Balsamic Vinegarette Chicken Pasta Salad

Pasta salad during the summer is my absolute favorite food. It can be made as healthfully or not as you want and a little bit goes a long way.

Earlier this year, my boyfriend asked me to to make Jessica Seinfeld's Balsamic Chicken Sandwiches (delish) and with its great flavors, I was looking forward to adapting it into a pasta salad.

My boyfriend, for whatever reason, believes that pasta shouldn't be cold, so this is a great dish I make during the week that works well for a dinner or two and lunch for the week, or until I finally get tired of it.

Balsamic Vinegarette Chicken Pasta Salad
For chicken:
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
3 tbsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4cup balsamic vinegar
3 tbsp firmly packed dark-brown sugar

Season chicken with salt and pepper
Warm oil in the skillet Add chicken and garlic. Cook until chicken begins to brown. Add chicken broth, vinegar and brown sugar. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer until the chicken is cooked all the way through.
For Dressing
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp pepper

Wisk all ingredients together

Pasta
Make one pound of pasta. Rinse with cold water and drain. I chose a spiral pasta. Why? Because it's pretty. Whole wheat pasta works well with this recipe, too.

Putting it together
Mix the pasta, chicken and dressing together.

Add:
(?)oz. grape tomatoes, halved (I can't remember how much I used. I bought a container and used a little more than half of it. I'm not a much tomato fan, but it goes so well with the chicken)
8 oz. fresh mozzarella, cubed (or more or less, depending on how much you like cheese ... does anyone NOT like cheese?)
1/4 cup fresh basil (optional, but oh-so good)

Mix it all together in a big bowl, let it chill a few hours and enjoy! Best served with a little bit of grated parmesan cheese on top.