Chili Oil Pasta Salad
Chili Oil Pasta Salad is a spicy pasta salad made with rotini, cajun chicken, cabbage, cucumber, peanuts, and a creamy chili crunch dressing.
Servings: 8 servings
Ingredients
Pasta & Salad Base
- 1 lb rotini pasta
- 1 English cucumber halved, seeded, and diced
- 8 chicken tenderloins
- ½ small head purple cabbage shredded and roughly chopped
- 4 green onions sliced
- ⅓ cup fresh cilantro chopped
- ½ cup salted peanuts
- Blackened or cajun seasoning for chicken, to taste
- 2 tbsp olive oil
Chili Crunch Dressing
- ⅔ cup sour cream
- ⅔ cup mayonnaise
- 1 juicy lime juiced
- 1-2 garlic cloves grated
- 1 tbsp honey adjust to taste
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 2-3+ tbsp chili crunch adjust to taste
Instructions
Prep the Ingredients
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook rotini until al dente according to package instructions.
- Drain and rinse under cold water to stop cooking and cool completely.
- Season chicken tenderloins generously with blackened seasoning on all sides.
- Heat a skillet over medium heat with a drizzle of oil.
- Cook chicken for 3–4 minutes per side until golden and fully cooked through (internal temperature 165°F).
- Remove from heat and rest for a few minutes, then dice into bite-sized pieces.
Make the Dressing
- In a medium bowl, whisk together sour cream, mayo, lime juice, grated garlic, honey, salt, and pepper until smooth.
- Stir in chili crunch a little at a time until fully combined. Adjust spice level to taste.
Assemble the Pasta Salad
- In a large mixing bowl, combine pasta, chicken, cucumber, cabbage, green onions, cilantro, and peanuts.
- Pour over most of the dressing and toss until evenly coated, reserving a small amount of dressing for just before serving.
- Before serving, add remaining dressing and toss lightly.
- Drizzle extra chili crunch over the top. Store in the fridge covered tightly for up to 4 days.
Notes
- Can be served warm or chilled. We like to heat a bowl in the microwave to warm it through for a warm lunch or dinner.
- Seed the cucumber. This prevents excess water from thinning out the dressing as it sits.
- Adjust chili crunch to taste. Start light, but this recipe really shines when it has a noticeable heat level.
- Save extra dressing. The pasta will absorb some as it sits, so a final toss before serving brings the creaminess back.
- Best texture tip. This spicy pasta salad tastes even better after sitting for 1–2 hours, as the flavors blend.