Thai Chicken Broccoli Salad

My friends Jan and Tara invited me to have lunch with them at their home a few months back. The chef was Jan's husband. It was sooo good! Jan is gluten intolerant, so he made this dish with quinoa pasta. You could use regular semolina pasta if you wanted, but using quinoa is nice for a change...and healthier.


Ingredients:

4 ounces uncooked quinoa linguine

½ lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into 2X1/2-inch pieces

2 cups broccoli florets

2 T. cold water

2/3 c. chopped red bell pepper

6 scallions, sliced diagonally into 1-inch pieces

¼ c. creamy peanut butter

2 T. hot water

2 T. soy sauce

2 t. dark sesame oil

½ t. red pepper flakes

1/8 t. garlic powder

¼ c. unsalted peanuts, chopped

 Method:

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain; set aside.

Spray large nonstick skillet with cooking spray; heat over medium-high heat. Add chicken; stir-fry 5 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink. Remove chicken from skillet.

Add broccoli and cold water to skillet. Cook, covered, 2 minutes. Uncover; cook and stir 2 minutes or until broccoli is crisp-tender. Removed broccoli from skillet. Combine pasta, chicken, broccoli, bell pepper and onions in large bowl.

Blend peanut butter, hot water, soy sauce, oil, red pepper flakes and garlic powder in a small bowl. Drizzle over pasta mixture; toss to coat. Top with peanuts before serving.

Serves 4