Happy Thursday, friends!
We are chatting all things SUMMER CHIC today and isn’t it oh so chic to have a pasta salad for lunch or dinner during the summer? I think so 🙂 .
My CHICKEN CRANBERRY PASTA SALAD is full of color, flavor and crunch. Plus, I made it easy by using a store-bought rotisserie chicken. And just like any other pasta salad, the earlier you make it, the better it is.
A make ahead, colorful, light meal from the fridge is oh so perfect for your summer season (and a little chic too!).
Enjoy!
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Chicken Cranberry Pasta Salad
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
Description
My CHICKEN CRANBERRY PASTA SALAD is full of color, flavor and crunch. Plus, I made it easy by using a store-bought rotisserie chicken. And just like any other pasta salad, the earlier you make it, the better it is. Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 1 pound of pasta, cooked to al dente and then cooled under cold water, drained and reserved
- 1 rotisserie chicken, shredded
- 1½ cups of dried cranberries (or more if you’d like!)
- 1½ cups of pecan pieces (or more if you’d like!)
- 8 green onions, chopped
- 1 cup of mayonnaise (maybe more depending on how much you like)
- about 2 tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- a big pinch of both salt and pepper
Instructions
- After you’ve cooked and cooled your pasta under cold water, drain it well and add it in a big mixing bowl.
- Next, add in your cranberries, pecans, and green onions.
- In a small bowl, whisk together your mayo, EVOO, sugar and a big pinch of both salt and pepper. Toss this with your other ingredients. At this point, you can add in more of anything if you feel like it needs a touch more (more mayo, more cranberries, etc).
- Cover and refrigerate at least four hours before serving. Toss it one more time before you serve.
Notes
This is easy to make gluten-free. Simply swap the pasta for a gf variety! Use as much (or as little) of each ingredient to make as much (or as little) as you would like. Easy!
Debbra Weber says
I’m going to try this salad for the weekend! It looks sooo good! I might try subbing Greek non-fat yogurt for the mayo for added protein and see how it tastes. Thank you for sharing!
Jennifer Henke says
Looks delicious! A little swap I’ve been making in my “salad” recipes is to use plain Greek yogurt instead of mayo. Less fat more protein!
Patty says
This sounds amazing! I don’t care for pecans, so I’ll add in slivered almonds and a bit of diced celery for added crunch.
Debra says
This looks so good – going to try this recipe
Just yesterday I made chicken salad sandwiches with cranberries and peppercini for lunch and thought pecans would be so good in this but I didn’t have any. My husband loved the sandwich. D
Karlee says
Shay, we are a strict no mayo family. Other than the Greek yogurt suggested above, what other options could be used? Cream cheese? Pesto?Help!
Mix and Match Mama says
Oh pesto would be delicious! The flavors would be different because the pesto would bring garlic into it, but the crunch and the tartness would be excellent with it.
Leslie Susan Clingan says
Oh, my, this sounds wonderful for our hot El Paso summer suppers. Will be making it in the next day or two. Thank you.
STEPHANIE HARRIS says
Shay! I have made this three times now. My daughter and I are obsessed with it. Thank you so much!!
Mix and Match Mama says
Well this makes me SO HAPPY! Thank you so much for sharing!!