Description
Refreshing tropical chicken pasta salad combines Caribbean-inspired flavors with zesty ingredients. Crisp vegetables, grilled chicken, and tangy dressing create a light meal you’ll crave on warm summer days.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 cups (480 grams) chicken, cooked and diced
- 16 oz (454 grams) rotini pasta
- 1 cup (150 grams) grapes, halved
- 1 can (15 oz or 425 grams) pineapple tidbits, drained
- 1 can (15 oz or 425 grams) mandarin oranges, drained
- 1 cup (100 grams) celery, diced
- ½ cup (75 grams) dried cranberries
- ¼ cup (30 grams) slivered almonds
- ¼ cup (25 grams) green onions, sliced
Instructions
- Dressing Preparation: Vigorously whisk mayonnaise, Bon Appetit seasoning, sugar, celery salt, onion powder, cider vinegar, salt, and pepper in a compact bowl until achieving a silky, homogeneous consistency. Refrigerate to allow flavor infusion.
- Pasta and Protein Processing: Cook rotini to perfect al dente texture, then swiftly cool by thoroughly draining and rinsing with cold water. Simultaneously, prepare chicken by dicing or shredding into uniform pieces.
- Ingredient Fusion: In a generously sized mixing vessel, artfully combine cooled pasta, prepared chicken, pineapple tidbits, mandarin orange segments, halved grapes, slivered almonds, green onions, chopped celery, and dried cranberries into a vibrant medley.
- Final Assembly: Retrieve chilled dressing and cascade over the pasta mixture, employing a gentle folding technique to ensure comprehensive coating while preserving the delicate ingredients’ integrity. Distribute almonds or fresh herbs as an optional garnish.
- Serving Recommendation: Chill thoroughly before serving, ideally within a 1-2 hour window to maximize flavor complexity and maintain optimal texture. Present cold for a refreshing tropical culinary experience.
Notes
- Chill Thoroughly: Refrigerate the dressing for at least 30 minutes to enhance flavor complexity and allow seasoning ingredients to blend seamlessly.
- Pasta Cooling Technique: Rinse pasta immediately with cold water to prevent overcooking and stop the cooking process, ensuring a perfect al dente texture.
- Gentle Mixing Method: Fold ingredients softly to prevent breaking delicate components like mandarin oranges and grapes, maintaining the salad’s structural integrity.
- Serve Fresh: Consume within 1-2 hours of preparation to preserve optimal taste, texture, and prevent ingredient breakdown or soggy consistency.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Lunch, Dinner, Snacks
- Method: Boiling
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 7
- Calories: 350
- Sugar: 15 g
- Sodium: 220 mg
- Fat: 10 g
- Saturated Fat: 1 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 50 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 12 g
- Cholesterol: 45 mg