Macaroni Salad With Chicken

Chicken Macaroni Salad is loaded with lean chicken, leafy spinach and lots of other veggies, and great for meal prep! Make a batch and eat it all through the week for convenient, satisfying meals.

This Chicken Macaroni Salad will be your new go to

Chicken macaroni salad doesn’t have to be just basic macaroni and mayonnaise that you add chicken to. It can be so much more than that.

Instead, let me convince you to make your macaroni salad with chicken in the style of a Cobb salad. Yes, that means adding all of the classic Cobb salad goodies like bacon, blue cheese, tomatoes and eggs.

Unlike most macaroni salad that is more of a supporting player, this recipe is a satisfying meal perfect for a summer dinner!

Chicken Macaroni Salad Recipe ingredients

• pasta – I like elbow macaroni here.
• Greek yogurt – one part of the creamy and tangy dressing, that also offers some protein, too.
• mayonnaise – adds richness to the dressing.
• buttermilk – thins the dressing and adds a subtle tanginess.
• yellow mustard – adds a tangy note to the dressing.
• red wine vinegar – contributes acidity to balance the richness of the dressing.
• garlic – infuses the dressing with a savory flavor.
• salt and pepper – helps all of the ingredients taste as great as they can!
• bacon – choose from bacon in the oven, turkey bacon in air fryer or turkey bacon in oven to cook it, and crumble it up.
• hard boiled eggs – adds protein and richness to the salad.
• celery – gives the pasta salad that classic crunch that can only be from celery!
• baby spinach – adds color, texture and nutrition.
• chicken – you’ll need 2 cups of cooked, chopped chicken. Cook a large chicken breast, or take some meat off a rotisserie chicken.
• grape tomatoes – contribute sweetness and color.
• blue cheese – adds that pungent flavor that Cobb salad is known for.
• red onion – adds a mild bite, as well as color.

How to make Chicken Macaroni Salad

1. PASTA. Cook the pasta according to its package directions. Drain the pasta, rinse it with cold water, and then drain again.
2. DRESSING. In a large bowl, whisk together the yogurt, mayonnaise, buttermilk, mustard, vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper. Divide the mixture in half and place half in a covered container and set it aside in the refrigerator.
3. TOSS AND CHILL. Add the cooked macaroni to the remaining half of the dressing and toss together. Transfer to the refrigerator for at least two hours.
4. ADD. Just before serving, add the bacon, eggs, celery, spinach, chicken, tomatoes, blue cheese, onion and reserved dressing to the macaroni and toss until well combined.

Macaroni Chicken Salad variations

• PASTA – You don’t have to use elbow macaroni. Any short shape of pasta will work.
• SOUR CREAM – Don’t have Greek yogurt? Use sour cream instead.
• GREENS – Instead of spinach, arugula or even chopped lettuce works well.
• CHEESE – Not a fan of blue cheese? Use crumbled feta or cubed cheddar or Monterey Jack instead.

How to serve Macaroni Salad with Chicken

Serve it as a cold, refreshing entree in the summer. It almost doesn’t even need a side dish, so maybe just whip up a batch of honey lemonade to go with it.

Or, serve smaller portions of it alongside grilled items like buttermilk chicken, juicy grilled pork chops or grilled zucchini spears.

How to store Macaroni and Chicken Salad

Store macaroni chicken salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Give everything a good stir before serving to redistribute the dressing.

Macaroni Chicken Salad Recipe FAQs

Macaroni and Chicken Salad

Author: Lori Yates

Yield: 8 servings

Prep: 25 minutes minutes

Cook: 10 minutes minutes

Total: 35 minutes minutes

Chicken Macaroni Salad is loaded with lean chicken, leafy spinach and lots of other veggies, and great for meal prep! Make a batch and eat it all through the week for convenient, satisfying meals.

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Ingredients

• ▢ 8 ounces elbow macaroni
• ▢ ⅓ cup Greek yogurt
• ▢ ⅓ cup mayonnaise
• ▢ 3 tablespoons buttermilk
• ▢ 1 ½ tablespoons yellow mustard
• ▢ 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• ▢ 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• ▢ ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• ▢ 4 slices oven baked bacon crumbled
• ▢ 3 hard-boiled eggs chopped
• ▢ 2 stalks celery chopped
• ▢ 3 cups lightly packed baby spinach
• ▢ 2 cups chopped cooked chicken
• ▢ ½ cup halved grape tomatoes
• ▢ ⅓ cup crumbled blue cheese
• ▢ ¼ cup finely chopped red onion

Instructions

• Heat large pot of salted water to boiling over high heat. Add macaroni and cook according to package directions for al dente. Drain pasta, rinse with cold water, and drain again.
• Meanwhile, in large bowl, whisk together yogurt, mayonnaise, buttermilk, mustard, vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper. Place half of dressing in small covered bowl and refrigerate until ready to serve salad.
• Add cooked macaroni to remaining dressing in large bowl and toss until well combined. For best flavor, cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours or up to 2 days before serving.
• Just before serving, add bacon, eggs, celery, spinach, chicken, tomatoes, blue cheese, onion and reserved dressing to macaroni and toss until well combined.

Notes

• Great for meal prep! Make a batch of this and eat it all through the week for convenient, satisfying meals.
• You can customize this to your taste as much as you want. Not a fan of blue cheese? Use feta or cheddar.

Calories: 340kcal, Carbohydrates: 24g, Protein: 21g, Fat: 17g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g, Monounsaturated Fat: 5g, Trans Fat: 0.03g, Cholesterol: 116mg, Sodium: 451mg, Potassium: 359mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 2g, Vitamin A: 1347IU, Vitamin C: 5mg, Calcium: 87mg, Iron: 1mg

This website provides estimated nutrition information as a courtesy only. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.

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