Summer Cashew Chicken Grape Pasta Salad Recipes

CASHEW CHICKEN PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil; cook rotini at a boil until tender yet firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water.
• Mix pasta with chicken, green pepper, and green onions in a large bowl.
• Mix mayonnaise, brown sugar, vinegar, lemon juice, and salt together in a small bowl until well blended. Pour dressing over the pasta mixture and stir well to coat.
• Cover and refrigerate until flavors are combined and dressing is thickened, 8 hours to overnight. Stir in cashews just before serving, or no more than 2 hours ahead.

CASHEW-CHICKEN ROTINI SALAD

Steps:

• Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the chicken, pineapple, celery, onions, grapes and cranberries. Drain pasta and rinse in cold water; stir into chicken mixture., In a small bowl, whisk the ranch dressing and mayonnaise. Pour over salad and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Just before serving, stir in cashews.

SUMMER CASHEW CHICKEN GRAPE PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• Boil 1 lb. of pasta - al dente - according to package directions (I use rigatoni). Drain after cooking and let cool.
• While the pasta is boiling, wash and halve the grapes.
• Dice the cooked chicken into bite sized pieces.
• In a large bowl or serving platter, combine the cooled, drained pasta with the grapes and diced chicken. Stir in the mayonnaise. I start with one cup of mayo and add more as needed. Really, just add as much as you personally like - it may be more or less than 2 cups.
• Stir in the Lawry's seasoning salt, onion powder and garlic powder. Again, add to your liking. You may want more or less than 1/2 teaspoon of any of these - - it's your choice, go with what you like. Frequent sampling at this point will help you decide what your preference will be so grab a fork and start sampling!
• If the salad is too thick and rich for your liking, stir in a couple tablespoons milk to thin it out. This part is optional.
• This salad is always much better the next day after the flavors have had a chance to meld. This is when I usually add milk to loosen it up a bit.
• Before serving, plate or dish up the salad and sprinkle cashew pieces on top of individual servings. DO NOT put the cashew pieces on the entire salad and refrigerate - - this will cause the cashew pieces to become soft and rubbery and nobody wants that! I just set the can of cashews on the table and let guests help themselves.
• Sit back and enjoy your sweat free cold summer salad!

CASHEW CHICKEN SALAD WITH GRAPES

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil; cook rotini at a boil until tender yet firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Drain and run under cold water. Drain again and transfer to a large bowl.
• Add chicken, pineapple tidbits, celery, green and red grapes, green onions, and cranberries; mix to combine.
• Stir ranch dressing and mayonnaise together in a second bowl until well mixed. Add to pasta mixture and stir to coat.
• Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.

CHICKEN CASHEW SALAD

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain and rinse with cold water.
• In large bowl, combine brown sugar, salad dressing, lemon juice, vinegar and salt. Toss dressing mixture with cooked pasta, celery, green pepper, onion and chicken. Chill until ready to serve. Mix in cashews just before serving.