picking sides

I made this recipe yesterday for BBQ #1 of the weekend...I swore to everyone there that this was going to be the best pasta salad they had ever tasted. Unfortunately, they rated it as just "really good." They explained that there are so many pasta salad recipes out there, that it's hard to pick a favorite/best ever. Not to mention, sometimes you can't replicate store bought foods. I resort to buying it at the store all the time, as it is a slightly more time-consuming process to make the fresh BBQ sauce, pull the meat off the chicken, mix the sauce, boil the pasta, chop the vegetables and mix the whole mess together. It's like wanting a Big Mac...I can make you a great cheeseburger on the grill, but at the end of the day it's not going to be a Big Mac.

The inspiration for the recipe comes from the Neely's (as does the BBQ sauce), but they use pulled pork and I think enough effort goes into making this without having to spend 9 hours baking pork butt in the oven.


Picnic Pasta Salad

1 lb elbow shaped pasta, boiled in salted water to al dente

1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped fine

2 ribs celery, chopped fine

1/2 cup shredded carrots

½ lb shredded rotisserie chicken

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1 tsp hot sauce, as desired

1 tsp garlic powder

1 1/2 cups mayo

1 1/2 cups BBQ Sauce  (see previous recipe)

S&P

Place cooked pasta in a large bowl, set aside and allow to cool.

In a large bowl, whisk together vinegar, hot sauce, garlic powder, mayonnaise, BBQ sauce, and salt and pepper. Add the chopped vegetables and shredded chicken to sauce once it is well blended.

When ready to serve, pour dressing over pasta and mix well. If you are not serving it right away, keep the sauce separate in a resealable container. Serve pasta salad chilled.