Chicken Cherry Pasta Salad

This week is Teacher Appreciation Week at my son’s school.  As you know, I have a special place in my heart for teachers :).  Our school does special meals for the teachers all week long and I volunteered to bring in a couple of items.  Today was side dish….  I opted for one of our favorite summer dishes, Chicken/Turkey cherry pasta salad.  I have made this with both “meats”  and it is equally as great.  I’ve also made it with smoked turkey from the deli, leftover turkey from a special meal, and chicken…  No matter which way, it’s awesome!  I’m awful at measuring this out, basically the amounts don’t really matter, but if you are a measurer, Here’s the scoop:

Ingredients:

SALAD

• 1 pound rotelle pasta
• 1.5-2 lbs diced cooked turkey or chicken breast
• 1 cup dried cherries
• 1 medium diced onion (I often use green onions)
• 4 diced celery stalks
• 1 cup toasted whole almonds or chopped pecans (optional)
• 1/2 bottle of Brianna’s Poppy Seed Dressing OR recipe below (I usually go with the bottle)
• DRESSING (if you don’t use Brianna’s Poppy Seed Dressing from a Bottle)
  • 2 cups mayonnaise
  • 1/4 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 tablespoons champagne vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • 1/4 teaspoon finely ground black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons poppy seeds
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • This is the one I made this morning for the teachers…  I hope they enjoy it 🙂