Creamy Cashew Chicken Rotini Salad
Creamy Cashew Chicken Rotini Salad is a pasta salad loaded with chicken, cashews, fruit and veggies is my new favorite pasta salad to make for an awesome side dish! It can stand alone as a meal or bring it to a summer BBQ or potluck!
This hearty, fruity cashew chicken rotini salad is good any time of the year – not just summer! The slight sweetness from the cranberries and the pineapple make this stand out above all other macaroni salads.
It is absolutely loaded with goodies, so tasty and very addictive. In the past, I tasted something similar to this dish and had to recreate it with a few modifications. I think you will love it as much as we did!
I really cannot say enough good things about the textures going on in this Cashew Chicken Rotini Salad. I love love LOVE the addition of the pineapple to this salad as it really makes it pop. The cashews give it the perfect crunch in every bite.
I think the ratios of the ingredients in this salad also make it so perfect – it is just the right amount of each ingredient. I love how hearty it is with the chicken in it. It reminded me a little bit of my Chicken Club Sausage Pasta Salad which can also double as a meal.
I’m so glad you’re here! Follow along on Pinterest for more inspiration!
You can feel free to adapt this recipe to your liking. Do you like almonds better than cashews? You can go right ahead and use almonds instead. Want to lighten it up and use Greek yogurt in place of some of the mayonnaise? Go for it! If there is a nut allergy in your household, feel free to leave them out altogether. If you love almonds, this Bacon and Apple Broccoli Salad is my #1 favorite!
This Cashew Chicken Rotini Salad is a nice change from boring old pasta salad and will get rave reviews anytime you make it – that is a promise! Also, I am looking through my blog right now and realize I must really love pasta salad recipes using rotini.
This Classic Italian Pasta Salad is one of my favorite tried and true recipes! I think rotini just makes pasta salads extra fun. I also made this Sausage Broccoli Cheddar Pasta Salad recently that was out of this world.
Take this salad to potlucks, baby showers, family parties or just make it for dinner one night as it has everything you need rolled into one. I made it for a cookout we were having here at the house and ate it for lunch the following days. It was even better the next day!
If you love salads with grapes in them, this Pecan Crunch Grape Salad is one of the hottest recipes on my blog right now. The grapes in it are so pretty! This one is a definite keeper, guys!
Be sure to check out my step-by-step video on how to make this Cashew Chicken Rotini Salad. It’s so easy!
Cashew Chicken Rotini Salad
Creamy Cashew Chicken Rotini Salad loaded with chicken, cashews, fruit and veggies is my new favorite pasta salad to make for an awesome side dish! It can stand alone as a meal or bring it to a summer BBQ or potluck!
Ingredients:
- 1 package (16 ounces) spiral or rotini pasta
- 4 cups cooked chicken, shredded
- 1 can (20 ounces) pineapple tidbits, drained
- 1 and 1/2 cups diced celery
- 3/4 cup sliced green onions/scallions
- 1 cup seedless red grapes
- 1 cup seedless green grapes
- 1 package (5 ounces) dried cranberries
- 1 cup ranch salad dressing (I used buttermilk ranch)
- 3/4 cup good-quality mayonnaise
- 2 cups salted or lightly salted cashews, halved or whole
Directions:
- Cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain, and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process.
- Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, combine the chicken, pineapple, celery, green onions, grapes and cranberries.
- Mix the drained pasta into the chicken/veggie/fruit mixture.
- In a small bowl, whisk the ranch dressing and mayonnaise until well combined. Pour it over salad and toss to evenly coat.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. The longer it is chilled, the better. You can also make this the night before. Just before serving, stir in cashews.
Enjoy!
Feel free to substitute the cashews for any other nut. You can leave them out altogether if there are nut allergies present.
Recipe source: adapted from tasteofhome.com
All images and text ©Recipes you may also like from my friends:
Cowboy Pasta Salad loaded with bacon and beef!
Creamy Summer Pasta Salad with a creamy dressing and packed with veggies!
Oooh, pineapple and grapes?! What a great way to jazz up an already fantastic chicken salad!
This dish is loaded with flavor! Love its texture, too. Perfect for the last hot days of August — thanks!
Everything in this recipe makes such a great combination of flavors. Love it!
Thank you! It’s really delicious!
I sooo badly want to make this! How many chicken breasts would it take to get 4 cups of cooked chicken? I don’t want to make too much or too little! Thank you!
Hi Heather! Typically, 1 cup would equal 1 average chicken breast. So you would need probably about 4 (or 3 if they’re large). Hope that helps!
Thank you so much!! Definitely helps and this is going on my meal plan for next week!!! This week is already done and prepped otherwise it would be on this week!! 😀
Rotini is the best choice for this type of salad. It really holds the sauce well so you get a good mouthful of flavor in each bite. The cashews and grapes- what a flavor and texture combo!