Tangelo Chicken Pasta Salad

Ingredients

• MARINADE/DRESSING:
• 2 lemons
• 4 tangelos
• 1 C tangelo and lemon juice combined (from 2 lemons and 4 tangelos)
• 4 cloves garlic , minced
• 1/3 C yellow onion , diced
• 2 T Dijon mustard
• 2 T honey
• 2 T fresh oregano , chopped
• ½ t crushed red pepper flakes
• ¼ C extra virgin oilve oil
• SALAD:
• ¾ lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 8 oz cavatappi pasta
• 1 C tangelo segments (one medium tangelo)
• 1 C red bell pepper , thinly julienned
• 1 C sugar snap peas , cut into 1-inch pieces (fresh or frozen)
• 2 C fresh spinach , roughly chopped
• 1/3 C sliced almonds

Instructions

1. Prepare the marinade first. Zest and juice the lemons. Zest two of the tangelos, and juice all four. Combine the citrus juices and zest in a blender; add remaining marinade ingredients and blend until smooth. Place half the marinade into a plastic zip lock bag or non-reactive bowl with the chicken thighs and marinate in the refrigerator for approximately two hours (reserve the remaining half of the marinade to use as dressing for the pasta salad).
2. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Remove the chicken from the marinade (discard the used marinade) and roast on a baking tray for 15 to 20 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 165° F. Remove from oven and let cool. Once cool, dice or shred the chicken.
3. Fill a medium stock pot with salted water and bring to a boil. Cook the pasta according to the package directions, until al dente. Drain, rinse and cool the pasta. In a large bowl, toss the chicken, pasta, almonds and prepared vegetables with one cup of dressing and serve.