Sesame Chicken Pasta Salad

This recipe is from allrecipes.com, an easy recipe that can use any left over meats and vegetables.

I just made this for our lunch today, and it's definitely a keeper for us.

Though the recipe does not list too many vegetables, I added red bell pepper and red onion to it.

Any other vegetables would be fine. I would definitely use tomato and avocado next time.

I only used half box of the pasta with 1 piece of chicken, but made the sauce according to the recipe. And I've used more than half of the sauce for the amount of pasta and chicken I used.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup sesame seeds
• 1 (16 ounce) package bow tie pasta [ I used fusilli instead, and 1/2 box]
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup light soy sauce
• 1/3 cup rice vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 3 tablespoons white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 3 cups shredded, cooked chicken breast meat [I used 1 chicken breast]
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/3 cup chopped green onion

Directions

1. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add sesame seeds, and cook stirring frequently until lightly toasted. Remove from heat, and set aside. [ If you buy or have roasted sesame seeds, you won't need this process.]
2. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta, and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, or until al dente. Drain pasta, and rinse under cold water until cool. Transfer to a large bowl.
3. In a jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine vegetable oil, soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, sugar, sesame seeds, ginger, and pepper. Shake well.
4. Pour sesame dressing over pasta, and toss to coat evenly. Gently mix in chicken, cilantro, and green onions.

    http://allrecipes.com/recipe/sesame-pasta-chicken-salad/detail.aspx