Barbecue and pasta salad rolled together

Pasta salad and barbecued chicken are a natural pairing for summer picnics. They're even better in the same dish.

This fast and easy take on pasta salad starts with a traditional base of pasta and diced vegetables.

But instead of mayonnaise, which can be cloying, it is tossed with sour cream.

Low-fat versions would be fine, but regular is best for unbeatable creamy richness.

The sour cream is the perfect foil for the vinegary chicken that gets tossed into the salad.

The meat from a rotisserie chicken is tossed with bottled barbecue sauce spiked with lime juice and hot sauce.

The result is creamy, sharp, soft and crunchy.

If you already are at the grill, you could skip the rotisserie chicken and just toss on a few chicken breasts.

You'll need about 1 pound of cooked chicken meat.