Baja Chicken Pasta Salad

Baja chicken pasta salad leans hard into the sweet-savory contrast Mexican and Southwest cooking does so well. Tender poached chicken breast, bite-sized pasta rings, sweet-tart dried fruit, and the unmistakable crunch of jicama all get tossed in a creamy red-chile dressing. The result is a chilled salad that hits sweet, salty, spicy, and crunchy in every forkful.

Poaching the chicken in the same pot you’ll then use to cook the pasta is the smart, one-pot move that anchors this recipe. The chicken-flavored water seasons the pasta from the inside as it cooks, and you save a dish.

The jicama is the textural star. Sliced into small cubes, it stays crackling-crisp through the chill in the fridge and never goes soggy the way water chestnuts or celery sometimes can. Find it in the produce section near the root vegetables; the brown bulb peels easily with a vegetable peeler.

Genuine red chile powder (not generic chili powder blend) makes the dressing taste authentically Baja. New Mexico, Hatch, or pure ancho chile powder all work. The blend kind has cumin and oregano in it which throws the flavor profile.

Pro Tips

• Don’t boil the chicken hard. A bare simmer keeps the breast moist; a rolling boil dries it out fast.
• Cool the chicken completely before dicing. Hot chicken shreds and tears instead of giving you clean half-inch cubes.
• Rinse the cooked pasta in cold water to halt cooking and remove surface starch. Sticky pasta makes for clumpy salad.
• Chill the salad at least 2 hours before serving as the recipe directs. The flavors marry significantly during the rest.
• Stir the salad before serving and taste for salt. Cold dulls seasoning; you may need an extra pinch.

Variations

• Add 1 diced avocado right before serving for richness and color.
• Stir in 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro and the juice of half a lime for brighter Baja character.
• Use Greek yogurt in place of all the sour cream for a tangier, lighter dressing.