Pasta with Chicken Arugula and Ricotta Salata

This dish was hard to name...so I'm open to suggestions. I love its freshness. Heck, if it were any fresher i'd have to give it a rap on the mouth! Its a PASTA dish with grilled CHICKEN, peppery ARUGULA, RICOTTA SALATA, TOMATOES and LEMON ZEST.  Serve it hot or warm...or even cold.  Its a perfect meal with protein, veggies and carbs all in one.  What more could one desire. 





You'll need:

1 lb PASTA, I used mezzi rigatoni, but penne work best
Zest of 2 lemons
3 oz ARUGULA
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 beefsteak TOMATO diced into bite size pieces
2 tablespoon fresh LEMON JUICE... Be sure it's from a real lemon 
1/2 lb RICOTTA SALATA, shaved with carrot peeler
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper fresh ground
1 lb CHICKEN breast, grilled and sliced
1 small garlic clove, minced...less is more here so be sure its fresh garlic and that its small

Cook PASTA according to the box til al dente.
Grill (i used a grill pan) CHICKEN til tender, then slice and set aside.
In a large bowl combine all ingredients, except the RICOTTA SALATA and mix well.  The heat of the pasta will wilt the arugula a bit giving it a great mouth feel.  Once all is combined, and a bit cooler, add the RICOTTA SALATA and toss again.

Serves 6 hungry Italians