Happy Labor Day everyone! And welcome back! I hit a major end-of-summer burnout and needed a good long break. This blog has been a fun hobby over the past year, helping get me through some of the mundane times in lockdown. But now that some life is returning to a new semblance of normalcy, I’ve had less interest to be as active on this blog.
This is not to say that I won’t keep posting up recipes! I absolutely will because cooking and creating dishes is a passion of mine that I would love to eventually turn into a career. Some weeks I may post up a few recipes; other weeks I may only post up one. And in the meantime, this lady needs to keep working and earning money in the real world! But I am not going anywhere, and I’m always a message away!
That said, I have the perfect end of summer dish for you that is also super simple to make. Pull out your grill, grab some super sweet, summer corn, and let’s get down to business! This dish is practically an elevated antipasto salad, which you just can’t go wrong with! But, it’s made even better with blackened, grilled chicken breast and all tossed with a sun-dried tomato vinaigrette… yes please!
So, this summer I have discovered two amazing new ways to cook corn on the cob. One is in the oven, which is super handy when you’re already cooking something in the oven… think, baked potatoes with steak… through the corn unshucked in the oven for the last 15 minutes on the potato timer. Super easy!
The other way is on the grill. I don’t know why I haven’t done this before. And honestly, when I first decided to grill corn, my husband listed ten thousand things we had to do first beforehand… we had to soak the corn. We had to remove the hair. We had to butter the corn. Yadda, yadda, yadda. Well, I did none of that.
Now, the idea behind soaking the corn is so the leaves and hair don’t burn. But, ya know what? It’s no big deal if they burn. Unless your entire grill sets on fire, the ends of the cob lighting up will not ruin the corn carefully tucked away (nor will it create popcorn). I have tried partially shucking the corn, removing the hair, and buttering the corn (then carefully rewrapping it), but honestly, so much work that just isn’t necessary!
So, I just throw the corn directly on the grill, usually toward the back, and then cover the grill. I keep the grill temperature around 350°F to 400°F and let the corn roast for about 15 minutes ~ about the same amount of time it takes the chicken to cook. And while the corn sits directly on the grill (you don’t even need to turn it), the moisture within the cob perfectly steams your corn. When you then go to shuck it, the hair actually comes off so much more easily than shucking it fresh.
As is typical with most antipasti, there is fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, onion, roasted red peppers, and Italian meats. All of this is tossed together with shortcut pasta, the blackened chicken, corn kernels, and a wonderfully light and zesty vinaigrette. This seriously could not be easier and is bursting with all of the end of summer flavors.
Enjoy!
Grilled Blackened Chicken Antipasti Pasta Salad with a Sun-dried Tomato Vinaigrette
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Pasta, Grilling
- Cuisine: Dinner
Ingredients
16 oz short cut pasta, cooked according to the package
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast
2 TBs blackened seasoning
4 oz prosciutto or charcuterie mix, roughly chopped
8 oz mozzarella balls, drained
6 oz roasted red peppers, roughly chopped
10 oz cherry tomatoes, halved
½ red onion, roughly chopped
2 corn on the cob, unshucked
handful fresh oregano and basil, roughly chopped
Vinaigrette
¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes, drained
4 garlic cloves
1 lemon, zested & juiced
2 TBs red wine vinegar
2 TBs pesto
¼ cup chicken broth
salt & pepper
Instructions
Generously season the chicken breast with blackened seasoning on both sides. Preheat the grill and maintain a temperature between 400°F and 425°F. When hot, place the corn on the cob on the back of the grill. Place the chicken in the middle of the grill and cook about 6 to 7 minutes per side, with the lid of the grill closed. The internal temperature of the chicken should reach 165°.
Meanwhile, add the sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, and lemon zest to a food processor and process until smooth. Add the lemon juice, red wine vinegar, pesto, and chicken broth and pulse to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
When the chicken is done, cut into bite sized pieces. Carefully shuck the corn and cut the corn off of the cob. In a large bowl, add the pasta, chicken, prosciutto, mozzarella, roasted red peppers, cherry tomatoes, onion, and corn. Toss in the fresh oregano and basil and add the vinaigrette. Toss to thoroughly coat. Divide among bowls and eat! Enjoy!
Keywords: pasta salad, caprese salad, pasta caprese salad, chicken caprese, chicken caprese salad, chicken caprese pasta salad, caprese chicken pasta salad
