Chicken Pasta Salad Recipe with Creamy Dressing
This chicken pasta salad recipe can be served as a main dish, or you can remove the chicken and serve it as a side dish. Its loaded with flavour, colour and loads of crunch. Its delish served cold on a warm day, even on a work day, and very popular at a potluck of barbeque. Such an easy chicken recipe idea for dinner.
You just can’t go wrong with any type of good pasta salad, and this chicken pasta recipe is hearty enough for dinner with loads of crunch, colour and flavour.
Pasta salad is a summer favorite for good reason. They are easy to make and can be made ahead and kept until needed.
Chicken Pasta Salad Ingredients
2 cups chicken in cubes
6 cups cooked rotini pasta
4 oz chorizo saugage, or salami chopped fine
1/2 cup cheddar cheese cubed
1 1/2 cups whole green grapes (cut for children)
1 red pepper cut in small squares
3 green onions sliced
2 stalk celery chopped finely chopped
Substitution Ideas
This salad is the best for using up leftover rotisserie chicken, so I often make it when I just want something quick and easy. I love it with the sweetness of the green grapes, but if your out of something and just want to feed your family without having to shop, here are some substitutions you can use instead.
Rotini Pasta- Penne, Shell pasta or Bowtie pasta works.
Chorizo Sausage – Cubed salami, or ham.
Cheddar Cheese – The recipe uses white cheddar but any cheddar cheese, or mozzarella cheese is good as well.
Red Pepper – I use red peppers for their colour, but green, yellow or orange works.
Green Onions – Green onions can be substituted for red onion, I wouldn’t use regular onion because of the grapes.
Celery – In a pinch you can substitute celery for peas, or finely chopped brocolli
Grapes – This is what makes this recipe unique, but again if you don’t have grapes you can use cherry tomatoes,
Creamy Salad Dressing
1/2 cup sour cream or plain yogurt
1/2 cup real mayonaise
1 1/2 tsp dijon mustard
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp dill weed
Pepper to taste
1 tsp sugar
Chicken Pasta Salad Instruction
Boil a large pot of water, a tsp of olive oil, and a sprinkle of salt. Once boiling add 3 cups of rotini, return to boil, let boil uncovered for about 7 minutes or until “al dente”, stir occasionally to prevent sticking. Once cooked rinse and strain. Place into a large mixing bowl.
Cut leftover or rotisserie chicken into cubes. Set aside in the fridge.
Cut chorizo sausage into small cubes. Add to bowl.
Wash the green grapes and dry well. I heard green grapes can be a chocking hazard for children. If serving kids make sure to cut your grapes in half first.
Wash and chop the red pepper, green onions, celery. Add to the bowl. Toss well.
Make the Creamy Salad Dressing
Add all the salad dressing ingredients into a medium size bowl. If you want to cut the fat content, use lower fat mayonaise and sour cream, or replace the sour cream with plain yogurt. Whip together really well and taste. Add more salt, and pepper if needed.
Drizzle the salad dressing over the chicken pasta salad, then toss to coat. Serve cold.
Storing Chicken Pasta Salad
As this simple pasta salad contains chicken it keeps 2-3 days stored in an air tight container in the fridge.
If you want to watch this grandmother casually make this chicken pasta salad I made a video.
This chicken pasta is the ultimate easy summer meal, my entire family loves this recipe and you can’t go wrong with the classic combination of chicken, fresh veggies and pasta.
Creamy Pasta Salad with Chicken
Ingredients
Chicken Salad Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked chicken cut in small cubes
- 6 cups cooked rotini pasta
- 4 oz chorizo sausage chopped fine
- ½ cup cheddar cheese cut in small cubes
- 1 1/2 cups green grapes cut in half for children
- 1 red pepper chopped in small pieces
- 3 green onions sliced
- 2 stalks celery finely chopped
Creamy Salad Dressing
- ½ cup sour cream or plain yogurt
- ½ cup real mayonaise
- 1 ½ tsp dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp sugar
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp dill weed
- pepper to taste
Instructions
Preparation
- Boil 3 cups of rotini in a large pot of boiling water boil about 7 minutes stirring occasionally, until done. Rinse, drain, let cool.
- Cut up cooked chicken into small cubes.
- Wash the grapes, red pepper, green onions, and celery.
- Half the green grapes if needed. Cut up the chorizo cheddar, red pepper, green onions and celery. Set aside.
Creamy Salad Dressing
- In a small bowl mix together all the salad dressing ingredients. Whip together well. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Making the Salad
- In a large bowl add the chicken, rotini, chorizo, cheddar cheese, grapes and vegetables. Toss.
- Drizzle the dressing over the pasta salad, toss to coat. Place in fridge to chill.
Storing Chicken Pasta Salad
- As this simple pasta salad contains chicken it lasts 2-3 days when stored in an air tight container in the fridge.