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    Home / Recipes / Main Dishes / Chicken Recipes

    Asparagus Chicken Salad with Pecans

    Jump to Recipe

    This fresh pasta salad with asparagus, chicken, and pecans is a delicious way to use fresh asparagus. It can be served hot or cold.

    Asparagus Chicken Salad on a green and white plate.

    Jump to:
    • ⏲️ Time needed
    • 🥘 Ingredients
    • 🍲 Adaptations for dietary restrictions
    • 📋 Instructions
    • 💭 Tips
    • 📖 Recipe
    • 📌 Pin this recipe

    ⏲️ Time needed

    Asparagus Chicken Salad with Pecans only takes about 35 minutes on the stovetop.

    🥘 Ingredients

    • penne pasta
    • olive oil
    • minced garlic
    • red bell pepper
    • asparagus
    • chicken broth
    • fresh basil
    • salt & pepper
    • butter
    • cooked chicken breast
    • Parmesan cheese
    • pecans

    🍲 Adaptations for dietary restrictions

    Vegetarian option

    Substitute vegetable broth for the chicken broth. You can either simply omit the chicken altogether, increasing the amount of asparagus and red pepper, or substitute a can of rinsed cannellini beans for the chicken.

    📋 Instructions

    Cook pasta according to package directions and drain.

    While pasta is cooking, heat oil in a large pot over medium heat and sauté the garlic, red pepper, and asparagus.

    Add the broth and bring to a boil; simmer until vegetables begin to soften.

    Add the basil, salt, pepper, butter, and cooked chicken. Cook until chicken is heated through.

    Add the pasta, Parmesan cheese, and pecans, mix thoroughly, and serve immediately.

    💭 Tips

    When choosing asparagus, always look for small stalks. Large asparagus stalks can be woody and will not have the same flavor as small tender stalks.

    Prepare the asparagus by rinsing it under running water, then holding it with both hands and snapping off the tough end. Try to hold it so that the hand on the tip side is closer to the center of the stalk and the hand on the cut end is close to the end of the stalk. Bring your hands down and toward each other, and the stalk will snap just where it starts to get tough at the end.

    To easily chop fresh basil, roll the leaves up tightly together and slice starting at one end of the roll and working your way across. For smaller pieces, continue by chopping crosswise.

    📖 Recipe

    Asparagus Chicken Salad on a green and white plate.

    Asparagus Chicken Salad with Pecans

    4.50 from 2 votes
    This fresh pasta salad with asparagus, chicken, and pecans is a delicious way to use fresh asparagus. It can be served hot or cold and only takes about 35 minutes on the stovetop.
    AuthorAuthor: Mary Ann
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    Prep Time 15 minutes mins
    Cook Time 20 minutes mins
    Total Time 35 minutes mins
    Course Main Dish
    Cuisine American
    Servings 8 servings
    Calories 453

    Ingredients
      

    • 16 oz. penne pasta
    • 1 Tbsp. olive oil
    • 1 tsp. garlic, minced
    • 1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
    • 1 bunch asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1" pieces
    • 1 cup chicken broth
    • ¼ cup fresh basil, chopped
    • salt, to taste
    • ½ tsp. pepper
    • ¼ cup butter
    • 1 lb. chicken breast, cooked & cubed (from freezer)
    • 1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
    • ½ cup pecans, chopped
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    Instructions

    • Cook pasta according to package directions and drain.
    • While pasta is cooking, heat oil in a large pot over medium heat and sauté the garlic, red pepper, and asparagus.
    • Add the broth and bring to a boil; simmer until vegetables begin to soften.
    • Add the basil, salt, pepper, butter, and cooked chicken. Cook until chicken is heated through.
    • Add cooked, drained pasta, Parmesan cheese, and pecans. Mix thoroughly and serve immediately.

    Notes

    • Before chopping the asparagus, prepare it by rinsing it under running water, then holding it with both hands and snapping off the tough end. Hold the stalk so that the hand on the tip end is closer to the center of the stalk and the hand on the cut end is close to the end of the stalk. Bring your hands down and toward each other, and the stalk will snap just where it starts to get tough at the end.
    • To easily chop fresh basil, roll the leaves up together and slice starting at one end of the roll and working your way across. For smaller pieces, continue by chopping crosswise.
    • Vegetarian option
      Substitute vegetable broth for the chicken broth. You can either simply omit the chicken altogether, increasing the amount of asparagus and red pepper, or substitute a can of rinsed cannellini beans for the chicken.

    Nutrition per serving

    Calories: 453 calCarbohydrates: 47 gProtein: 26 gFat: 17 gSodium: 668 mgFiber: 3 gSugar: 3 g

    📌 Pin this recipe

    Asparagus Chicken Salad on a green and white plate; text Asparagus Chicken Salad with Pecans - Add Salt & Serve logo

     

    Asparagus Chicken Salad on a green and white plate; text Asparagus Chicken Salad with Pecans - Add Salt & Serve logo
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    Posted by Mary Ann on April 30, 2019; Updated on November 12, 2020Filed Under: Chicken Recipes, Main Dish Salads, Pasta Recipes, Recipes Using Cooked Chicken, Recipes Using Grilled Chicken, Recipes Using Leftover Roast Chicken, Vegetarian (or Vegetarian Option) Recipes

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    Mary Ann Kelley

    Hi there! I'm Mary Ann Kelley, and I'm the food blogger/meal planner here at Add Salt & Serve. Read more

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    Asparagus Chicken Salad on a green and white plate; text Asparagus Chicken Salad with Pecans - Add Salt & Serve logo