This yummy Pineapple Chicken Salad is a welcome twist on the more standard salads typically served at baby showers. It’s chock-full of delicious fruits, which pair nicely with the savory chicken and pasta, giving this salad a refreshingly sweet flavor your guests will certainly appreciate.

Pineapple Chicken Pasta Salad

As with most pasta salad recipes, this chicken salad benefits from sitting a while (covered, in your refrigerator) after it’s all combined to let the flavors mingle a bit. If you don’t have time to prepare your salad ahead of time, don’t worry! It will still be perfectly delicious if served immediately after the dressing is mixed in.

1 ½ lb (3 cups) cooked, shredded chicken

1 lb rotini pasta, cooked al dente, and chilled

1 green onion, diced

2 celery ribs, diced

1 (20 oz) can pineapple tidbits, drained, juice reserved

2 cups grapes, halved

 

Dressing:

2 cups mayonnaise

¼ cup reserved pineapple juice

1 cup heavy whipping cream

¼ cup granulated sugar

¼ cup Dijon mustard

3 Tbsp white vinegar

2 tsp poppy seeds

2 tsp sesame seeds

½ cup dried cranberries or cherries

In a large bowl, combine the salad ingredients, mixing until well-combined. Set aside. In a small bowl, whisk together all of the dressing ingredients until well-combined. Toss the dressing with the mixed salad ingredients and refrigerate at least 1 hour, or until you are ready to serve.

Enjoy!

Posted by Shannon, a Dot-arilla blogger