Cold pasta salad with roasted chicken, plums, blue cheese, and basil

This was VERY delicious! Even non blue cheese lovers loved it! ha ha. The only thing i tweaked was i added 1/2 lb blue cheese (8 oz) instead of the 1/4 that was called for in the recipe. Enjoy!

Serves 4

Kosher salt

extra virgin olive oil

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

freshly ground black pepper

1 lb plums, halved and pitted

1 lb penne

Vinaigrette

1 tbs Dijon mustard

1 tsp red wine vinegar

1 tsp sugar

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

1 bunch fresh chives, minced

handful of fresh, flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped

1/4 lb crumbled blue cheese

handful fresh basil leaves

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

Heat a 2-count of oil in a cast-iron or other ovenproof skillet over medium high heat until almost smoking. Sprinkle the chicken breasts with salt and pepper and cook for 5 minutes on each side. Flip the breasts again, then place in the oven and cook until the juices run clear (another 12-20 minutes). In the last 8 minutes of cooking, add the plums in with the chicken. Remove plums and chicken from the pan and cool slightly.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta to the al dente stage. Drain after chilling with cold water.

Make the vinaigrette last by whisking together the mustard, vinegar, and sugar in a large serving bowl, then whisking in the oil. Season with salt and pepper. Fold in the chopped herbs. Slice the chicken and toss into the bowl along with the pasta, the blue cheese, and the whole basil leaves. Toss, taste for seasoning, then serve with the plums alongside.