Za'atar Chicken Pasta Salad

• servings: 2-3
• active time: 30 minutes
• total time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

225 g (½ lb) chicken breast, salted (sliced in half if pieces are too thick)

Dressing

50 g extra virgin olive oil

50 g vinegar (white, rice, w/e you want)

10 g za’atar (a spoonful)

5 g dried oregano (a spoonful)

5 g red pepper flakes (a spoonful, I really like aleppo pepper here)

112 g dry short pasta of choice (like orzo, elbows, etc)

75 g cooked chickpeas (just drain liquid if using canned)

30 g parmesan, grated

30 g arugula

30 g tomatoes, chopped

15 g red onions, thinly sliced (or pickled red onions)

15 g pepperoncini peppers, chopped

1 spoonful pickled mustard seeds

Salt

Directions

Take your chicken breasts out of the fridge and salt them on both sides thoroughly, then set on a plate for a few minutes. Add water to a large pot and put it over high heat on the stove to boil. Add some neutral high heat oil, then the salted chicken into the pan when it’s sufficiently heated.

Add the pasta when the water is ready, and monitor the cooking progress of both the pasta and chicken while you gather all the other ingredients.

Weigh and add all the remaining non-dressing components into one large bowl as you go. Drain the pasta once it’s done cooking, then add it in. Chop the chicken into bite sized chunks and add that in too, including the resting juices.

Combine the dressing ingredients in a cup or bowl, then add it to taste and toss everything together. Serve warm or cold and enjoy!

Notes

A flavorful, filling, and pretty healthy meal. The acidic ingredients like the vinegar and tomatoes balance the bitterness of the arugula and olive oil. I usually double this recipe and eat it all throughout the week. This also comes together fairly quickly, but there are a lot of ingredients to prep during the time your chicken sears and pasta boils.