Chicken Pasta Salad

Chicken salad is great and pasta salad is great, so why not go ahead and combine the two into one amazing side salad? That’s what we said. This Chicken Pasta Salad walks a fine line between protein salad and pasta salad, which really just means it’s the best of both worlds and the perfect thing to bring to any party or potluck. Just a few ingredients and a few minutes of your time and you’re well on your way to one creamy and delicious side. (But it’s a side you can certainly make a meal out of.)

This is a mayo-based salad just like chicken salad or macaroni salad so it’s plenty creamy, but the dressing isn’t all about creaminess. It’s also cut with a little apple cider vinegar and sugar which gives you a balance of sweetness and tang that keeps things from tasting too rich. Because here’s the thing – it’s a hearty salad. There’s not only pasta, there’s also shredded chicken, and cheddar cheese as well, and the aforementioned mayo, which is rich all on its own. It’s a side dish, sure, but it’s one that works equally well as a complete lunch.

You can use any pasta you like here, but I find that small works better – think shells, ditalini, macaroni… you get the drift. This is a great use for leftover rotisserie chicken and you can totally play around with the veggies involved. We’ve used celery and red onion but some broccoli, bell pepper, or even cherry tomatoes wouldn’t be amiss here.