chicken pasta salad

if there are two things that are always a hit in my house, they are chicken and pasta. they seem to go hand in hand. and what better and easier way to put them together than to combine them in a salad?

here are just a few of our favorite favorite ways to combine chicken and pasta into yummy salads we all love:

asian chicken salad with homemade sesame dressing

chicken & bacon pasta salad with homemade dressing

chicken salad sandwiches

(ok, so the chicken salad sandwiches don’t have any pasta in them, but they’re chicken + salad nonetheless!)

here’s a new one for you: chicken and pasta salad with fruit and vegetables and homemade dressing…yes, you can sneak vegetables into your kids salads, and with this one you can be sure they won’t be complaining! the whole salad is creamy, and crunchy, and sweet, and salty, and just all around one of my kids favorites! it’s perfect for lunchtime.

do your kids love all of these things? (mine sure do!!) :: pasta, chicken, cashews, craisins, green onions, mandarin oranges, celery, red grapes, and pineapple. can you see where the sweet comes from? the salty? the crunchy?

then it’s time to add the incredibly easy dressing: just bottled cole slaw dressing and mayo. that’s it. mix the whole salad together and let it sit in the fridge for a little bit before serving. it is so refreshing!

and not only do my kids love it, but my husband loves it too, which makes it a win-win in my book!

do you want to try this salad out? you’ll love it because it’s so easy to put together, your kids will love it because it has a lot of things they probably already like eating, and your husband will love it because it just tastes so good!

here’s the recipe!

chicken pasta salad

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• Author: kate
• Total Time: 10 mins
• Yield: 8-10 1x

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Ingredients

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• 1/2 package (6oz) bowtie pasta
• 1/2 package (6oz) spiral pasta
• 1 small can pineapple tidbits
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 2 green onions, sliced
• 1/2 package craisins
• 1/2 can cashews
• 1/2 cup red grapes, halved
• 1 small can mandarin oranges
• 2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
• 1/2 bottle (8oz) cole slaw dressing
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise

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Instructions

1. cook the pasta according to package directions. drain, rinse under cold water, drain again.
2. in a small bowl, combine the cole slaw dressing and mayo. combine the remaining ingredients in a large bowl and pour the dressing over top. mix everything together and refrigerate for at least 1/2 an hour.
3. note: my family uses the amounts i‘ve posted above (and you’ll notice they’re not exactly precise – add more or less of whatever you like!), and that’s because it makes a lot of salad. but feel free to double it if you have a large group to feed!

• Prep Time: 10 mins