Chicken & Citrus Pasta Salad

By Nana_CAM

A basil-citrus pasta salad made with corkscreew-shaped rotini accompanies naturally lean chicken breasts and sliced oranges.

Ingredients

• 2 *2 large oranges about l lb.
• *Citrus Pasta Salad (recipe follows)
• *Orange Cream (recipe follows)
• 1/4 *1/4 cup (60 g) orange marmalade
• 1 *1 teaspoon prepared horseradish
• 6 *6 skinnless, boneless chicken breast halves (about 1 1/2 lbs.)
• 2 *2 large blood oranges (about 10 oz.) or 1 small pink grapefruit (about 6 oz.)
• 2 *2 medium-size avocados (about 1 lb.) optional
• 2 *2 tablespoons lemon juice (optional)
• *Basil sprigs
• *Finely shredded orange peel

Details

Servings 6

Preparation

Step 1

*1.* Grate 4 teaspoons peel from oranges. Prepare Citrus Pasta Salad and Orange Cream, using grated peel; cover and refrigerate.

*"Citrus Pasta Salad"*, Bring 12 cups water to a boil and in a 5 to 6 quart pan over medium-high heat. Stir in 12 ounces (about 5 cups)*dried rotini* or other corkscrew-shaped pasta. Cook just until tender to bite (8 to 10 minutes); or cook acording to package directions. Drain, rinse with cold water until cool, and drain well.
In a large nonmetal bowl, combine 1 tablespoon grated *orange peel;* 1/4 cup *orange juice;* 1 small *orange*, peeled and coarsely chopped; 3 tablespoons *white wine vinegar* or distilled white vinegar; 3 tablespoons chopped *fresh basil;* 1 tablespoon "each" *honey* and *Dijon mustard;* 1 1/2 teaspoons *ground cumin;* and 1 fresh *jalapeno chile*, seeded and finely chopped. Mix until blended. Add pasta and mix thoroughly but gently. Cover and refrigerate unil cool (at least 30 minutes) or for up to 4 hours; stir occasionally. Just before serving, stir in 1/4 cup chopped *parsley* and 2 or 3 cloves *garlic*, minced or pressed.

*"Orange Cream"* In a small nonmetal bowl, combine 1 cup *nonfat* or *reduced-fat sour cream*, 3 tablespoons *orange marmalade*, 2 teaspoons *prepared horseradish*, and 1 teaspoon grated *orange peel*. Mix until blended. Season to taste with *ground white pepper*. If made adhead, cover and refrigerate for up to a day. Stir before serving. Makes about 1 1/4 cups.

*2.* Mix marmalade and horseradish in a large bowl. Add chicken and stir to coat. Place chicken in a lightly oiled 10- by 15-inch baking pan. Bake in a 450 degree oven until meat in thickest part to no longer pink; cut to test (12 to 15 minutes). Let cool. Meanwhile, cut peel and white membrane from oranges and blood oranges; slice fruit crosswise into rounds 1/4 inch thick. (For grapefruit, cut segments from membrane; discard membrane).

*3.* Arrange pastas salad and chicken on a platter. Place fruit around edge. If desired, pit, peel, and slice avocados; coat with lemon juice and place on platter. Garnish with basil sprigs and shredded orange peel. Offer Orange Cream to add to taste.