ENVY™ APPLE AND MANDARIN MACARONI SALAD

Ingredients

• 1 ENVY™ apple, small diced
• ½ lb macaroni
• ½ package of cream cheese, softened
• ¼ cup greek yogurt
• 1 T finely chopped shallot
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 1 T lemon juice
• 1 can (10.7 oz) mandarins, drained, juice reserved
• 3 T mandarin juice
• 2 T finely chopped parsley
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 20 turns fresh cracked pepper
• 2 thinly sliced chicken breasts, grilled and diced

Method

1. Allow chicken breasts to sit at room temperature for 20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, mash together softened cream cheese, greek yogurt, chopped shallot, lemon zest, lemon juice, mandarin juice, chopped parsley, salt, and pepper. Set aside.
3. Preheat grill or saute pan and season chicken breasts with a drizzle of olive oil, salt and pepper.
4. Grill chicken breasts until cooked throughout. (If using a saute or grill pan, cook the breasts for 2 minutes each side and then finish in a 400 degree oven for 5 more minutes). Allow chicken to cool, and then dice into small chunks.
5. Bring a medium/large pot of salted water to a boil (should taste like the ocean). Add noodles and cook until tender. Drain and put hot noodles in a large mixing bowl.
6. While the noodles are still hot, gently stir in cream cheese mixture until the noodles are well coated. Let cool slightly.
7. Add diced chicken, apples, and mandarins and stir to combine. Can serve warm or chill in the refrigerator to serve cold.