Chicken Elbow Macaroni Salad (Cold Chicken Pasta Salad Recipe)

Chicken macaroni salad on a white plate.

Chicken Elbow Macaroni Salad (Cold Chicken Pasta Salad Recipe)

This is an extremely popular Chicken Macaroni Salad Recipe. With a sweet and tangy dressing the flavors and textures are irresistible. Make ahead, potluck perfect.

Course Main Course Chicken

Cuisine American

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 10

resting time 2

Total Time 25

Servings

Calories 424kcal

Author Lea Ann Brown

Ingredients

16 ounces elbow macaroni cooked according to package instructions
2 cup chicken breast cooked and chopped
8 ounces frozen peas
1 cup celery finely chopped
¾ cup sweet onion finely chopped
1 ¾ cup mayonnaise
¼ cup cider vinegar
3 Tablespoon sugar
1 Tablespoon Kosher Salt
1 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
1 teaspooon dried dillweed or 1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped.

Instructions

Roast the chicken breasts in a non-stick sprayed casserole dish in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes, or until a digital thermometer reads the internal temperature of 165 degrees. Let cool and chop into bite sized pieces.
Cook pasta according to package instructions for al dente.
In the meantime chop all vegetables. Once the pasta is cooked, drain in a colander.
Place drained pasta in a large mixing bowl. Add all of the remaining ingredients and stir gently to combine.
Taste and adjust flavors to suite your palate. If you like it sweeter, add a little bit of sugar. If you think it's too sweet, add a little more salt or vinegar.

Notes

Tips For Success:

Cook the pasta al dente stage. Flavors in this pasta salad will benefit from a rest in the refrigerator overnight. If the pasta is cooked al dente, it will continue to absorb the moisture and flavor from the mayo sauce. Don't over cook the pasta, or you'll have a mushy pasta salad.
Let the salad rest in the refrigerator for a couple of hours, or even over night. This will marry the flavors.
This is a good chance to practice your knife skills. Try to cut the celery and onion into equal sized pieces. Doing so will improve the appearance of the salad. Uniform pieces will also insure a more enhanced flavor experience due to even distribution. Uniform cuts will also improve the appearance of this salad.

Nutrition