Chicken Pasta Salad with Ramp Vinaigrette
on Mar 14, 2024
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This robustly flavored hearty pasta salad with ramps and chicken is a total Spring treat when those wild scallions are in season.
If you are a ramp fan and lucky enough to get your hands on a nice big bunch, this is the recipe for you! This pasta salad with ramps and chicken is the epitome of spring eating to me, light but substantial, and fresh tasting. And, of course, it’s a great showcase for ramps, the wild scallions that only make an appearance in the Spring in certain parts of the country. Some of them are used raw in the dressing, and some of them are sautéed and added to the pasta salad — a double punch of ramps!
The simple green-flecked ramp vinaigrette is a perky, vibrant dressing for this medley of pasta, chicken, and olives. It’s an all-in-one meal that is perfect for picnics, potlucks, and toting to the office for a special lunch. You might also want to dig into How to Cook with Ramps for more info about these coveted members of the allium (onion) family. And when you’re done with this salad, try Simple Ramp Pasta and Spring Ramp and Pea Risotto.
Table of Contents
A Perfect Potluck Pasta Salad
I made a double batch of this for an office potluck lunch, and it got — it’s fair to say — rave reviews. There was a bit leftover, and three people ran back to their desks to get plastic containers to divvy it up. Everyone has things that make them feel great — people running for plastic containers to take home my leftovers are high up on my list.
This is a pasta salad with a substantial ratio of chicken to pasta, which means more protein and more interest. And also, more pasta salad! Poached chicken is easy to make, but you can use grilled chicken breasts or roasted chicken. Whatever you have, whatever you like, and just shred that up.
Chicken Pasta Salad with Ramp Vinaigrette Recipe: This incredibly flavorful pasta salad is perfect for a buffet or a potluck lunch.
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Ingredients
The saltiness from the olives and the onion-ey garlicky-ness of the ramps makes a seriously flavored dressing. A powerhouse pasta salad, for sure.
- Olive oil
- Ramps – You will use both the leaves and bulbs. Don’t have ramps? You can use scallions, and if they are nice fat scallions, definitely use about half.
- Pasta – I like rigatoni or another chunky pasta.
- White wine vinegar
- Olive oil
- Honey – A touch of sweetness to balance with the bite of the ramps.
- Dijon mustard – Adds a little sweet.
- Poached chicken breasts – Cubed. You can use other cooked chicken if you prefer, like grilled or baked.
- Picholine or other green olives – Yes, you can leave these out if you’re not an olive fan, but I think they make the dish.
How to Make Pasta Salad with Chicken, Green Olives, and Ramp Vinaigrette
- Sauté half the ramps until tender.
- Cook the pasta. Then drain and rinse under cold water.
- Make the vinaigrette: In a food processor, puree the rest of the ramps, vinegar, olive oil, honey, Dijon, salt, and pepper.
- Make the salad: In a large bowl, combine the cooked ramps, cooked and cooled pasta, vinaigrette, chicken cubes, and olives, and toss very well to combine thoroughly.
- Serve: This salad can be served cool or at room temperature.
More Ramp Recipes to Play With
More Pasta Salad Recipes
- Pasta Salad with Chicken and Chipotle Dressing
- Simple Vegetarian Pasta Salad
- Pasta Salad with Salmon and Creamy Cilantro Dressing
- Perfect End of Summer Pasta Salad
- Greek Chicken Pasta Salad
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Chicken Pasta Salad with Ramp Vinaigrette
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound ramps (about 40; cleaned, trimmed, and cut into 1-inch pieces – leaves and bulbs both)
- 1 pound rigatoni or other chunky pasta
- 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon coarse or kosher salt (or more to taste)
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (or more to taste)
- 2 ½ pounds poached boneless chicken breasts (cubed)
- 1 cup roughly chopped Picholine or other green olives
Instructions
- In a medium-sized skillet, heat the oil over medium heat and sauté a little more than half of the ramps for about 15 minutes until very tender.
- Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to package directions, drain and rinse under cool water.
- While the pasta and ramps are cooking, in a food processor or blender, make the vinaigrette. Combine the rest of the ramps, vinegar, olive oil, honey, Dijon, salt, and pepper. Puree.
- In a large bowl, combine the cooked ramps, cooked and cooled pasta, vinaigrette, chicken cubes, and olives, and toss very well to combine thoroughly. I find it best to use hands for this to really get the sautéed ramps well distributed, but if that doesn't appeal, of course, you can use a spoon. Serve cool or at room temperature.
Notes
- Make sure to clean the ramps thoroughly — they can be very dirty, and the grit really isn’t pleasant in any dish.
- Don’t have ramps? You can use scallions, and if they are nice fat scallions, definitely use about half.
