Chicken Macaroni Salad is creamy and meaty, with a slight crunch from crisp, fresh veggies. It is the perfect summer salad to serve with grilled meats. Plus, learn my trick to ensure that your macaroni salad stays creamy and doesn’t turn dry on you!

Serve this tasty salad alongside Grilled Sockeye Salmon, Grilled Onion Cheddar Burger, and Watermelon Lemonade.

If you would love more salads recipes, check out my Tropical Fruit Salad and Mango Avocado Salsa.

Chicken Macaroni Salad Recipe

Something about summer just calls for a creamy pasta salad. Specifically, a tasty, cold chicken macaroni salad.

After some trials, I am proud to present to you my very tasty version of an easy Chicken Macaroni Salad recipe. This perfect salad has lots of flavors and is easy enough for beginner cooks.

It contains just enough dressing to hug the salad, just the right amount of tang, and it is so rich and tasty. My family members can’t get enough! It’s a crowd pleaser and certainly next-level compared to the usual macaroni salad.

The mayo-based dressing, cooked macaroni, hard-boiled eggs, and crunchy veggies all team up to create something nothing short of phenomenal. Your mouth will be watering just looking at its vibrant colors and succulent look!

Believe me when I say this is the best chicken macaroni salad you’ll ever get your hands on. Serve this creamy chicken macaroni salad on a special occasion with a hearty main dish, like hot dogs, Pan Seared Ribeye Steak, Baked Dry Rub Ribs, or Grilled Boneless Chicken Thighs.

The perfect mac salad for potlucks, summer BBQs, or picnics! It tastes great with fruit salad, potato salad, or other summery festive salads.

Watch How To Make It

You can watch me making Chicken Macaroni Salad on my YouTube channel. For more quality recipes, subscribe to my YouTube channel beneath the video.

Ingredients Needed

Here are the ingredients you need for Chicken Macaroni Salad.

• Elbow Macaroni. Elbows are classic, but you could use any other small-shaped pasta you have on hand.
• Chicken. Precooked chicken like rotisserie chicken works well here. You could also cook skinless chicken breasts in water or chicken broth with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder then use it. (See recipe notes for detailed instructions on how to do this.) For this great recipe, I used chicken breasts from a whole chicken I grilled. You could also utilize some of my chicken recipes like pan seared Thin Sliced Chicken Breasts or Baked Thin Chicken Breasts. Or, even use canned chicken or leftover plain cooked chicken from last night’s dinner! The leftover chicken can come in handy, for sure.
• Mayonnaise. For the dressing and to add creaminess to the salad. Use full fat mayonnaise for the best creaminess. If you don’t want to use all mayonnaise in your salad, substitute half of the mayo for Greek yogurt or sour cream.
• Lemon Juice. For a little tang which balances quite well with the slight sweetness from the sweetened condensed milk.
• Sweetened Condensed Milk. For added creaminess and a little sweetness. This won’t be a sweet salad. The sweetness of the two tablespoons of sweetened condensed milk used will just balance the flavors.
• Veggies. For crunch and freshness. You’ll be using fresh celery and red onion.

The exact ingredient amounts are in the recipe card below. If you’re looking for nutrient information, you can also find the available nutrient data to track your daily values. This healthy side dish contains a good amount of potassium, iron, calcium, and protein!

How To Make Chicken Macaroni Salad

Before you begin, make sure to cook elbow macaroni according to package instructions and gather all of the needed ingredients. Then, you can make this delicious macaroni salad in four easy steps.

Hint: It is important to let the pasta cool down completely and chill before you add the other ingredients. After assembling, keep the Chicken Macaroni Salad in the fridge. Before serving, toss to redistribute the dressing.

For more delicious recipes with pasta, check out this Spaghetti Stir Fry Steak and Pasta, and Garlic Butter Chicken Pasta.

Expert Tips

• When you cut the boneless chicken breasts, you want them to be a little chunky rather than super small pieces. It is nice to have the bite-sized pieces because it adds a pleasant texture!
• Although you can immediately serve this classic pasta salad recipe, it tastes even better when you allow the flavors to marry for a bit. If you plan to use it with your main course at dinner, you can always make it earlier that day!
• Get the pasta going first, then work on chopping the veggies and meat while it cooks. This will save you time.
• To stop macaroni salad from absorbing the creamy dressing, rinse the macaroni thoroughly with cool water after it’s done and let it chill in the fridge until completely cold then use it to make the salad. Also, rather than cooking the macaroni al dente, it is best to make tender pasta. This is because al dente pasta can soak up all of the dressing.
• Keep this classic macaroni salad covered in the fridge for up to 3 days. If transporting this salad during the summer, it’s a great idea to put it in a bowl and tightly cover it. Then, put it in a cooler with ice so it stays cool. You can also keep it in an airtight container. Remember not to keep it out at room temperature for too long.
• DO NOT freeze chicken macaroni salad. Mayo doesn’t freeze well and will separate and become oily once it thaws.

Variations For Chicken Macaroni Salad Recipe

Make macaroni salad your own by trying the following variations and add-ins.

• Protein Type: Include diced ham, bacon, or tuna with chicken or in its place.
• More Veggies: For instance, add peas, red bell peppers, and yellow or green bell peppers. You can also add corn, shredded carrots, or sliced jalapenos!
• Cheese: Add cheddar cheese cubes or shredded cheese.
• Herbs: Add green onions, cilantro, or parsley.

Substitutions

• Vinegar: Although I suggest using the lemon juice, you can always substitute it with another acidic ingredient, like white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar to give the salad some tang.
• Relish: Instead of sweet pickle relish, you can use chopped dill pickles or dill pickle relish instead, which has a less sweet flavor.
• Salt and Pepper: You can swap the black pepper with white pepper in a pinch. For the salt, you can use kosher or sea salt instead of table salt.
• Onions: In place of red onions, you can use shallots or yellow or white onions. They will just provide a slightly different flavor!
• Mustard: Yellow mustard or Dijon mustard both work.

Also, leave out any ingredients in the salad if you do not love them!

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