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BBQ Chicken Chopped Pasta Salad

Homemade barbecue sauce, grilled chicken, and veggie-packed pasta salad make this a perfect summer meal, and ideal for leftovers or meal prep!
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes

Ingredients
  

  • For the Sauce½ cup ketchup
  • ¼ cup brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tablespoon Balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • cayenne pepper to taste
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • For the Salad½ pound short cut pasta
  • 1 pound thin cut chicken breasts or tenderloins
  • ½ cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
  • ½ cup chopped cucumber
  • 1 bell pepper chopped
  • 3 scallions thinly sliced
  • ¼ cup chopped cilantro leaves
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • juice of ½ small lemon
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions
 

  • For the BBQ sauce, combine all the ingredients in a small skillet. Bring the pan to medium heat until the sauce bubbles; stir to combine everything. Let the sauce bubble gently for 4 minutes, then turn off the heat. Taste, and adjust the seasonings to your preference. Let cool while you prepare the rest of the salad.
  • For the salad, cook the pasta to al dente per the package directions and let cool while you cook the chicken and prep the veggies. For the chicken, preheat a large skillet to medium-high heat with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Cook the chicken for about 4 minutes on each side until browned and cooked through, then drizzle 2 tablespoons of the sauce into the skillet. Toss the chicken in the sauce for 1 minute, then remove to a plate. Add the corn kernels to the same skillet and toss in the chicken drippings for 3 minutes until slightly charred, then turn off the heat and let the corn cool.
  • To assemble, cube the chicken. Drizzle the olive oil and lemon juice over the pasta, then toss with the veggies and herbs. Serve the pasta veggie mixture topped with a heap of chicken and extra sauce. Enjoy!

Notes

Feel free to broil or grill the chicken - any way you enjoy cooking chicken is fine!
For meal prep, I'd store the chicken/sauce and pasta salad separately, then combine right before eating. 
Speed this up with your favorite bottled barbecue sauce and/or leftover chicken!
Tried this recipe?Let me know how it was!