Despite not being a fan of pasta salads, my partner is obsessed with this chicken pasta salad with poppy seed dressing. Leave off the spaghetti and put the chicken salad on bread or a sandwich roll for a delicious sandwich.
| Prep Time: | 15 mins |
| Cook Time: | 20 mins |
| Total Time: | 35 mins |
| Servings: | 6 |
Ingredients
- 2 cups fusilli (spiral) pasta
- 1 ½ cups cubed cooked chicken
- 6 tablespoons chopped onion
- ¼ cup dried cranberries
- ¼ cup chopped celery
- ¼ cup slivered almonds
- ½ cup poppy seed salad dressing
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook fusilli in the boiling water, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, about 12 minutes. Drain, rinse in cold water, and drain again.
- Toss pasta, chicken, onion, cranberries, celery, and almonds together in a salad bowl. Drizzle with poppy seed dressing and stir to coat.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 253 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 25 g |
| Cholesterol | 22 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 2 g |
| Protein | 9 g |
| Saturated Fat | 2 g |
| Sodium | 162 mg |
| Sugars | 9 g |
| Fat | 13 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
Ya know how some reviewers change every ingredient in a recipe and then give the recipe 1 star? Well, here’s just the opposite! I substituted several items and we still loved it. I don’t think you can mess this recipe up. My substitutions were green onions, canned chicken, green grapes and the addition of plain Greek yogurt to dilute the sweetness of the bottled poppy seed dressing. I toasted the almonds and used a healthy dose of pepper and salt. I served it on a bed of savory dressed spinach salad which somehow complimented the sweetness. Really an easy-peasy recipe with enough flavor to get my family going back for seconds! Thank you very much for the great recipe. I look forward to the next time I prepare this as I intend to have all the regular ingredients which will make it a more colorful salad as well!
I thought the directions about the pasta were a bit confusing & I’ve been cooking for decades. I used 2 cups dried pasta, which yielded 2.5 cooked pasta (rotini is what I had). I only used 2 Tbsp of red onion as my husband doesn’t particularly like them & more would have been strong. I toasted the almonds for more crunch. One half cup of dressing wasn’t enough as the pasta kept absorbing it, so I ended up adding a little mayo. We don’t like celery, so I added matchstick carrots. The taste was very good & we will make again. Thank you for the recipe.
We make this in Wisconsin but sub the almonds for cashews and sub cranberries for green and red grapes.i also add red and yellow peppers to mine but that’s just my version.most deli’s in the area omit that.i could LIVE on this all summer long!
I’ve made this twice now and it’s delicious. It definitely needs salt and pepper and I like to add more nuts and cranberries.
This was great! Thank you, Lee Jean for submitting the recipe! The only change I made was to use half mayonnaise and half poppy seed dressing. Since I’m single, I ate the salad for several (many) days, but I enjoyed it as long as it lasted. I will definitely make it again – probably 1/2 the recipe. It would be a good choice for a ladies’ luncheon. Don’t leave out the almonds because they gave it a crunchy texture. (And I’m not an almonds fan)! I will add – easy and delicious!
Loved this! Simple but delicious! Definitely a family favorite!
Had higher expectations of this one. It turned out kinda bland. Needs something to make it better- no UMPH.
Love this salad! The nuts are NOT optional and also used red onion for zing.
My family loved this pasta salad! I used a rotisserie chicken and bow-tie pasta. I followed another reviewers advice and toasted the almonds, which was delicious. I also added baby spinach. This is a keeper!
Everyone said it was delish, Will make it often. Make extra dressing as it gets dry. Add more dressing before serving.
It’s top of the line for chicken salad , It is quick and easy .
Have made this many times this summer. I love to use bow tie pasta. I add a little more dressing if I serve leftovers to keep it moist. Doubled the recipe just as written. Delicious and so easy.
I have made this several times. As written, I agree it is too sweet. I cut the poppyseed dressing to about 3/8 cup and add 1/8 cup balsamic vinegarette dressing. I also add crumbled feta cheese. Tonight I tried using homegrown cherry tomatoes instead of cranberries since I have a huge crop of them. That also cuts the sweetness and is still delicious!
Added mayo to the dressing, about a 50/50 mix. Also added red onions as other reviewers did. Plus a little salt and pepper. Turned out great, everybody loved it.
I will be making this again. I used a yellow onion but will try a red onion next time. Lots of flavor and I love the cranberries in it. Delicious. Oh yes I did toast my slivered almonds.
I made for church potluck. Brought most home. It was OK but seemed to lack something to keep together. I added more poppy seed dressing but that didn’t seem to help.
I’ve made this several times as a chicken salad using red onion, halved red grapes, and canned chicken breast. I’ve never tried it as a pasta salad, but it sounds great.
I added salt and pepper. If you like chicken salad and pasta, you will like this.
Made the recipe just as it is stated and it was a hit! Hubby and even the 2nd grader loved it!
My new favorite pasta salad. You could make this without the chicken if you wanted to. I doubled the recipe and used a whole box of pasta and a whole bottle of poppy seed dressing. Added finely diced red peppers too.
A great change from the regular pasta salads with mayo in them.