Chicken Salad Pasta Salad
Chicken salad pasta salad combines all your favorite chicken salad flavors with tender noodles for those times you want a pasta salad instead of a sandwich. This is a perfect make-ahead chilled lunch for a workweek and an excellent choice for a potluck party or shower.
My mom has a handful of go-to recipes our entire family clamors for. Her saucy pork and noodle bake is one of the all-time most popular recipes on my site.
So today I'm finally sharing her infamous chicken salad pasta salad, a dish she makes for our family to enjoy every summer during our annual trip to the beach.
As with all talented home cooks, mom is very particular about the ingredients and the method. When I called to ask for all the details to share here, I was floored to discover she uses a very specific method for cooking the chicken. All these years I've enjoyed her pasta salad and I had no idea why her chicken tasted better than mine! Just shows it's never too late to learn from your mom.
The chicken is so incredibly perfect in this recipe, I shared that as a separate recipe as well. You'll want to save this cubed chicken for salads method for all your chicken salad recipes from now on.
Why This is the Best Recipe
- Two Favorites, One Bowl: Love chicken salad? Love pasta salad? Why choose!
- Easy Meal Prep: This recipe holds up in the fridge for up to 4 days which makes it a great workweek option or an easy lunch to keep in the fridge when the kids are home for summer.
- Pantry Friendly: The short list of ingredients makes this a nice budget-friendly option for a quick fix.
Ingredients
- Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts: Often I recommend using a shredded rotisserie chicken for convenience, but making my cubed chicken is so easy and it adds a much better flavor and texture to this recipe.
- Miracle Whip: My mom would tell you this is essential. Miracle Whip has a more vinegary taste than classic mayonnaise. If you truly do not want to use it, you can see the easy substitution in the recipe card below.
- Rotini Pasta
- Celery
- Vidalia Onion: If it isn't Vidalia onion season, you can substitute a regular onion but I love the added sweetness Vidalias give!
- Kosher Salt & Pepper
Note: I used Parisian shallot herb blend to season my chicken. It adds a lovely flavor but isn't essential to the recipe. If you want to try it, you can get it shipped free if you order the flatpack.
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Cook the Chicken
To make perfect, firm but tender chicken chunks for this recipe, use my dry poaching method.
The full instructions are in the recipe card below or you can see the full step by step photos at the cubed chicken for salads recipe here.
Let the chicken cool completely before adding to the pasta salad.
Prep the Pasta Salad
Finely chop the onion and dice the celery. You want to add crunch without too-big chunks in the mix.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta for the lowest time listed on the package.
In fact, if you are prepping the pasta salad the day before, you may even want to cook it for just 30 seconds shy of the lowest time so it remains extra-firm.
This leaves room for the noodles to soften as they absorb the dressing and prevents them from getting a mushy texture.
Drain the pasta and immediately rinse in cold water to stop the cooking. Add the pasta to a large mixing bowl.
Add the chopped chicken, celery, and onion.
Add the Miracle Whip (or substitute) to the bowl and gently fold it in. Start with just 1 cup and then add more as needed to achieve the texture you desire.
Remember, you can always add more but you can't take it out!
Chill
Cover the pasta salad and chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour before serving to allow the flavors to mingle.
Make Ahead Tips
You can prep the chicken pasta salad up to 4 days in advance and store it in an airtight container. Be sure to stir it up before serving as the juices will begin to settle in the storage container as it sits.
If the pasta absorbs too much of the dressing, you can add a dollop of Miracle Whip and stir it in just before serving.
Variations
- Cooked Turkey: This would make a great way to use up leftover turkey from a holiday dinner.
- Add Extras: You could stir in halved grapes, chopped pecans, or even shredded carrots for more flavor. Whatever you like in your regular chicken salads would taste great here.
- Substitute the Miracle Whip: If you really don't want to use the Miracle Whip, you could use mayonnaise with white vinegar, a pinch of sugar, and a dash of mustard powder. See the recipe card below for quantities.
Serving Suggestions
My family enjoys my mom's chicken salad pasta salad during our annual beach vacation as an easy chilled lunch on hot summer days. We eat it all by itself!
If you want to round out the menu a little more, you could serve it with a bed of salad greens, scoop it into lettuce wraps, or add simple fruit side dishes like a bowl of grapes or strawberries.
This is a perfect potluck party recipe to serve as a side dish or a main dish on a buffet table. It is also elegant enough to be used for baby or bridal showers or any ladies' luncheon!
More Chicken Salad Recipes
If you love chicken salads, you'll love these fun variations:
📖 Recipe
Chicken Salad Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 tablespoon Parisian shallot herb blend see notes for substitute
- 1 pound rotini pasta
- 3 celery stalks finely diced
- 1/4 Vidalia onion finely diced
- 1 1/2 cup Miracle Whip see notes for substitute
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions Start Cooking
Prepare the Cooked Chicken:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the chicken in an 8x8-inch baking dish. Sprinkle the seasoning evenly over both sides of the chicken and then cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil.
- Bake the chicken for 60 minutes or until it registers 165°F at the thickest part of the meat. Set aside to cool completely.
Assemble the Pasta Salad:
- Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Cook the pasta for the lowest time listed on the package. Drain and quickly rinse in cold water to stop the cooking. Once the pasta has drained, pour it into a large mixing bowl.
- Cut the chicken into small bite-sized cubes. Add the cubed chicken, chopped celery and onions, and just 1 cup of the Miracle Whip to the mixing bowl. Gently fold everything together until well combined. Add as much of the remaining 1/2 cup of Miracle Whip needed to reach desired consistency, you may not need the entire quantity. Season with salt and pepper as desired.
- Cover the dish and chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour before serving. The chicken salad pasta salad will keep well in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Recipe Notes
Miracle Whip Substitution:
The biggest difference between Miracle Whip and regular mayonnaise is that Miracle Whip has vinegar in the mix. To use regular mayonnaise in this recipe, you'll want to whisk together the following ingredients:- 1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
- 1 1/2 tablespoons white vinegar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
- Dash of dried mustard powder
Seasoning Substitute:
I love the convenience of having this Parisian shallot herb blend in my pantry but if you prefer to use spices you already have on hand you can substitute:- 2 teaspoons dried chives
- 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1/4 teaspoon dried onion
- 1/4 teaspoon dried dill
- 1/4 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 bay leaf -- just place this on the bottom of the baking dish while baking the chicken and then discard before you chop the cooked chicken
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