Greek-Style Chicken Pasta Salad

Ingredients

• 2-3 whole cooked chicken breasts, diced
• 1 (8 ounce) package small shell pasta
• 4-6 green onions, sliced
• 2 cups black olives, sliced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
• 1/3 lb crumbled feta cheese (or more if desired)
• 4-6 slices crumbled cooked bacon (optional)

DRESSING

• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 3/4 cup olive oil
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard (or to taste)
• 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
• black pepper
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder (optional)
• 2-3 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano (or to taste)

Directions

1. 1

   Cook pasta as directed until al dente, careful not to overcook the pasta, just until chewy and firm, but cooked; drain well.

2. 2

   Rinse in cold water.

3. 3

   Mix together all pasta ingredients in a bowl.

4. 4

   Mix all dressing ingredients; add to pasta mixture; toss well to coat.

5. 5

   Let sit in refrigerator for 2 or more hours before serving, to blend the flavours.

6. 6

   Sprinkle more Feta cheese on top to garnish.

7. 7

   ***NOTE*** since this is a big favorite in my house, I usually just cook up the entire package of pasta, and just increase the vegetable amounts, there is really no need to double the dressing ingredients if you should use the whole package of pasta, as the salad may become oily, but by all means it may certainly be doubled if desired. The bacon is optional, I rarely add it.