Dried Cherry-Nut Chicken Pasta Salad

By sheilaolim

Sweetened dried cherries, toasted almonds and bow tie pasta turn ordinary chicken salad into something pretty special.

Ingredients

• Salad
• 7oz. (3 cups) uncooked bow tie pasta (farfalle)2cups diced cooked chicken breast1/2cup sliced celery1(3.53-oz.) pkg. sweetened dried cherries1/4cup slivered almonds, toasted
• Dressing
• 1/4cup white wine vinegar1/4cup apple juice3tablespoons sugar1/2teaspoon dry mustard1/2teaspoon celery salt1/4cup oil1/4cup fat-free mayonnaise2teaspoons poppy seed

Details

Servings 4

Preparation

Step 1

1 Cook pasta to desired doneness as directed on package. Drain; rinse with cold water to cool. Drain well.
2 In large bowl, combine cooked pasta, chicken, celery and cherries; mix well.
3 In blender container, combine vinegar, apple juice, sugar, dry mustard and celery salt; blend until well mixed. With blender running, slowly add oil; blend until thick. Add mayonnaise and poppy seed; blend on low speed just until mixed.
4 Pour dressing over salad; toss gently to coat. Fold in almonds.