Grilled Chicken & Pasta Salad

My friend Julie passed on this recipe to me, which she originally got from our local ABC channel here. I couldn't find it in the archive to link to it, so I'm reposting it here. Credit goes to Angie Larsen of KTVX here in Salt Lake City. Julie served this at a luncheon that Isabelle attended a few weeks ago, and she raved about it--with good reason! We loved it.

Grilled Chicken and Pasta Salad

For Salad:
1 small pkg. spinach
1 8 oz. pkg. bowtie pasta--cooked, drained, and cooled
2-4 T sesame seeds
1/2 c. sunflower seeds
1 can sliced water chestnuts
3 chicken breasts--seasoned heavily with lemon pepper seasoning, grilled (or baked), and cut into bite-size pieces
1 c. bean sprouts

mix well all ingredients and toss with dressing just before serving.

Dressing:
1/2 c. oil
1/2 c. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sesame seeds
3 T. soy sauce
2 T. seasoned rice vinegar
1/2 tsp. sesame seed oil (optional)
1 tsp. grated fresh garlic

Stir ingredients well to dissolve sugar, store in refrigerator. Let dressing warm to room temperature before tossing into salad.

This has a real Asian taste to it. You could add strawberries or craisins to it, or even chow mein noodles for a crunchy texture. I added more spinach and pasta and it made a huge bowl. There was plenty of dressing to cover it all. So good, and very pretty.  And homemade breadsticks weren't so bad, either!