Go Back Email Link
+ servings
A glass bowl filled with a chicken macaroni salad garnished with crispy bacon and parsley.
Print Recipe
No ratings yet

Bacon & Chicken Macaroni Salad

A healthy chicken macaroni salad, perfect for summer potlucks. With the addition of bacon and eggs, this classic side dish is hearty enough to serve as a meal on its own. This is made healthier by using a homemade mayo made with avocado oil. See notes if you'd like to sub your favorite mayo in place of the homemade version!
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time40 minutes
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Servings: 10 servings
Calories: 392kcal

Ingredients

  • 12 ounces macaroni *gluten free, if necessary
  • 2 cups chicken shredded (from a roasted chicken)
  • 2 hard boiled eggs chopped
  • 6 slices bacon fried crisp, drained, and chopped
  • 1 cup carrots diced
  • 1 cup celery diced

Creamy Herbed Dressing

  • 1 egg *pastured eggs are the safest when consuming raw
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  • 3/4 cup avocado oil
  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1/2 cup Italian parsley chopped
  • 1/4 cup dill chopped

Instructions

  • Add the macaroni, chicken, bacon, eggs, carrots and celery to a large salad bowl.
  • Toss the salad with the creamy herbed dressing. Start with about 2/3 of the dressing and add more to taste. Save additional dressing to revive leftovers.

Creamy Herb Dressing

  • Into a blender, add the raw egg, dijon mustard, lemon juice, and salt. Pulse a few times to mix up.
  • With the blender running on medium speed, drizzle in the avocado oil very slowly. It should take a full minute to drizzle the oil into the egg mixture. When it's done, it will be a thick and creamy mayonnaise.
  • Add the garlic, herbs, and red wine vinegar, and process to mix into a creamy dressing.

Video

Notes

How to store leftover Chicken Macaroni Salad

This pasta salad is best served right after adding the dressing. If you know you will only eat half but want to save the rest for lunches, split the pasta salad in two bowls and add dressing to the portion you will eat right away.
The leftovers are good stored in air tight containers for up to 3 days. If you have salad that needs reviving, mix some mayo with a little lemon juice or vinegar, and toss the salad with it and it will still be delicious!

What pasta is best to use for a chicken pasta salad?

Use whatever macaroni noodles work for you and your family.
I use gluten free pasta, and love this brand. Gluten free pasta does not work as well for leftovers as regular pasta (it tends to harden or break apart). When I make a pasta salad with gluten free pasta, I make it the day of and don’t plan on having leftovers.

How do I stop the pasta from absorbing the mayo?

Cold pasta doesn’t absorb the mayo as much as when the pasta is warm. Refrigerate your noodles or run them under cold water until they are not warm prior to using.

Save Time Making this Chicken Macaroni Salad

Buy a rotisserie chicken: I buy a roasted chicken and just pull the chicken off to make this salad.
Use jarred mayonnaise: If you have a jarred mayo you like using, just mix it up with the garlic, red wine vinegar, and finely chopped herbs to make the dressing, rather than making your own homemade mayo first.

Nutrition

Calories: 392kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 82mg | Sodium: 290mg | Potassium: 331mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 2618IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 34mg | Iron: 1mg