This chicken macaroni salad is one of our favorite side dishes. It's a great way to use leftover chicken, and it's perfect with these slow cooker sweet & sour pork ribs, this flat iron steak with chimichurri, and this rosemary chicken wrapped in bacon. While it's not a breakfast recipe per se, like this carrot cucumber salad, it is great for brunch!
❤️ Reasons to Love This Recipe
- It's easy. If you can boil pasta and chop vegetables, you can make this recipe!
- It's simple. The hands on time to prepare this recipe is only about 20 minutes. The rest of the time is spent chilling in the fridge.
- It's make ahead friendly. It's the perfect pot luck dish. Make it the day before your event, and it will be ready to go!
🧾 Ingredients
- 4 cups uncooked elbow macaroni.
- ½ cup mayonnaise.
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar. Adds tangy flavor. You can substitute balsamic, white vinegar mixed with red wine, sherry vinegar, white wine vinegar, or apple cider vinegar.
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar. Light or dark. Adds sweetness.
- ⅓ cup whole milk. Helps to thin out the dressing so it's not too thick.
- Salt. To taste. Everyone's taste buds are different. Add a little bit to start, then taste, and add more if necessary.
- Ground pepper. To taste.
- 2 stalks celery. Sliced. About ½ to ¾ cup.
- ½ cup grated carrot.
- 4 roasted red peppers. Chopped. About ½ cup.
- 3 green onions. Sliced. About ½ cup.
- 2 cups cooked chicken. Cut into ½ inch pieces. Leftover chicken or rotisserie chicken from your grocery store is great for this.
📝 Instructions
Step 4. Chill for at least 4 hours before serving, but preferably overnight.
Click here to learn how to make chicken macaroni salad in a visual story.
🥣 Equipment
🌡️ Storage
You can keep leftovers in your fridge for up to a week. We have never tried freezing this macaroni salad.
🍗 Related Recipes
More chicken recipes to make and enjoy.
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Recipe
Chicken Macaroni Salad
Ingredients
- 4 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar Light or dark.
- ⅓ cup whole milk
- salt To taste.
- ground pepper To taste.
- 2 stalks celery Sliced. About ½ to ¾ cup.
- ½ cup grated carrot
- 4 roasted red peppers Chopped. About ½ cup.
- 3 green onions Sliced. About ½ cup.
- 2 cups cooked chicken Cut into ½ inch pieces.
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the macaroni and cook until tender, about 8-10 minutes. Drain and set aside to cool.4 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
- In a large bowl, mix the mayonnaise, vinegar, brown sugar, milk, salt, and pepper.½ cup mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, ⅓ cup whole milk, salt, ground pepper
- Stir in the celery, carrot, roasted peppers, green onions, chicken, and cooked macaroni.2 stalks celery, ½ cup grated carrot, 4 roasted red peppers, 3 green onions, 2 cups cooked chicken
- Chill for at least 4 hours before serving, but preferably overnight.
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