Portillo's Salad

 Recipe From: Laura

Here she is... that sweet, savory salad served at Easter dinner. 

1 cup uncooked ditalini pasta

1/2 cup cooked and crumbled bacon (7 slices)

2 cups rotisserie chicken (or leftover grilled chicken), diced

5 cups chopped lettuce (half romaine/half iceberg lettuce)

1 and 1/2 cups chopped red cabbage

1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered

1 cup thinly sliced green onions

1/4- 1/2 cup crumbled gorgonzola cheese

1/2 - 1c. walnuts or pecans

Creamy Balsamic Dressing

1/2 cup honey-vanilla Greek yogurt (recommend Greek Gods)

1/4 cup of EACH: balsamic vinegar, pure maple syrup (not pancake syrup!, and olive oil

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon EACH: finely minced garlic, fine sea salt, and freshly cracked pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

DRESSING: Place all the dressing ingredients in a small blender jar. Blend until combined, creamy, and emulsified. Transfer dressing to a mason jar and store in the fridge until ready to eat. Shake up the dressing before dressing the salad.

COOK PASTA: Cook the pasta according to package directions to al dente. Make sure to generously salt the water; this is what will actually season the pasta! I add 1 teaspoon salt to every 4 cups of water. Drain and cool; run under cold water and shake off to dry. When dry, toss with a few tablespoons of the prepared dressing.

BACON AND CHICKEN: Cook bacon in a skillet or on an electric griddle. Remove, let cool slightly, and then chop coarsely. Chop a rotisserie chicken (or leftover grilled chicken) into small bite-sized pieces.

SALAD ASSEMBLY: In a large bowl, combine the lettuce, red cabbage, halved or quartered tomatoes, and thinly sliced green onions. Add in the cooled pasta, chopped bacon, and chopped chicken. Add gorgonzola cheese. If eating all of this salad, add dressing to desired preference (you may not use it all -- See Note 1) and toss to combine. If not, only dress what will be eaten; this salad doesn't sit well with the dressing.

SALAD STORAGE: The salad can be made in advance as long as the salad, bacon, cheese, and dressing is stored separately. Combine right before eating.

The dressing recipe makes a good amount of dressing. Depending on how dressed you like your salads, you may use it all or you could have a good amount leftover. Leftover dressing will stay fresh, stored in an airtight container in the fridge, for 5-7 days. Use it to top other salads or raw veggies.