Name: Creamy Pasta Salad with Chicken
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 2 pcs chicken fillet; 1 tsp paprika powder; 2 tbsp neutral oil; 300 g penne pasta; 1 bunch fresh basil; 3 dl light sour cream; 1 cloves garlic; 0.5 pcs lemon juice; 50 g baby spinach; 1 pcs red onion; 1 pcs green chili; 50 g pistachio; 0.5 pcs lemon zest

UntrainedChef

Tips from the kitchen

Rinse the pasta under cold water until it stops feeling warm, then let it drain properly. Wet pasta thins out the dressing and you lose that creamy coating.
Snap test the basil stems before you blitz them. If a stem bends instead of snapping, it's too woody and will leave stringy bits in the dressing.
Toss the pasta with the dressing while the pasta is fully cooled, not warm. Warm pasta makes the sour cream go runny and a bit greasy.
Give the chicken the full 6 to 8 minutes with the lid on after browning. Cut into the thickest piece to check it's white through before slicing.
Grate the garlic in fine so it disappears into the dressing. A whole clove finely grated is plenty, raw garlic gets stronger as the salad sits.

Ways to vary it

Swap the pistachios for toasted pine nuts or chopped almonds if that's what you have in the cupboard.
Leave out the chicken and add a tin of drained chickpeas instead for a meat-free version that still holds up at a picnic.
If you like more heat, leave the seeds in the chili. For something milder, scrape them out before slicing.

Storage & leftovers

Keeps in an airtight container in the fridge for 2 days. The dressing thickens as it sits, so loosen it with a splash of lemon juice or a spoon of sour cream before serving. Don't freeze it, the sour cream splits and the pasta turns soft.