Chipotle Chicken Quinoa Macaroni Salad

Forget about carb loaded potato salads, this easy macaroni salad is always hit at July 4th barbecues. The best part about it is that it is way healthier than your classic macaroni salad. Using quinoa macaroni shells and Sir Kensington’s Chipotle mayonnaise (which has 33% less saturated fats than regular mayo), this recipe puts a tasty and fit spin on an old favorite.

It’s so simple and easy to make and can be prepared ahead of time. Juicy pieces of chicken breast, tender macaroni, some crisp diced red onions, and chipotle peppers, and creamy Chipotle mayo, goat cheese, Greek yogurt based dressing tossed and chilled makes for a hearty side to pulled pork or baked beans. If you are not sure about how to cook the quinoa macaroni, testing often will help stop it from overcooking. Run it under cold water to prevent it from cooking more due to the residual heat. Make sure you drain the shells well, as the extra liquid can cause the salad to become too thin.

Recipe Variations

You can mix it up a little by using sun-dried tomatoes and roasted red peppers instead of fresh and low-fat sour cream in place of the Greek yogurt. For those who like it extra spicy, some chopped jalapenos will kick the heat up a notch. If you have leftover grilled chicken, this is the perfect pasta salad recipe to use it all up, or you can make tuna macaroni salad instead. Portion it out for the next week’s lunch or for those post-workout meals where you need to repair your muscles and replenish your energy. Add some hard-boiled eggs for an extra protein boost!

This particular recipe is easy to make and incorporates one of my new favorite products, Sir Kensington’s chipotle mayonnaise.  It has 33% less saturated fats than other mayonnaise and all the ingredients are natural and non-GMO. Plus, it’s very flavorful so really there’s no need to add other condiments and seasonings. Trust me – you will be in love at first bite!

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