Caribbean Teriyaki Chicken Bow Tie Pasta with Cashews - for "the Project"

Astute readers will remember most of this recipe from this post...

Spinach Salad with Teriyaki Bowties

Originally another session of what to do with the second half of one of those rotisserie chickens you buy every week.  And there are enough different tastes to satisfy everyone.  Jackie had asked for a salad recently.  So, when I saw Melanie's post at THE SISTER's CAFE, I knew I had another use for that rotisserie bird...

Click HERE for Melanie's original post.

I LOVE this meal.  As a salad, it is terrific, as a pasta without the spinach, it is terrific, Melanie's original post was terrific, but I just couldn't resist.


Look close at the top photo and you will see a bit of caramelized pineapple and a sprinkling of sweetened coconut.  Just a tiny pit of the Caribbean added to an already amazing recipe.


And best of all, it all comes together in the amount of time it takes to cook the pasta... fridge to table in less than 20 minutes.


Works great as a side dish, or when you top on a bed of lettuce, it makes a full meal...


Here we go...


16 ounce, one box Bow Tie Pasta
if desired, 1 bag Baby Spinach
8 oz can of Mandarin Oranges
8 oz can Water Chestnuts
1 Red Pepper, cut into thick matchstick size pieces
1 cup Cashews
2 TBS spice mix of Black Sesame Seeds, White Sesame Seeds, Sea Salt (equal proportions)
1 bunch Green Onions, sliced for garnish
2 cups torn cooked Chicken


For the Caribbean taste, add...


1/4 cup shredded sweetened Coconut
1 cup chunk Pineapple
1 TBS Sugar
1 TBS Butter


For the Teriyaki Sauce...


1 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2/3 cup White Wine Vinegar
2/3 cup Teriyake Sauce
5 TBS Sugar
1 TBS spice mix of Black Sesame Seeds, White Sesame Seeds, Sea Salt (equal proportions)

1. Mix the teriyaki sauce, refrigerate while working the other steps.
2. Start the Pineapple caramelizing... Melt the butter, add the pineapple and sprinkle the sugar.  Heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally.  It will take @20 minutes for the pineapple to begin to get a brown color around the edges.
3. Start the pasta cooking per directions.
4. Dice the Pepper, green Onion and Chicken
5. Open the cans of Water Chestnuts, Mandarin Oranges and Cashews
6. When the pasta is done, run cold water to chill, mix the teriyaki sauce and pasta together.
7. Add the Pepper, green Onion, Chicken, Water Chestnuts, Mandarin Oranges and Cashews.
8. Add the Coconut and the caramelized Pineapple.
9. Serve over Spinach if desired.

This is Jackie's favorite meal to eat for her lunch.  She usually takes a container of what ever we ate the night before as her lunch.  When she heard I was making this dish, she asked me to double it so she would have plenty of left overs.


It is that good!


Have a fantastic day everyone... Me, after spending a week with my Mother, and with the move back looming in the all too near future, me and the iguana have a lot to think about...

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