Viral TikTok Cucumber Salad — Pasta Salad Recipe
From the viral cucumber pepper TikTok salad, comes a pasta salad.
I tried Rachael Kirkconnell’s cucumber bell pepper salad that went viral on TikTok and it’s REALLY good!
I don’t know where or how she came up with this combination but it’s delicious.
In case you don’t know what I’m talking about, it’s a “salad” made up of cucumbers, mini bell peppers, everything but the bagel seasoning, chili garlic crunch, and a ginger sesame salad dressing.
It’s light, it’s salty, it’s flavorful, it’s summery. It’s not really a salad but is a delicious vegetable side!
My biggest criticism of it is that it’s just a side, though!
It’s not really a full meal unless you ate a LOT of it. And then still, it’s just vegetables with seasoning and sauce.
So, I wanted to take the original recipe and turn it into a full meal.
With the simple addition of brown rice fusilli and air fryer chicken thighs, this meal is now complete!
This is a flavor combination that could be used in so many different ways.
Try out the side or the full meal and let me know what you think!
This is a new pasta salad staple in my house.
Chicken Cucumber Pepper Pasta Salad Recipe
Serves: 3
Ingredients:
1 box brown rice fussili (Jovial is my favorite — it doesn’t get mushy at all!)
1 ½ pounds boneless chicken thighs (any chicken you have works, or omit for vegan)
Salt and pepper
4 mini Persian cucumbers (or about 1 regular cucumber)
8 mini bell peppers (or about 1 ½ regular bell peppers), any color
1 tablespoon Everything But the Bagel Seasoning
3 tablespoons ginger dressing (the kind Rachael uses, Makato, is really good. I found it in the refrigerated section at Sprouts)
2 teaspoons chili garlic crunch
What To Do:
Cook your pasta according to the instructions.
Season your chicken thighs with salt and pepper. Air fry for 7 minutes, flip, cook for another 5. Once cooked, cut chicken into small, bite size pieces.
Slice your bell peppers and cucumbers.
Add cooked pasta, cooked chicken, bell peppers, and cucumbers to a large bowl.
Add Everything Bagel Seasoning, ginger dressing, and chili garlic crunch.
Mix together. Taste and adjust the seasonings to your liking.
Serve immediately and enjoy!
Notes:
This can be made into single servings, too. Just serve yourself as much pasta, chicken, and vegetables that you want and eyeball all the other measurements. You got this!
If you want to store this as meal prep or save for later, don’t dress the pasta with the ginger dressing or chili crunch. Only dress the salad when you’re ready to eat, that way your pasta doesn’t get mushy.
Serve cold for leftovers! Or store the veggies separately from your pasta and chicken. Reheat chicken and pasta slightly, then add bell peppers, cucumbers, and your dressing ingredients.
Please leave me a comment and a heart ❤️ if you liked this post and recipe! Subscribe if you want recipes and cooking inspiration delivered straight to your inbox.
I hope you feel inspired to cook and create rather than order and wait.
THANK YOU, LOVE YOU, BYE!
Erin