Balsamic Chicken Pasta Salad

Ingredients

3 cups uncooked bowtie pasta
4 cups cooked cubed chicken breast
2 cups chopped tomato
1/2 cup chopped red onion
4 bacon strips. cooked and crumbled
1/4 cup gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup fresh minced basil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and rinse in cold water. Transfer to a large bowl.
Add the chicken, tomatoes, onion, bacon and gorgonzola cheese.  In a small bowl, whisk the oil, basil, vinegar, brown sugar, garlic, salt and pepper. Drizzle over salad and toss to coat. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.


Side note: I made this recipe without bacon and it does not compromise the taste of the salad (I love bacon so I usually add it).  Also if you don't have fresh basil, dry will work just as well. I added 1/2 - 1 teaspoon of dried basil to mine.