If you are looking for the most amazing Southwest Chicken Pasta Salad, look no further. You are going to absolutely love the fresh bright flavors in this recipe. Skip the mayo and other heavy ingredients and bite into this creamy delicious healthy chicken salad recipe.
Easy Southwest Chicken Pasta Salad
This Southwest chicken pasta salad is incredibly easy to make. Utilizing a rotisserie chicken, you are already saving time and money. Cut the chicken while the pasta is cooking and this dinner is a fast meal that can be on the table in less than 30 minutes.
Can I Use Other Pasta?
Absolutely. I like using elbow macaroni because I think it gives the best noodle size to get a little bit of everything in one bite. You can any type of pasta you like or have on hand, for instance, penne, bow tie, and rotini pasta, just to name a few. Use different noodles every time to have fun with the recipe. Try using veggie flavored pasta to add a twist on the flavor of the recipe. You can also make this chicken pasta salad gluten free or lower in carbs if you use special noodles.
Can I Make This Pasta Salad Without Mayo?
I love that this recipe does not have mayonnaise in it. I have found that a lot of people love the creaminess of this type of chicken pasta salad but they do not want to have mayonnaise in it. This recipe for pasta said without mayo is made creamy because of the avocado and sour cream that is in it. If you prefer to skip these, your pasta salad will not be creamy but will still taste absolutely amazing.
How Long Does Pasta Salad Long?
Typically, if the southwest chicken pasta salad is stored properly, it will last up to 7 days. Store the pasta salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It is best to make sure that the chicken pasta salad does not spend too much time outside of being refrigerated to make sure it lasts as long as possible.
Can I Freeze Pasta Salad?
I love to freeze pasta salad. It is a great way to extend the life of the pasta. Freeze the pasta salad in an airtight container or in freezer bags. Freeze the pasta salad in small freezer bags to have the perfect lunch size portions. This lets you take a small amount out of the freezer instead of all of the leftovers. This will help your pasta salad last longer.
Can I Use Chicken Breast in This Recipe
While I love to use a rotisserie chicken for this recipe for its convenience, you can also cook chicken especially for this recipe. You can cook chicken breast or a mixture of chicken breast and chicken thighs. You can also use leftover chicken that you may already have on hand.
What to Serve with Southwest Chicken Pasta Salad
This recipe can easily be used as the full meal since it has a little bit of everything. However you can also serve it with a side salad or a side dish of roasted vegetables.
Ingredients To Make Southwest Chicken Pasta Salad
- Rotisserie chicken
- Lime juice
- Cumin, garlic salt
- Chili powder, pepper
- Corn
- Black Beans
- Green Onions
- Cilantro
- Rotel®
- Elbow macaroni
- Avocado
- Green Chunky salsa or regular chunky salsa
(Actual measurements are in the recipe card below.)
How To Make Southwest Chicken Pasta Salad
- In a medium saucepan, add shredded chicken, garlic salt, cumin, chili powder, pepper, lime juice, corn, black beans and Rotel. Stir.
- Heat thoroughly over medium flame.
- Add shredded chicken mixture to a large bowl, add remaining ingredients, except salsa, stir.
- Stir in desired amount of salsa.
- Top with diced avocado, if desired, and serve warm or cold.
Try This Delicious and Easy Pasta Salad Recipe Today
Here are a few more delicious salad recipes that can be found on the blog:
- Macaroni Salad
- Hot Corn Salad
- Bow Tie Pasta Tuna Salad
- Chicken Curry Pasta Salad, plus many, many more.
- 1 Rotisserie chicken, shredded, about 2 cups
- 10 oz can Rotel®, original
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp garlic salt
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- 15 oz can whole corn, drained
- 15 oz can black beans, drained, rinsed
- 1/2 cup green onions, sliced
- 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
- 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half
- 8 oz elbow macaroni, cooked per package directions
- 15 oz jar Pace® Chunky Green Chile or 16 oz Pace®chunky salsa
- Optional: diced avocado, sour cream
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In a medium saucepan, add shredded chicken, cumin, garlic salt, chili powder, pepper, lime juice, corn, black beans and Rotel. Stir.
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Heat thoroughly over medium flame.
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Add shredded chicken mixture to a large bowl, add remaining ingredients and stir.
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Top with diced avocado and sour cream, if desired.
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Serve warm or cold.
Here are a few pics that are the perfect size for pinning to Pinterest.
Enjoy, Terri
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The recipe was delicious. I winged the missing ingredient amounts and it was a big hit. I used low sodium rotel, no salt added black beans and corn and the recipe was still very flavorful.
Awesome! I’m so glad you all enjoyed this recipe. Thank you so much for sharing! :)
I want to make this, but the directions are rather sloppy. The article calls for cumin & chili powder, yet in the recipe itself these ingredients aren’t evel listed. How much of each do I use? And what type of Rotel tomatos, there are many.
Thanks
John
Thank you so much John for letting me know I left out those measurements. I corrected the recipe ingredients to include the amounts needed and I used the original brand of Rotel. I hope you enjoy this easy recipe. :)