Chicken Macaroni Salad
Chicken Macaroni Salad is the perfect all-around pasta salad for parties or summer lunches. Light, creamy, crunchy, filling -- it has it all!
Servings 8 servings
Calories 994kcal
Ingredients
Dressing
- 1 3/4 cups mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup fresh orange juice
- 2 zest of medium oranges
- 1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
- 1 tablespoon french mustard
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon fresh tarragon, finely chopped
Salad
- 1 pound elbow pasta
- 1/3 cup red onion
- 1/2 cup parsley
- 1 cup dried cranberries
- 1 cup pecans, chopped
- 1 stalk celery, diced
- 1 rotisserie chicken, cut in cubes
- 1/2 cup golden raisin
- 4-6 hard-boiled eggs
Instructions
- In a small mixing bowl whisk together dressing ingredients until smoothly combined; set aside.
- Meanwhile, cook the pasta (1 pound) according to package instructions just to al dente. Drain and rinse immediately with cold water.
- In a large mixing bowl, add all salad ingredients and dressing and fold until evenly combined and coated.
Notes
- The dressing will be salty but the pasta will need it.
- Butcher like a pro: Hate taking apart rotisserie chickens? Some tips I’ve picked up are, first of all, to thoroughly let your chicken cool. No one wants to handle scalding hot meat. This also frees you up to use your hands (in rubber gloves) to break down your chicken, which I’ve always preferred — it lets you really get in there to make sure you get all the meat.
- There’s a good step-by-step chicken walkthrough here!
- Cranberry Rehydration: One tip you’ll see in the recipe below is to soak the dried cranberries. Why? Doing this rehydrates the berries a bit, making them plumper and giving them a fuller, yummier flavor.
Nutrition
Serving: 1/8 of the recipe | Calories: 994kcal | Carbohydrates: 68g | Protein: 46g | Fat: 61g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 233mg | Sodium: 1088mg | Potassium: 737mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 20g | Vitamin A: 655IU | Vitamin C: 18mg | Calcium: 87mg | Iron: 2.8mg