Braised Balsamic Onion Pasta Salad
Servings
4Serving size
2 ounces pasta with 4 ounces chicken and sauceThis recipe can easily be multiplied and makes very good leftovers.
Ingredients
| 2 tsp. Olive oil |
| 4 medium White or yellow onions (thinly sliced) |
| 6 Tbsp. Balsamic vinegar |
| 1/2 cup No salt added vegetable stock (or no salt added chicken stock or water) |
| 4 quart Water |
| 8 ounce Whole Wheat Bow Tie Pasta (or gluten-free pasta) |
| 16 ounces Boneless, skinless chicken thighs (leave whole) |
| 1 medium Red bell peppers (seeded and diced) |
| 4 ounces (167 kernels) Pine nuts |
| 1/4 tsp. Salt |
| 1 dash Black pepper (to taste) |
| 3 ounce Blue cheese (crumbled) |
Instructions
Place the olive oil in a large skillet over high heat.
Add the onions and cook, stirring frequently, for about 10 minutes, until the onions begin to brown. Adjust the heat so that the onions don't burn.
Add the vinegar and vegetable broth and stir.
Cover, reduce the heat to medium, and simmer for 7 minutes. Stir occasionally. Uncover and continue cooking until the mixture is very thick (about 10 minutes). Watch the onions carefully so that they don't burn - there should still be some liquid in the onions to make a sauce for the pasta.
While the onions are cooking, place the water in a large sauce pan over high heat. When the water boils, add the pasta.
Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 15 minutes (or according to package directions) until the pasta is tender, but not mushy.
Drain and place in a large mixing bowl.
While the onions are cooking, add the chicken thighs to the skillet in the oven.
Roast for about 12 to 15 minutes. Remove the chicken to a plate and let cool for 5 minutes.
When the onions are done, add them to the bowl with the pasta and gently fold together.
Cut the cooked chicken thighs in 1/2 inch cubes, add to the bowl with the pasta, then gently fold together. Chill for at least 1 hour.
Just before serving, add the red pepper, pine nuts, pepper, salt, and blue cheese to the bowl.
Fold together gently and serve.
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Special Diet Information
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Lactose
This recipe contains cheese and some of those who are lactose intolerant may be able to tolerate it.
Recipe Notes
In this salad the combination of the briny, saltiness of the blue cheese with the sweet tang of vinegar complements the umami of the braised onions so well.
Blue cheese makes a great ingredient for adding to almost anything, especially salads. One problem is that people often use too much.
At so many restaurants there will be way too much blue cheese. It doesn’t take much to be overwhelming: just a little bit brings a lot of savory saltiness to your dish with a pungent tartness of its own.