Chicken Macaroni Pasta Salad

This isn’t your average macaroni salad. Chicken Macaroni Pasta Salad turns that classic side dish into a hearty side dish thanks to a scoop of chopped chicken and a dressing that’s creamy and totally irresistible. It’s make-ahead friendly, potluck approved, and always a hit with grown-ups and kids.

 

Why We Love Chicken Macaroni Pasta Salad

• Serves A Crowd At A Potluck Or BBQ – Macaroni pasta salad is usually a hit at a potluck, but this version adds chicken so it could even be a light main dish. This recipe makes a large helping of pasta salad that can stretch when feeding a crowd, plus it’s easy to customize to your family’s taste.
• Quick To Prep – Using precooked chicken shaves a lot of time off of making this chicken macaroni pasta salad recipe, making it quick and easy to prep. I typically will prep this the night before we want to enjoy it as chilling it makes the flavors even better.
• Use Up Leftover Chicken – Have a little extra leftover rotisserie chicken or grilled chicken breasts? This recipe not only uses it up, but you’ve also then got a complete meal in a bowl. This salad is cold and refreshing, perfect for when you don’t want to turn the oven on during a hot day.

Ingredients For Chicken Macaroni Pasta Salad

• elbow macaroni pasta – elbow macaroni is classic for mac salad, but you can use any short pasta like rotini or ziti. I don’t recommend using long noodles, like linguini.
• mayonnaise – I would use Dukes, Hellman’s or even store brand for a cold pasta salad. I don’t prefer miracle whip in a recipe like this as it doesn’t taste the same. Plain Greek yogurt can also be swapped for mayo to make a healthy chicken macaroni.
• yellow mustard – or a grainy mustard if you are fancy works too!
• garlic powder
• salt
• black pepper
• yellow onion, finely chopped – white onion or red onion also works great, I sometimes use sweet onion as it has a little less bite when raw for pickier eaters.
• celery – finely chopped, dice it small so you have the crunch without too much bite
• red bell pepper – finely chopped, you can use any color bell pepper
• pickles – chopped, use your favorite pickle because that flavor gets mixed into the salad dressing
• cooked chicken -chopped, rotisserie chicken is my go to here, I like to grab the chicken from Costco. You can also use shredded chicken, though I prefer it chopped into pieces like for chicken salad. You could also use canned chicken if that’s what you have.

How To Make This Chicken Macaroni Salad Recipe

1. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the elbow macaroni and cook it according to the package instructions, usually 9-10 minutes for al dente macaroni which works best for the perfect pasta salad. Overcooking the pasta can make everything too floppy.
2. To a large mixing bowl, add the mayonnaise, mustard, garlic powder, salt, pepper. Stir to combine the sauce.

3. While cooking the pasta, chop the onion, celery, bell pepper, pickles, and chicken into small bite size pieces.
4. Pour the cut vegetables and chicken into the mixing bowl with the sauce. Fold the vegetable and meat mixture into the sauce, making sure it is well mixed.

5. Once the pasta is done cooking, drain it from the water and run cold water over the top to cool the pasta down. You want the pasta to be cold, or the mayonnaise can curdle or separate.
6. Add the pasta to the mixing bowl, stirring well to mix in the chicken and sauce mixture. Place it in the refrigerator and allow to chill for at least 1 hour, though overnight is better as it allows the flavors to mix more. Serve with green onions or fresh parsley and enjoy!

Variation Ideas

Swap The Protein- Other proteins you can use include cooked turkey, hard boiled eggs or even cooked tuna. Cooked ham or bacon can also be diced and added to this pasta salad. Whatever protein you decide to add, make sure that it is cooked and chopped into bite sized pieces.

Mix Up The Vegetables – Try adding shredded carrots, diced zucchini, small pieces of broccoli, or peas (you can use frozen, just defrost first in warm water). I tend to skip watery vegetables like tomatoes or cucumbers as they can make a creamy dressing a bit watery as it sits longer, use them in vinaigrettes instead like in my Italian pasta salad. Pickles work a bit better because they have been brined which reduces the water in the vegetable.

How Long Will This Pasta Salad Last?

Expect this pasta salad can be enjoyed for about 3 days if stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. This recipe is best enjoyed cold, so no reheating is needed.

I don’t recommend freezing leftovers of this pasta salad, as the mayonnaise will split when you are defrosting it.