Cajun Chicken Pasta Salad
- 20m Prep Time
- 10m Cook Time
- 2h Ready In
A creamy pasta salad with Cajun-spiced chicken, fresh vegetables, and a tangy mayo dressing. Perfect for a summer meal or potluck.
Ingredients
- Kosher salt
- 1.54 L small pasta shells
- 414 ml mayonnaise
- 14.8 ml light brown sugar
- 9.86 ml freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 rotisserie chicken (4-pound) skin and bones removed, meat chopped
- 2 large slicing tomatoes (such as beefsteak) diced
- 1 medium red bell pepper diced
- 1 medium red onion diced
- 5 green onions chopped
- 1 bunch fresh parsley chopped
- 14.8 ml Cajun seasoning
- 7.39 ml coarse black pepper
- Dried parsley flakes
- paprika
Nutrition (per serving, estimated)
Estimated based off 10 of 15 identified ingredients (per 100 g food data, scaled by amount).
Vitamins & minerals
- Calcium: 69.4 mg
- Iron: 1.81 mg
- Magnesium: 26.1 mg
- Phosphorus: 50.7 mg
- Potassium: 383 mg
- Zinc: 0.5 mg
Let's Prepare
Collect
Gather these ingredients — no prep needed yet.
- Kosher salt
- 1.54 L small pasta shells
- 414 ml mayonnaise
- 14.8 ml light brown sugar
- 9.86 ml freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 14.8 ml Cajun seasoning
- 7.39 ml coarse black pepper
- Dried parsley flakes
- paprika
Prepare
- 1 rotisserie chicken (4-pound), skin and bones removed, meat chopped
- Dice 2 large slicing tomatoes (such as beefsteak)
- Dice 1 medium red bell pepper
- Dice 1 medium red onion
- Chop 5 green onions
- Chop 1 bunch fresh parsley
Let's Cook
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Step 1.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta shells and cook until al dente, about 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain the pasta in a colander and set aside to cool completely.
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Step 2.
While the pasta cools, in a large mixing bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, light brown sugar, and lemon juice until well combined and smooth.
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Step 3.
Add the chopped rotisserie chicken, diced tomatoes, diced red bell pepper, diced red onion, chopped green onions, and chopped fresh parsley to the bowl with the dressing. Fold gently with a spatula until evenly coated.
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Step 4.
Add the cooled pasta to the bowl, then sprinkle with Cajun seasoning and coarse black pepper. Fold everything together until the pasta is evenly coated with the dressing and ingredients are well distributed.
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Step 5.
Transfer the pasta salad to a large storage bowl or container, cover tightly with a lid or plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or until thoroughly chilled.
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Step 6.
Just before serving, remove the salad from the refrigerator. Sprinkle dried parsley flakes and paprika on top for garnish, if desired. Serve cold.