Summer Cashew Chicken Grape Pasta Salad
- Ready In:
- 15mins
- Ingredients:
- 10
- Yields:
-
8 1 Cup servings
- Serves:
- 6-8
ingredients
- 1 lb cooked chicken (poached, grilled, rotisserie, doesn't matter, just cooked)
- 1 lb pasta (macaroni, rigatoni, use your favorite, just not spaghett)
- 1⁄2 lb green seedless grape, washed and cut in half
- 1⁄2 lb red seedless grapes, washed and cut in half
- 1⁄2 teaspoon Lawry's Seasoned Salt
- 1⁄2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1⁄2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 cups mayonnaise (I use Hellman's Light Mayonnaise)
- 1 (9 1/4 ounce) can cashew halves, and pieces (I buy Planter's salted)
- 2 tablespoons milk (optional, also may want to add more depending on how long the salad has been in the refrigerator)
directions
- Boil 1 lb. of pasta - al dente - according to package directions (I use rigatoni). Drain after cooking and let cool.
- While the pasta is boiling, wash and halve the grapes.
- Dice the cooked chicken into bite sized pieces.
- In a large bowl or serving platter, combine the cooled, drained pasta with the grapes and diced chicken. Stir in the mayonnaise. I start with one cup of mayo and add more as needed. Really, just add as much as you personally like - it may be more or less than 2 cups.
- Stir in the Lawry's seasoning salt, onion powder and garlic powder. Again, add to your liking. You may want more or less than 1/2 teaspoon of any of these - - it's your choice, go with what you like. Frequent sampling at this point will help you decide what your preference will be so grab a fork and start sampling!
- If the salad is too thick and rich for your liking, stir in a couple tablespoons milk to thin it out. This part is optional.
- This salad is always much better the next day after the flavors have had a chance to meld. This is when I usually add milk to loosen it up a bit.
- Before serving, plate or dish up the salad and sprinkle cashew pieces on top of individual servings. DO NOT put the cashew pieces on the entire salad and refrigerate - - this will cause the cashew pieces to become soft and rubbery and nobody wants that! I just set the can of cashews on the table and let guests help themselves.
- Sit back and enjoy your sweat free cold summer salad!
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RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
I live in northern Minnesota with my husband. We have a dog, Buddy, who is a shepherd-collie mix. We also have a cat, Tigger, who is a brown Tabby. We both like to cook, but I'm the one that gets our meals on the table on a daily basis. My husband enjoys his role as reviewer/critic. I know a recipe is worthy of a 5-star review when my husband gives me a "top shelf, baby" after finishing his meal. If I don't hear that phrase, it just isn't a 5-star recipe. So far, I've always agreed with his reviews. If I ever think he's wrong, I'll have to rethink our system!
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