The chicken and macaroni salad I grew up with had lots of pineapple tidbits–which I hated. When I learned to prepare the salad myself, I ditched the pineapple altogether but that really detracted from the overall taste of the dish. I realized that the contrast, the tang and sweetness of the pineapple, was really wonderful for the otherwise plain salty dish. Still, I didn’t like the discernable pieces of pineapple in the salad. Fortunately, I discovered canned crushed pineapple.
When my 12-year-old daughter had some classmates over last Friday for a play rehearsal, I made plenty of chicken and macaroni salad for them. But not the one in the photo. The chicken and macaroni salad in the photo was taken last year and was posted in the now defunct A Party Journal. Of course, it’s the same recipe except that the salad in the photo was ‘dressed up’–bed of romaine lettuce, parmesan cheese, a slice of hard-boiled egg. Last Friday, instead of grated parmesan cheese, I stirred about a cup of tiny cheese cubes into the salad.
Ingredients :
250 g. of elbow or salad macaroni
1/2 kilo of chicken breast
about 2 c. of mayonnaise
a cup of cheese cubes (1/2″ is a good size for elbow macaroni; smaller if you’re using salad macaroni)
a cup (or more) of drained crushed pineapple
1 tbsp. of sweet pickle relish
1/2 c. of boiled and chopped carrot
salt
powdered white pepper
white sugar
parmesan cheese (optional)
slices of hard-boiled egg (optional)
How to :
Boil the chicken breast in plenty of water. Season with salt. Simmer for about 30 minutes. Drain the cooked chicken and cool.
Reheat the chicken broth. When boiling, add the macaroni. Cook al dente. Drain, rinse and set aside.
Remove the chicken meat from the bones and chop coarsely. I prefer chopping over himay because threads of chicken meat in the salad look awful to me.
Place the macaroni, chopped chicken breast meat, drained crushed pineapple, pickle relish, chopped carrot and cheese cubes in a large mixing bowl. Add about a cup of mayonnaise, salt, pepper and sugar. Toss until well blended. Add another cup of mayonnaise, toss to blend then taste. Add more salt, pepper and/or sugar to suit yout taste.
Place in a covered container and chill for several hours. Before serving, moisten by adding a few tablespoonfuls of mayonnaise. You may also need to adjust the seasonings since the macaroni would have absorbed most of the saltiness.
Serving suggestion: fill a cup with the salad. Using the back of a spoon, press the salad into the cup and invert onto a bed of lettuce. Top with a slice of hard-boiled egg and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.
[tags]chicken+salad, macaroni+salad, chicken+macaroni+salad, salad, food+and+drinks, food+blog, cooking+blog[/tags]
Hi! Just wanted to know what brand mayo you used.
I have tried making a dish similar before but was told the taste depends on what type you use. Is this true?
American Maid, Alma.
Best Foods is too soupy (malabnaw); Lady’s Choice and Kraft are too expensive.
hey sassy may iba guest naman ko
anyway I also chop mine
it looks better
how much is a bottle of mayo sa pinas
I dont have a mayo in my fridge
I only buy a small bottle when i need it
kasi if i do keep one
i just spread it on anything
LOL Sha, we can’t live without mayo. A 948ML jar costs about PhP 138.00.
the reason I ask is… mayo is always inside the balikbayan boxes.. padala ng mayo from here to pinas
thinking is it the price or the quality
am going to ask around hehehe
If I may ask, where do you purchase American Maid mayo? I am not familiar with the brand
… It seems that we don’t have that kind of brand in groceries around the vicinity. Have not checked Landmark and/or SM though. 
Thanks. You’re such a great help in the kitchen.
God bless!
Sha, there must at least half a dozen brands of mayo locally. The oldies just don’t look hard enough.
Hi Cherleen, Shopwise and Cherry carry the brand.
umm.. can anybody give me the recipe for a chicken macaroni salad. with detailed ‘how to make it’. I love chicken macaroni salad but i really don’t know how to make one. please help.
Click the link to page 2, Ann.
Thank you so much Connie!
Do you also happen to know how to make a window cathedral too?
Yes, there is a recipe in the archive.
i think mas cheaper ang mayo sa abroad compared to pinas. FYI
Probably true because we either import mayo OR, in the case of multinational corporations with local satellites, we pay for the brand name.
hi! ask ko lang how long usually tumatagal ung chicken macaroni salad? the pics were nice, nagutom tuloy ako hehe thanks!
naku, mommyallehs, I don’t know. Macaroni salad never lasts more than a couple of days in our house.
I want to recieve a weekly recipe. Thank you.
Then, sign up, Cristinida. The form is just above this comment thread.
What about Miracle Whip, my pinoy friends here in states told me MW is better drsg. than Mayo, how true is that? love this web site….
Luisa, of course, it’s a matter of taste — my family does not like Miracle Whip.
Hi Connie! This is my very first na nagtry ng recipe mo last December 31, 2007….So dito tayo nagkakilala…he!he!he! This is my son’s favorite, I add lang I sugar beets kasi they want it with color,,,,,,,and my bestfriend who hate macaroni loved this one too…It’s so yummy!
hi! Connie! I’m glad to have found this website & sharing of authentic PINOY Recipes ^_^! My question is the same : how long does it last?
I cooked the macaroni salad last week, but still ate some today (he,he)! taste seemed ok, & I’m not dead yet…
Ruth, I really don’t know how long it lasts in the fridge. In our house, salad doesn’t last for more than a couple of days, nauubos.
How do I get rid of the oily look of my macaroni salad? Before, I thought it was because I used a cheaper brand of mayo, but the last one I did, I used the old reliable Lady’s Choice.
I reviewed your recipe before I wrote this. It’s practically the same ingredients I use in making the salad. The family loves the taste. It just doesn’t look tangy and becomes less apetizing, as if wanting in more mayonnaise.
Would appreciate hearing from you on this. Many thanks!
Chill the salad in the fridge for a few hours then stir again. That gives the macaroni to absorb some of the oil.
hi! my kids loves to eat chicken macaroni… nung nag luto ako, bakit dry sya masyado? mayonnaise lng ba talaga ang ilagay? tapos maasim sya dahil sa mayonnaise… para makain sya, nilagyan ko nang evap milk ayon sumarap at naubos…pls help
hi ms. connie! super nice ng Tastebook mo! mgiipon muna ako para makabili din ako.Ü
re chicken macaroni salad, just an idea, mga ilang teaspoon po ng salt and sugar ang dapat ilagay ko? i will not be using parmesan. tnx po. we will have have it on christmas day.
Advance merry christmas!
Khrizia, quality of mayonnaise varies from one brand to the next.
Janet, naku eh, to taste lang. I start with one tsp each then add and adjust while tossing.
thanks so much! yung carrots po ba ok lang kung i-blanch lang or kelangan boiled talaga? thanks po again!
Depends how tender or mature the carrot is.
pwede po bang gamitin ang chicken sandwich spread and at the same time mayonnaise?
You mean chicken sandwich spread instead of fresh chicken? Your salad won’t be as chunky.
I love chicken macaroni salad. I always prepare this dish sa Christmas and New year’s Eve. But I include chopped onions and also nestle cream and condensed milk to make it creamier. I also use Light Mayonnaise.
dis is what i want to take in the morning
I like your macaronisalad maybe you can try to put small peaces of paprica not to much i think you will like the taste of it.