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
Equipment
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.
Nutrition Facts
Nutritional information provided is for one serving and is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
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