This simple pasta salad recipe is cool, creamy, easy to make, and perfect for summertime. It's comforting but light and refreshing at the same time and of course is gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, Paleo, and AIP compliant. I'm always in search of healthy AIP-friendly meals for dinner on busy nights. This one fits the bill.
Also, I've got a huge roundup post with over 130 AIP Chicken Recipes if you want some additional recipe ideas.
AIP Pasta Salad Ingredients:
Sweet Potato Glass Noodles
If you're not familiar with sweet potato glass noodles, they are a Korean noodle made from sweet potato starch and water. They are completely AIP compliant which makes them an awesome tool for pasta lovers doing AIP.
They are slightly chewier than regular spaghetti, but the taste is very neutral so they go great with pretty much anything. You can find this type of noodles in Asian grocery stores and on Amazon. I use these ones.
Just cook the noodles according to the package instructions. The ones I get just say to boil for 6 minutes. Depending on the brand and thickness of the noodles, cook times may vary a little bit.
Also, if you don't have glass noodles or prefer to use some other noodles, you can! This recipe will be good with pretty much any type of noodle.
Chicken Breasts
Go with organic if possible. I just bake these in the oven for about 40 minutes while I'm prepping the other ingredients.
Bacon
Try to find nitrate-free, uncured, or naturally cured bacon, with no spices other than salt. I made a whole Guide on AIP/Paleo/Whole30 Bacon if you're curious about what's compliant and what products to use.
US Wellness Meats has a great AIP section which includes AIP-compliant bacon.
Paleo On The Go also sells a nitrate-free, uncured, sugar-free bacon that is compliant.
There are several ways to cook bacon and it's fine to do whatever method you're most comfortable with. I just chop it into small pieces first, then cook it in a frying pan over medium to medium-high heat for about 10-12 minutes. I drain off the grease then put the bacon on a plate lined with paper towels to let the extra grease drip off.
Cucumbers
You can peel these or not. I generally don't. Then just dice it into little cubes.
Purple Cabbage
Make sure the cabbage is very thinly sliced so it doesn't overwhelm the overall texture of the dish.
Creamy Pasta Sauce
The dressing for this pasta salad is a simple mixture of coconut cream, lemon juice, white wine vinegar, dried dill, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt.
It's sometimes tough to make a creamy pasta dressing mayo-free, but this one worked out great! It's almost a little bit ranch-tasting.
I recommend chilling the coconut cream first to make sure it's extra thick. I also like to use the thickest part of the cream which sits at the top of the can when you first open it.
If you want to mix it first then use it, that fine; it just won't be quite as thick.
If you're looking for more glass noodle recipes, I did a big roundup post of glass noodle recipe ideas here.
Notes:
- Allow the chicken to cool before adding it to the salad.
- If the noodles sit for a few minutes, they may stick together a little bit but don't worry- this is easily fixed by adding a little bit of water (a tablespoon or two) and loosening the noodles with a fork.
Storage:
This will keep in the fridge for about 3 days in an airtight container.
If you like this recipe, you may also like:
19 Best Glass Noodles Recipes and Meal Ideas
Guide to AIP Paleo, and Whole30 Bacon
Raspberry Avocado Salad with Maple Balsamic Dressing
Korean Glass Noodle Recipe with Ground Beef
Conclusion
I hope you enjoyed this recipe. If you made it, leave a comment below and let me know what you thought. I'd love to hear from you!
This recipe is shared on the Paleo AIP Recipe Roundtable.
Chicken Bacon Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken breasts diced
- 12 oz bacon (precooked weight), cut into small pieces
- 3.5 oz sweet potato glass noodles (1 package= 3.5 oz)
- 1 cup cucumber diced
- 1/2 cup purple cabbage finely sliced
- 1/4 cup red onions minced
Dressing
- 1/2 cup coconut cream
- 2 tsp white wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp dried dill weed
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
Garnish
- 1/4 cup green onions
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Place chicken in a lightly greased glass baking dish and bake for about 35-40 minutes or until internal temeperature reaches 165 degress F
- While chicken is cooking, fill a small pot with water and place it on the stove over high heat. (this will be for the noodles).
- While waiting for the water to boil, cook the bacon. Place the bacon in a medium sized pan over medium heat. Continue cooking until bacon is crisp and slightly browned. Scoop the bacon out of the pan and onto a plate covered with papertowels. Set aside.
- Once the water for the noodles comes to a boil, cook the noodles according to the package instructions- usually about 5-7 minutes. Once the noodles are cooked, drain the water.
- Mix the sauce ingredients.
- Allow chicken to cool before assembling the salad.
- In a large bowl, combine noodles, chicken, bacon, cucumbers, red onions, and sauce. Stir until well combined and serve.
Notes
- Allow the chicken to cool before adding it to the salad.
- If the noodles sit for a few minutes, they may stick together a little bit but don't worry- this is easily fixed by adding a little bit of water (a tablespoon or two) and loosening the noodles with a fork.
- This will keep in the fridge for about 3 days in an airtight container.
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