Radiatore With Chicken and Gorgonzola
6 servings
For locals,D’Amico &Sons has a wonderful pasta salad and this is my attempt to recreate it. To save time you can buy a good buttermilk- ranch style- dressing- usually found refrigerated in the produce department.
2 large bone-in and skin on chicken breasts
1 # radiatore pasta,cooked al dente drained and rinsed.
6 thick slices of bacon cooked and torn into bite size
1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes (not packed in oil) torn into bits
1 loose cup baby spinach rinsed and dried
1 cup gorgonzola cheese crumbled
1 cup buttermilk dressing
Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Salt and pepper the chicken and place in a shallow roasting pan. Bake uncovered for about 40-45 minutes until chicken is done. Let the chicken rest and cool some for easier handling.
Assemble the salad : In a large bowl add the pasta, chicken, bacon, tomatoes, baby spinach and the gorgonzola cheese ( reserve some for the top) Toss with the dressing.
Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle a little gorgonzola and bacon bits on top. Refrigerate and let it cool down and let the flavors mingle for a few hours.
BUTTERMILK SALAD DRESSING
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 T olive oil
2 T lemon juice
1 T snipped chives
kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper
Whisk everything together in a bowl. Adjust for seasoning
