Chicken and Grilled Pepper Pasta Salad

Total time: 25 minutes
     Grilled chicken and grilled or sautéed vegetables put a new twist on the old 'macaroni' or pasta salads of my childhood. Serve the chicken cut in chunks, mixed with the salad (my choice) or sliced and served on top (mon mari's choice).

 Ingredients:

• 2 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless
• Marinade:
• 1 tbs Worcestershire sauce
• 3 tbs red wine vinegar
• 3 tbs olive oil
• Salad:
• 1/2 green pepper
• 1/2 red pepper
• 1 onion
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 carrot
• 2 ribs celery
• 1 medium tomato
• 2 tbs fresh, snipped basil
• 2 tbs fresh snipped chives
• 1 1/4 cups (4.2oz, 125gr) pasta, penne, fusilli
• Creamy Yogurt Dressing:
• 4oz (120gr) Greek or plain yogurt
• 1 tbs Dijon-style mustard
• 1 tbs lemon juice
• 1 tbs mayonnaise
• 2 tbs salad olive oil

 Instructions:

• Pasta:
• Cook pasta according to package directions.  When done, drain, rinse in cold water, drain well and put into large pasta bowl. 
• Chicken:
• In small bowl whisk together Worcestershire, vinegar and oil. 
• Put chicken breasts in glass baking dish and pour marinade over.  Let marinate for 10 minutes.
• Cook on barbecue grill for 8 - 12 minutes per side or until done (test - take a peak), basting when you turn them with any leftover marinade.
• OR sauté in nonstick skillet for 8 - 10 minutes per side until nicely browned and done, basting with marinade. 
• When done, remove and slice.
• Vegetables:
• Slice peppers into long strips, then cut strips in half.
• Slice onion.
• Toss onion and pepper with oil and cook in grill pan on barbecue for 10 minutes, until crisp tender. 
• Or sauté briefly over high heat  until starting to brown but still crisp.
• Remove from heat and put into pasta bowl. 
• The rest:
• Slice the carrot into paper thin strips using the vegetable peeler (hold onto to carrot and slice one half down to a thin stick. Holding on to the 'stick' slice the other half.  Eat the stick). 
• Slice celery thinly, at an angle to get pretty slices.
• Cut tomato into chunks. 
• Snip herbs. 
• Creamy Yogurt Dressing:
• Put yogurt, mustard, lemon and mayo into a bowl and whisk together.
• Add the olive oil, 1 tbs at a time, and whisk.
• To Finish: 
• Put vegetables and herbs into bowl with pasta. 
• Add dressing and mix well.  Add chicken slices and toss gently to combine.... Or not.   Serve.