It's the perfect cold pasta salad for a light summer dinner, a potluck, or meal-prepping your lunches for the week. No rotisserie chicken on hand? Leftover chicken, turkey or holiday ham work just as well.
This Rotisserie Chicken Macaroni Salad is one of my go-to make-ahead lunches. Creamy, crunchy, and ready in about 30 minutes with a store-bought rotisserie chicken doing most of the work.
Recipe Ingredients
- Rotisserie Chicken - I prefer breast meat in this recipe, but thigh meat works too. Leftover turkey or ham are great swaps if that's what you have on hand.
- Elbow Macaroni - My favorite pasta shape for macaroni salad since it holds the dressing well, but shells and ditalini work too.
- Red Onion - Adds a sharp, peppery bite that balances the richness of the mayo. If it's too strong for you, swap in green onion or leave it out.
- Celery - Purely here for crunch and texture against the creamy dressing.
- Shredded Cheese - Adds a sharp, savory bite that rounds out the creaminess. Sharp or medium cheddar both work well.
- Mayonnaise - The base of the creamy dressing that holds everything together. You can also use non-fat plain Greek yogurt in place of, or alongside, the mayonnaise. It adds a bit of protein and can cut down on the fat in this recipe.
- Dill Pickle Relish - Adds tang and a little sweetness to the dressing. Sometimes, instead of prepared relish, I'll chop up dill pickles and add a bit of the pickle juice instead.
- Lemon Juice - Optional, but the acidity brightens the dish and cuts through the richness of the mayo. About ½ a lemon is all you need.
- Parsley - Adds a fresh, herby contrast to the rich, creamy salad and a nice pop of color.
Step-by-Step Recipe Directions
Cook the macaroni in salted water as per the package directions. Drain and let it cool completely. Adding warm pasta to the dressing will thin it out and make the salad greasy, so don't skip the cooling step.
While the pasta is cooling, chop the onion and celery, cube the chicken, and chop the parsley. Getting this done while the macaroni cools keeps the whole process to about 30 minutes.
Make the dressing first by mixing the mayonnaise, dill pickle relish, lemon juice, onion, celery, parsley, salt, and pepper together in a large mixing bowl. Taste and adjust the seasoning here, it's much easier to get the balance right before the chicken and macaroni are in the bowl.
Fold in the chicken and cheese. Stir until everything is coated.
Next, add the cooled macaroni then taste and adjust the salt and pepper one more time if needed. Add a little extra mayo here if you like your salad extra creamy.
Chill before serving, if you can. This salad tastes best after 30 minutes or so in the fridge to give the flavors time to meld together. That also makes it a great make-ahead option for lunches or a potluck.
This is one of those recipes that's actually better made ahead. Mix it the night before and let it chill in the fridge so the flavors have time to come together.
Stored in a covered container, it will keep well for 3 to 4 days.
Any cooked, cubed chicken works, or use up leftover turkey or ham. This recipe is a great way to repurpose holiday leftovers.
It's optional, but I like adding a little lemon juice to brighten the dish and cut through the richness of the mayo.
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Storage and Make Ahead
This salad is a great make-ahead option. I think it tastes even better the next day once the flavors have had time to meld. Make it the night before your potluck, lunch, or dinner, then just give it a stir before serving.
Store leftovers in a covered container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
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Complete Recipe
Chicken Macaroni Salad made with Rotisserie Chicken
Ingredients
- 8 ounces Elbow Macaroni
- 2 cups Rotisserie Chicken cubed
- 1 cup Cheddar Cheese sharp, shredded
- ¾ cup Mayonnaise more if needed
- 3 tablespoons Dill Pickle Relish
- ½ Lemon juiced, optional
- ½ cup Celery chopped
- ½ cup Red Onion chopped
- ¾ teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon Pepper
- 2 tablespoons Fresh Parsley
Instructions
- Cook the elbow macaroni in salted water, per package instructions, drain and set aside to cool.
- Chop the onion and celery. Cube the chicken. Chop or hand shred the parsley.
- Mix the mayonnaise, dill pickle relish, lemon juice if using, onion, celery parsley, salt, and pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.
- Add the cubed chicken, shredded cheddar cheese, and cooked macaroni. Stir well and adjust salt and pepper again if necessary. Add more mayo if you desire.
- Cover, and place in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes for best flavor.
Renee says
My family loves pasta. I made this for a family luncheon after church. It tasted fantastic!
I doubled the recipe because there were supposed to be around 50 people. It was gone by the end. It was given a high praise. This is definitely a keeper. And will use it again. Great recipe.
Judy says
I enjoyed the blog and look forward to trying the recipes keep them coming they look good enough to eat.
cookthisagainmom says
Thank you!