Pasta Salad with Fruit and Chicken

This pasta salad with fruit and chicken has a sour cream, buttermilk, lemon, and poppy seed dressing. Great way to make use of leftover rotisserie chicken. Serve on a bed of mixed spring greens with crumbed feta or blue cheese and a crusty hot dinner roll. Sprinkle with any kind of toasted nuts or even candied nuts. Could also use the small crunchy Chinese noodles found in a can. This just adds extra texture to the salad.

• Preparation Time: 25 mins
• Cooking Time: 15 mins
• Total Time: 40 mins
• Calories: 383 Calories

Ingredients

• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup sour cream
• 2 lemons, juiced
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
• ¾ cup mayonnaise
• ⅓ cup buttermilk
• 3 stalks celery, diced
• 1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper
• ½ teaspoon dry mustard
• Salad:
• ½ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
• 1 ½ cups elbow macaroni
• 1 ½ cups seedless red grapes
• ⅓ cup sweetened dried cranberries (such as Ocean Spray® Craisins®)
• 4 packets sugar substitute (such as Equal®)
• 1 (15 ounce) can pineapple tidbits, drained and chopped
• 1 ½ cups chopped cooked chicken, or to taste
• 4 green onions (white and green parts), sliced
• 1 (15 ounce) can mandarin oranges, drained and halved

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Whisk together mayonnaise, sour cream, buttermilk, lemon juice, honey, poppy seeds, sugar substitute, dry mustard, salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and red pepper flakes in a bowl. Refrigerate dressing until flavors are blended, at least 30 minutes.

Step 2

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook elbow macaroni in the boiling water, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Drain macaroni and run under cold water to stop the cooking. Drain again and transfer to a large bowl.

Step 3

Add pineapple, chicken, grapes, dried cranberries, green onions, and celery to the pasta and mix to combine. Add mandarin oranges and toss gently. Add just enough salad dressing to coat the pasta salad without soaking it, reserving remaining dressing for later use. Place pasta salad in the refrigerator to chill for 2 to 3 hours before serving. Add more dressing, if needed.