Garlicky Pasta Chicken Salad
Submitted by webe
Garlicky pasta chicken salad made with 6 whole heads of garlic slow-cooked in olive oil and puréed with basil and rosemary. Tossed with rotini, Parmesan, and toasted walnuts.
YIELD
1 saladPREP
20 minCOOK
35 minREADY
2 hrsSix. Whole. Heads. Of garlic. Not cloves. Heads. That’s easily 40+ cloves, slow-cooked in olive oil for 25 minutes until they turn soft enough to purée into a smooth, mellow paste with fresh basil and rosemary. This isn’t a timid garlic pasta salad. This is garlic as the main event.
The slow oil-poaching transforms raw garlic from sharp and biting into sweet, nutty, and spreadable. Puréed with half the olive oil, it becomes a rich dressing that coats every twist of corkscrew pasta and every strip of chicken.
Letting the salad sit for an hour at room temperature before serving is the step that ties everything together. The pasta absorbs the garlic oil, the Parmesan melts slightly into the dressing, and the flavors merge. Toast the walnuts separately and stir them in right before serving so they stay crunchy.
Pro Tips
- Blanch the garlic cloves for 1 minute first as directed; the skins slip off effortlessly after that quick dip
- Cook the garlic covered and gently. High heat browns it and introduces bitterness that the purée can’t hide
- Serve over chilled, crisp lettuce for a temperature contrast against the room-temp salad
- Add olive oil a little at a time if the salad seems dry; the pasta absorbs oil as it sits
Variations
- Pine nut swap: Use toasted pine nuts instead of walnuts for a more Italian flavor profile
- Lemon brightness: Add 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice to the garlic purée for a brighter, tangier dressing
- Vegetarian: Skip the chicken and double the walnuts and Parmesan for a meatless main
Ingredients
Directions
Separate cloves of garlic and drop into boiling water for 1 minute. Drain and peel.
Place peeled cloves in small saucepan with oil and optional rosemary sprigs. Cook gently, covered, stirring occasionally, for about 25 minutes or until garlic is tender.
Discard rosemary sprigs and purée garlic with ½ cup of the olive oil, basil, and the rosemary leaves.
Place pasta in large bowl and add garlic purée, chicken, onion, Parmesan, salt and pepper.
Mix thoroughly. Add more olive oil if needed to moisten salad.
Let salad sit for 1 hour a room temperature (provided its not a hot room that will invite bacteria to go nuts!) or refrigerate, returning mixture to room temperature before serving.
Toast walnuts in 375-degree oven for 10 minutes.
Stir into the salad and serve over a mix of crisp, chilled lettuces.
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