How was everybody’s weekend? It was dreary and kinda cold here in Chicago…it has been for awhile. A warm, sunny day is way past due. One of my good friends is moving to Singapore in September so she threw a party on Saturday to celebrate. She hosted a pig roast…this was a definite first for me. As we were driving to her house it was pouring rain and I was wondering how the heck Catherine and Glen would roast a pig in this weather. Of course I was imagining a huge pig rotating around on a spit. I’m so naive! We live in Chicago…we have tiny balconies, not yards! Catherine picked up a whole (already cooked) pig in Chinatown, Glen carved it and we all pigged out!
How does this relate to our Chicken Salad Stuffed Shells? Well, it doesn’t. But if it weren’t for Catherine broadening my horizons I would always stick to chicken. And that wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing because these Chicken Salad Stuffed Shells are delish!
Giada made Chicken Salad Stuffed Shells similar to these a few weeks ago and I immediately mentioned to Kara that we needed to try. At first I thought I’d need to convince her since she’s not a chicken salad girl…but she was into it and we tried them out a few weeks ago. We’ve now made them twice and are planning on making them a third time this weekend. That’s how good they are! And they’re good as an appetizer, a main dish or even as leftovers!
Here’s what you’ll need
In a large bowl, combine chicken, olives, arugula, almonds, gorgonzola, cucumber and celery
In another bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients
Add half the dressing and toss together. Add more dressing, if needed
Put a spoonful or two inside each cooked shell
Drizzle the tops with any remaining dressing and garnish with lemon wedges
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Yield: 3-4 servings
Ingredients
12 jumbo pasta shells
1 cup baby arugula
½ cup crumbled gorgonzola cheese
8 kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
1 cooked chicken breast, cut into small pieces (yield 1 cup)
½ cup celery, chopped
½ cup cucumber, peeled and chopped
¼ cup slivered almonds
For the Dressing:
2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons lemon juice
¼ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
1/3 cup olive oil
Directions
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta shells and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender but al dente. Drain and cool.
While the shells are cooking, prepare the dressing. Combine vinegar, lemon juice, salt, pepper and garlic in a small bowl. Gradually add the oil, whisking until the dressing has thickened. Set aside.
In a large bowl, combine arugula, gorgonzola, olives, almonds, chicken, celery and cucumber. Add half the dressing to the salad and toss to coat. Add more dressing, if needed.
Using a spoon, fill the pasta shells with the chicken salad filling. Arrange shells on a platter and drizzle the remaining dressing lightly on top. Serve with lemon wedges on the side, if desired.
Source: heavily adapted from Giada de Laurentiis
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