In a small bowl, whisk all ingredients together until dressing is well combined and smooth.
In a large skillet bring I inch of water to a boil. Add asparagus (1 bunch) pieces and cook for about 3 minutes, or until still a little crunchy. Drain and rinse with cold water. Cool to room temperature.
In a large bowl combine all ingredients and add dressing and toss well. Chill for 4 hours. Toss salad. Add 2-4 tablespoons of olive oil, as needed, if the dressing has been absorbed into the pasta. Serve.
Notes
Chicken: This chicken pasta salad calls for about 4 cups of cooked chicken which is equal to a whole young chicken or 4-5 breasts. Feel free to cook your own or use leftovers from last night’s grill.
Grilled chicken adds layers of succulent flavor to your pasta salad recipe. I actually love using rotisserie chicken for this recipe but if you’re short on time canned chicken works just fine. See… versatile!
Pasta: It also calls for farfalle pasta, otherwise known as the fun and playful bowtie. Bowtie pasta works great for this chicken pasta salad because there is plenty of valuable real estate to soak up all that yummy dressing, but rigatoni, rotini, and penne work well, too.
Veggies. You’ll want to julienne your herbs and veggies (except for asparagus) both for aesthetics and flavor. It adds an incredible visual appeal to your already beautiful chicken pasta salad. Chopping all the veggies and herbs approximately the same size also helps ensure that you get a myriad of textures in every tangy bite!
Dressing: It also helps to make the dressing first in the largest mixing bowl you have. This recipe feeds 12 people, so it makes quite a bit. Set it aside while cooking the pasta and the asparagus.