Leftover chicken macaroni salad. An easy to make delicious low-cost creamy pasta salad. Perfect as a busy weeknight meal or as a side.
This tasty chicken macaroni salad is made with leftover roast chicken, macaroni and a low calorie mayonnaise base.
Don't worry if you don't have any leftover roast chicken I've got you covered in the FAQ's section below for how to make shredded chicken from a boneless chicken breast.
And if you're looking for a leftover chicken salad recipe without pasta then check out my leftover roast chicken salad!
This easy pasta salad recipe is very customisable too. It uses simple ingredients to create the creamy dressing.
Then you can pretty much put in whatever salad ingredients you can get your hands on.
You can have this salad for any meal you like.
I often make packed lunches from this recipe. Any leftovers can be used up as a side dish with whatever we're having for dinner as our main dish as well.
Pasta salads are often the best quick to make comfort foods.
This easy chicken macaroni salad recipe takes only 30 minutes to make and serve.
You can also used canned chicken or any other kind of leftover cooked chicken for this recipe. I just prefer to use up any chicken from our Sunday roast for the best result.
As you know nothing goes to waste in this household. Especially with the cost of living increases.
This classic chicken macaroni salad is a great option as a budget friendly recipe.
And if you're looking for other pasta salad ideas then check out my other favorite pasta salads below!
Jump to:
Ingredients
- Low Fat Mayonnaise
- Dijon Mustard
- White Wine Vinegar
- Macaroni
- Cooked Shredded Chicken
- Yellow Pepper
- Red Onion
- Cherry Tomatoes
- Spring Onions
- Rocket (Arugula)
- Salt And Freshly Ground Black Pepper
See recipe card for quantities.
How To Make Chicken Macaroni Salad
Detailed instructions are in the recipe card below. But here is a quick step by step guide of how to make leftover chicken macaroni salad:
Step 1
- Make salad dressing.
Step 2
- Cook pasta and drain.
Step 3
- Place salad ingredients into a large bowl.
Step 4
- Combine dressing, cooked macaroni and all salad ingredients together in large mixing bowl.
Step 4 cont.
- Season to taste and serve.
Substitutions
- Low Fat Mayonnaise - use full fat if you want but it will change the nutritional values.
- Dijon Mustard
- White Wine Vinegar - you could use apple cider vinegar instead.
- Macaroni - I use elbow macaroni.
- Cooked Shredded Chicken - substitute with a can of tuna to make tuna macaroni salad instead.
- Yellow Pepper - use a red bell pepper or green bell peppers if you want.
- Red Onion - use a small green onion if you want.
- Cherry Tomatoes
- Spring Onions
- Rocket (Arugula) - I like rocket for the peppery taste. Feel free to substitute with whatever lettuce you like.
- Salt And Freshly Ground Black Pepper
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FAQ's
How To Make Chicken Macaroni Salad Without Leftover Roast Chicken?
- Place a large skinless chicken breast into a saucepan of 450ml chicken stock.
- Bring to the boil then reduce heat to simmering.
- Let the chicken simmer until cooked through. About 10 minutes.
- Remove the chicken, place it on a chopping board and shred it using two forks.
How Many Days Will Chicken Salad Keep?
Up to 3 days in the fridge kept in an airtight container.
Can You Freeze Chicken Macaroni Salad?
No. This is not a recipe that I would recommend freezing as it wll become all watery on defrosting.
Other Popular Pasta Salads For You To Enjoy
- Tuna pasta and sweetcorn salad makes for a perfect quick healthy meal. Made with a low calorie dressing and packed with delicious fresh salad ingredients its also great as a packed lunch option too.
- Salmon macaroni salad is an easy and delicious to make fish pasta salad recipe. Made in just 20 minutes it serves four and is perfect as a lunch or dinner option!
- Honey mustard turkey pasta salad uses a really simple dressing which adds a whole lot of flavour to this recipe and it’s one that is versatile enough for you to use in your own pasta salad recipes too!
Leftover Chicken Macaroni Salad Recipe
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Equipment
Ingredients
Dressing
- 8 tablespoon low fat mayonnaise
- 3 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
Salad
- 220 g macaroni
- 150 g cooked shredded chicken
- ¼ yellow Pepper finely chopped
- ½ small red onion finely chopped
- 12 cherry tomatoes halved
- 4 spring onions chopped
- 60 g rocket
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to season
Instructions
Dressing
- Add all the dressing ingredients into a small Pyrex bowl and whisk until combined. Set aside.
Salad
- Cook the pasta as per the packet instructions, drain, rinse under cold water and set aside to cool.
- While the pasta is cooking prepare and place the rest of the salad ingredients into a large mixing bowl.
- Add cooled macaroni to large mixing bowl, pour over the dressing and toss well together. Season to taste and serve.
Nutrition
Nutrition Label
Nutritional information provided below is calculated using paid for online tools and the exact ingredients and quantities used above.
Rate The Recipe
If you’ve made this chicken macaroni salad recipe, or any other recipes on Neil's Healthy Meals, then please let me know.
I’d love to hear what you think of my recipe in the comments below and please do rate my recipe 5* if you like it! 🙂
Charlie DeSando
Neil, perfect use of leftovers. Very creative and quite tasty
Neil
Thanks Charlie. I love making maximum use of leftovers!
David @ Spiced
What a great way to repurpose leftovers, Neil! We often keep bags of roasted, chopped chicken in the freezer just for easy recipes like this one. I love pasta salads once we hit the warmer days of summer, and I definitely want to make a batch of this mac salad!
Neil
That's exactly what this salad is for David. I was thinking about summer and pasta salads for picnics. Hope you get a chance to make this!
Linger, Kristy Murray
What a perfect pasta salad for a Memorial day celebration cookout. I love simple recipes that have both depths of flavors and texture which this chicken macaroni salad definitely incorporates. And what a great way to use leftover chicken. Summertime is such a wonderful "pasta salad" season. Looking forward to trying out your recipe. Thanks so much for sharing.
Neil
It would make a great pasta salad for Memorial day for you Kirsty. Hope you get a chance to make it and thanks for taking the time to rate and comment on my recipes!
Michelle
We've always got leftover macaroni but never thought to turn it into salad -- what a great idea! Will have to make this the next time I've got leftovers!
Neil
I always make too much pasta as well Michelle so yeah this is a great way to use it up. Delicious incorporated with the chicken. 🙂
Raymund
Such a great recipe to use leftover roast chicken, we always have the breasts as a leftover and this is a perfect way to revive them. Thanks!
Neil
Thanks Raymund. I actually think that I prefer roast chicken the day after when it is cold and perfect for leftover chicken recipes like this. Ha ha!
Chef Mimi
Love this! Certainly a great way to use leftover chicken. Even leftover pasta! Love the arugula in this.
Neil
Thanks Mimi. Yes the argula gives the salad a lovely peppery taste in the background. It's not too overpowering though.