Pasta Salad With Chicken and Artichoke Hearts

This recipe is easy, flexible, and great to take to a potluck where you're not sure what else your allergic family member(s) can eat. When I make it at my house, I make two bowls – one for Julie and one for the rest of us – but I don't think anyone would notice the difference between the two if we didn't tell them. Wheat pasta is cheaper than the rice pasta, and I like to put some cheese in the non-Julie version. This recipe makes a LOT of food, and doesn't freeze well at all, so you may want to size it down if it's just for the family at home. Pretty much all of the ingredients here are optional or can be substituted, so if there is something you don't like or are allergic to, just take it out of the mix and replace it with more of something else!

2 jars marinated artichoke hearts, cut into bite-sized pieces (reserve some of the marinade)
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 can black olives (not the smallest can) either sliced or whole
a handful of fresh basil
a cup of grape tomatoes, sliced in half
a zucchini, cut into bitesized pieces
one pound total of your favorite pasta – bow ties or spirals are nice – we use half a pound of rice noodles and half a pound of regular ones.
a bottle of pre-made italian salad dressing (check the ingredients list to make sure it is okay for you)
two or three chicken breast halves
a handful of your favorite cheese for those who can eat it. (pre-shredded Parmesan, chopped up Mozzarella, or Feta all work nicely)

Heat the oven to 350 and place the thawed chicken breast halves in a foil-lined baking pan (to make cleanup faster). Bake for about 20-25 minutes total, flipping halfway through. When done, cut one in half right away to make sure it's cooked through, then when they are cool, chop them into bitesized pieces.

Meanwhile, boil water for your pasta. I use two pans, one for each of our types. If you're making two different bowls of pasta, it's a good idea to use slightly different-looking ones (like multicolored spirals and plain spirals) so you can tell the difference in the refrigerator later. Cook up the pasta till just done, but you do want it to be firm so it doesn't fall apart in the salad. Make sure to use two different spoons to stir them with, and I ususally give the non-allergenic noodles a head start so they can drain in the colander first. When the noodles are done, toss in a bit of the marinade from the artichokes to keep them from sticking to each other.

Chop up your veggies and mix them all together with the chicken bits. Toss this all in with the noodles (in proportion with each type of noodle if you're making seperate batches). Pour some salad dressing over the whole thing – to taste. I make mine in Tupperware bowls, then shake them up a bit after they're sealed. You can eat the salad right away, or let the flavors sink in for a few hours or over night. Put the cheese in right before serving so it doesn't get mushy.