Chicken Macaroni Salad

Looking for a simple and tasty dish for your next potluck or gathering? Try this easy chicken macaroni salad recipe with pasta, chicken, peas, carrots, cheese tossed in a creamy dressing. It will impress your guests and have them begging for more.

Looking for a great summer pasta salad? This delicious chicken macaroni salad is super simple and goes well with all of your cookout favorites! Whether you’re making rodeo burgers or sausage and shrimp kabobs, you’ll need some yummy side dishes to go with it. Whip up a cold chicken macaroni salad, and then you’re ready to eat!

I love to bring pasta salad to parties and potlucks too. They’re easy to prep ahead of time and it’s a crowd pleaser too. Next time you’re planning a big meal or a fun party, put this chicken macaroni pasta salad on the menu. It’s guaranteed to be a hit!

Why You’ll Love this Chicken Macaroni Salad

• This simple recipe is a fabulous way to use leftover chicken. I love to repurpose leftovers and turn them into something new!
• Prep this dish in 10 minutes. Then just pop it into the fridge to chill and serve whenever you’re ready.
• Easily customize your pasta salad to include different ingredients, extra veggies, or fun flavors. You can make this dish all your own!

Ingredients for Chicken Macaroni Pasta Salad

• Macaroni – You will need elbow macaroni noodles for this recipe. If you don’t have those on hand, you can use penne pasta, rotini, or any other small pasta.
• Frozen peas – Frozen peas work best in this recipe because they won’t get mushy!
• Shredded carrots – Buy pre-shredded carrots at the grocery store or shred your own fresh carrots.
• Light mayonnaise – You can use full fat mayo if that is what you have on hand. I prefer to use light mayo to help lower the calorie count and fat content a bit!
• Shredded chicken – My recipe for Instant Pot shredded chicken would be super useful here. You can also make slow cooker shredded chicken if that’s more your thing.
• Hard boiled eggs – Make some hard boiled eggs and then dice ’em up to use in this pasta salad.
• Yellow mustard – A little bit of yellow mustard adds a delicious tang to this macaroni salad.
• Cheddar cheese – Purchase the cubes of cheddar cheese, or buy a block of cheese and chop it up!
• Garlic powder – A little dash of garlic powder adds so much flavor to this delicious recipe.
• Salt and black pepper – Season this chicken macaroni salad with a bit of salt and black pepper.

How to Make Chicken Macaroni Salad

Cook the macaroni according to package instructions. Once cooked al dente, drain the water and rinse under cold water.

Add the cooled macaroni, peas, carrots, cheese and chicken to a large mixing bowl. Then add the mayo, salt, pepper, mustard and garlic powder to a separate mixing bowl.

Mix the mayo mixture until well combined and then pour it over the pasta mixture. Carefully fold the ingredients together until the pasta mixture is fully coated.

Add the diced eggs and mix gently.

Cover the bowl tightly in plastic wrap and then chill in the fridge for at least one hour. Once chilled, serve and enjoy!

Add-Ins for Macaroni Salad

There are tons of delicious things you can add to this easy chicken:

• diced red onion or yellow onion
• celery
• pickles or pickle relish
• diced bell peppers
• bacon bits
• cucumber
• zucchini

How to Store Leftover Chicken Macaroni Salad

Transfer leftovers to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. I do not recommend freezing any leftovers.

What causes macaroni salad to get watery?

If you end up with pasta salad that is super watery, chances are you didn’t drain the pasta well enough. It is also important that you do not use too many watery vegetables like cucumber or tomatoes.

How do you keep macaroni salad from absorbing mayonnaise?

Once the noodles are done cooking, it is important to run the pasta under cold water to cool it off. Then place it in the refrigerator to cool it down completely. After it’s cooled the mix your dressing and macaroni together. A cooled macaroni will absorb the mayonnaise slower.

Can I substitute mayo in chicken macaroni salad?

Not a fan of mayonnaise? You can reduce the amount you use! Split it in half and use half mayo, half Greek yogurt. The flavor will be just a touch different

What to Serve with Chicken Macaroni Salad

Pair this protein packed salad with main dishes like baked ribs, chicken wings, and juicy hamburgers. It’d be great with parmesan crusted pork chops and parmesan crusted tilapia too.

It always goes great with side dishes like dinner rolls and ambrosia salad too!

This creamy, crunchy, flavorful salad is a go-to recipe for the summer! You’re gonna love it!

More Pasta Salad Recipes You’ll Love!

• This easy Spaghetti Salad is another really great pasta salad recipe for the summer time.
• Make Pesto Pasta Salad when you want something extra flavorful but still really easy to make.
• Italian Pasta Salad is the classic that everyone knows and loves. Great for parties and potlucks!
• This Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad combines the tasty parts of a leafy green Caesar salad and a yummy pasta salad and puts them together in one great dish!