasted red pepper, chopped
1/2 cup marinated artichoke hearts, chopped
3/4 cup goat cheese
Combine all the above ingredients in a large bowl and set aside.
Blackened Cajun Chicken Breasts
2 chicken breasts without bone
1/4 cup cajun spice
Coat chicken breasts with a little olive oil and roll in Cajun spices. Grill approximately 6-8 minutes perside. Remove from heat, cut into bite-size pieces and set aside.
Dressing
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1/8 teaspoon salt (sea salt or kosher)
1 tablespoon sugar
Fresh ground pepper to taste
Note: You may use dried or fresh herbs
Mix all of the above ingredients in a bowl and set aside.
In a large bowl, combine salad, cooked & cooled pasta, cooked chicken and toss with dressing.
This dish is so easy and tastes so good your family and friends will think you worked all day making it.
