Chicken Asparagus Pasta Salad - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 lb penne rigate or 1 lb rotini pasta
6 -8 ounces of fully cooked boneless chicken, seasoned to your own taste (Italian seasoning, salt, and garlic work well in this recipe and I use leftover roast chicken)
1 lb fresh asparagus
16 ounces fresh grape tomatoes
2/3 cup fresh basil, chopped
1/2 cup pitted coarsely chopped olive (kalamata or the olives of your choice)
1 cup crumbled feta or 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
Italian Dressing
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

Preparation

Bring 4 quarts of water to boil in a stockpot.
Cook pasta according to package directions until al dente.
Drain pasta and keep warm.
Wash asparagus and remove and discard tough ends.
Slice asparagus into one inch pieces.
Cook asparagus in a large skillet in shallow water and steam for 1-2 minutes until crisp tender.
Drain well and reserve.
Chop chicken into one inch pieces.
Cut grape tomatoes in half.
Combine Italian dressing ingredients in a large bowl.
Add cooked pasta and asparagus to the Italian dressing and mix together until everything is evenly coated.
Add chicken, tomatoes, basil, olives, and cheese and stir to combine.
Serve pasta salad warm or at room temperature.