Chicken macaroni salad is a recipe of my mother-in-law. Her recipe is, by far, the best one we’ve had for quite some time. This post contains affiliate links/ads. See disclosure/privacy policy.
Just the other week, I got a ton of Barilla pasta for FREE. I had several coupons and luckily the store I went to double the coupons. So, I ended up getting at least 30 pasta boxes for FREE.
In short, I had a ton of pasta boxes to use.
I did give away half of those to the church for the food bank. The rest? I kept those for rainy days (i.e. when we are too lazy to create a meal). Haha.
Anyhow, that lazy day stopped by last weekend. It was cold and nobody in our house (not even my father-in-law who cooks so perfectly) wanted to do anything. It happens. So, we ended up using our pasta box.
The food we made was Chicken Macaroni Salad.
It was one of those meals that brings me back home (i.e. the Philippines). I remember that whenever there’s a party or gathering, this chicken macaroni salad was a staple. Just like pancit and egg rolls, which are also staple in any given Filipino party.
Chicken macaroni salad is one of those salads that I have not seen and tasted in America. May be it common here but I have not seen that here since I got here at least a decade ago.
Anyhow, my mother-in-law made the chicken macaroni salad. It was divine. It was yummy and smelled so great just like the salad I used to have back in the Philippines. That’s why I said this salad reminded me of home.
We ate the salad for lunch and nothing was left for dinner. It was so good that we ate it up in less than 15 minutes.
Because it was delicious, my wife and I re-created my mother-in-law’s salad. Of course, he asked for her direction and tips/tricks, which she gladly provided. Our chicken macaroni salad was spot on.
That’s why I am sharing this recipe to you in this post.
The recipe calls for ordinary ingredients that can be found in your pantry. The best part of this is that no cooking is involved except boiling the pasta. It is super-duper easy that even a third year old kid can do it with ease.
I know from now on that this food will be present in every single party our family hosts. For sure, we will also bring this dish to parties we go to.
Related posts:
- Chick-fil-A Chicken Nuggets Copycat
- Simple Grilled Barbecue Chicken
- Grandmas’ Chicken and Mushroom Fried Rice
Easy 4-Step Chicken Macaroni Salad
Before we head to the meat of the post, I should say that this dish is an all-season type dish. You can make it during the winter, spring, summer, and/or fall and it is still perfect complementary to the weather.
So, without further ado, here is the recipe for the chicken macaroni salad. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.
- 1 1/2 lb. elbow macaroni, cooked and drained
- 1 lb. chicken breast, cooked and shredded
- 1 cup mayonnaise with olive oil
- 1 (20 oz.) can pineapple tidbits, drained
- 1/2 cup celery, chopped
- 3/4 cup minced carrots
- 1/2 cup raisins
- 3/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- Salt and pepper to taste
The Best Filipino Pansit Recipe Ever
Quick, Easy Egg and Beef Fried Rice
- 1½ lb. elbow macaroni, cooked and drained
- 1 lb. chicken breast, cooked and shredded
- 1 cup mayonnaise with olive oil
- 1 (20 oz.) can pineapple tidbits, drained
- ½ cup celery, chopped
- ¾ cup minced carrots
- ½ cup raisins
- ¾ cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- Salt and pepper to taste
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the mayonnaise, pineapple, celery, carrots, raisins, and cheese. Mix well.
- Add the pre-prepared macaroni and chicken breast into the same mixing bowl. Mix well.
- Add salt and pepper to taste. Add more salt and pepper, if necessary.
- Cover the mixing bowl and refrigerate until served.
