Chicken Macaroni Salad

A bowl of creamy pasta salad with chunks of chicken.

A deli-style creamy chicken macaroni salad with capsicum, carrot and celery in a mayo and sour cream dressing... the perfect summer BBQ salad!

5 from 1 vote

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Course: Salads, sides

Cuisine: western

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 10

Total Time: 25

Servings: people

Calories: 350kcal

Author: Lucy - Bake Play Smile

Cost: $10

Equipment

Stove-top

Ingredients

For The Dressing

¾ cup whole egg mayonnaise see notes
½ cup sour cream
1 tbs vinegar white or apple cider vinegar
1 tbs Dijon mustard
2 teaspoon sugar caster sugar or white sugar
1 tbs fresh chives chopped
½ teaspoon garlic powder or minced garlic
salt and pepper to season

For The Salad

250 g elbow pasta or macaroni
350 g chicken breast cooked and diced, see notes
1 red capsicum small, finely diced
1 carrot medium, grated
1 celery stalk finely diced
1 spring onion stem green onions, chopped finely

Instructions

Place all of the dressing ingredients into a bowl, stir well to combine and set aside.
Bring a large pot of water to the boil. Add a large pinch of salt and cook the pasta as per the packet directions.
Drain the pasta and run it under cold water to cool. Drain well again, then place in a large bowl.
Add the chopped chicken, capsicum, carrot, celery and spring onions to the pasta.
Pour over the dressing and stir to combine.
Season with extra salt and pepper if needed.
Set the pasta salad aside for 20 minutes before serving to allow the flavours to develop.
Keep any leftovers stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. For best results, allow the salad to come to room temperature before serving.

Notes

RECIPE NOTES

Don’t overcook the pasta - overcooked pasta will make the salad too soft and mushy. Follow the packet directions as a guide, but the best way to test that pasta is done is to taste it! Start to test it 1-2 minutes before the end cooking time on the packet directions. Once pasta is al dente, immediately drain and run under a cold tap to stop the cooking process and remove the starch from the pasta.
Choose the right size and shape of pasta - for pasta salad, small pasta with plenty of nooks and crannies to hold the dressing is ideal. Elbow pasta or macaroni are great options, but penne, spirals, bowtie or shells can also be used.
Season the pasta - to avoid bland pasta salad, start seasoning from the beginning. Add a pinch of salt to the pasta water while cooking.
Seasoning the salad - once the salad is ready, be sure to taste and adjust the seasoning, if required.
Chicken - save time by using a cooked BBQ chicken or pre-cooked chicken breast and dice into small pieces. Alternatively, you can cook chicken breasts from scratch using the method in this recipe.
This salad is best when eaten at room temperature, so take it out of the fridge around 30 minutes before serving.
Variations - add some corn, diced red onion, or halved cherry tomatoes.
Storage - store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
To freeze - place the pasta into a good quality, airtight container and freeze for up to 2 months. To thaw, place it in the fridge overnight or allow it to thaw at room temperature for a few hours (don’t microwave). Then stir well.

Nutrition