Storing TipsĬhicken macaroni salad recipe is much like all other pasta salads in that it gets better with age. Why? Doing this rehydrates the berries a bit, making them plumper and giving them a fuller, yummier flavor. If you don’t have a cocktail shaker, you can also use a food processor.Ĭranberry Rehydration: One tip you’ll see in the recipe below is to soak the dried cranberries.

Shake up that dressing: Believe it or not, when I make salad dressings, I go to my liquor cabinet - and grab my cocktail shaker! It’s so much easier to whip up yummy dressings by putting all the ingredients in the shaker and giving it a whirl. Still feeling lost? There’s a good step-by-step chicken walkthrough here! This also frees you up to use your hands (in rubber gloves) to break down your chicken, which I’ve always preferred - it lets you really get in there to make sure you get all the meat. No one wants to handle scalding hot meat. So if you, too, grab the wrong type at the store, throw it into your salad regardless! Cooking Tipsīutcher like a pro: Hate taking apart rotisserie chickens? Some tips I’ve picked up are, first of all, to thoroughly let your chicken cool.

Luckily, there isn’t *too* much different between them - walnuts have slightly higher protein, but both pecans and walnuts offer similar benefits. I cannot tell you how many times I come home from the grocery with the wrong pouch of those soft brown nuts. Nuts about NUTS: Confession time: I always get pecans and walnuts confused. But if French Mustard is still too mustardy for you, you can switch it out for the milder Yellow or Honey mustards. What’s the difference? Well, I did a bit of research, and French Mustard (also known as Dijon) has a stronger bite of heat, though not quite as intense as the straight-up Spicy mustards. There are about forty different types of mustard alone.

What’s in a Mustard? I don’t know about you, but I get a little intimidated when I go down the condiment aisle anymore. Poultry Seasoning: What even is poultry seasoning, you may ask? Typically, it’s a combination of nutmeg, thyme, marjoram, rosemary, and pepper - so if you don’t have any premixed poultry seasoning in your cupboard, whip up your own! But over the years, I’ve livened mine up with different textures and flavor profiles to give you a truly rounded chicken macaroni salad experience! Usually, a “base chicken pasta salad” recipe is fairly straightforward, with pasta, a mayo sauce, and chicken.

The right amount of crunch from celery and nuts.

Aside from it being crazy simple to make on my end, I’ve gotten a ton of rave comments over the years when I bring this dish to parties.

Chicken macaroni salad