About
It's chicken salad! It's pasta salad! And it has scrumptious flavors straight from the borderlands! It must be Southwestern Chicken & Macaroni Salad! The tender chicken and macaroni are wonderfully savory, and roasted poblano peppers bring the refreshing revitalizing heat to this fantastic side dish! Instead of mayo, Southwestern Chicken & Macaroni Salad features a tangy, creamy salsa and cream cheese sauce that will have you diving in for another helping.
Ingredients
- 2 poblano peppers, halved lengthwise
- 1 (25-ounce) package frozen fully-cooked crispy chicken strips
- 8 ounces large elbow macaroni
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1 (17-ounce) container salsa taquera or 3/4 cup regular salsa
- 1 avocado, seeded and peeled, chopped
Directions
Step 1 -Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
Step 2 -Line a baking sheet with foil.
Step 3 -Place the peppers on the baking sheet, cut-side down.
Step 4 -Roast the peppers until the skin is blistered and charred, about 20 minutes.
Step 5 -Bring the foil up around the peppers and fold them together to enclose the peppers like a package.
Step 6 -Transfer the foil package from the oven and let it stand until the peppers are cool enough to handle, about 15 minutes.
Step 7 -Using a sharp knife, loosen edges of the skins of the peppers.
Step 8 -Gently pull the skins off of the peppers and discard them.
Step 9 -Remove the stems, seeds, and membranes from the peppers.
Step 10 -Chop the roasted peppers.
Step 11 -Cook the chicken and the macaroni according to the respective package directions.
Step 12 -Drain the pasta and rinse it well under cold water. Set the pasta aside.
Step 13 -Cut the chicken into 1/2-inch-thick pieces.
Step 14 -In a large bowl, add the cream cheese and 1/2 of the salsa taquera and beat, using an electric mixer, on low speed, until smooth.
Step 15 -Gradually beat the remaining salsa taquera into the cream cheese mixture.
Step 16 -Add the chopped peppers and the macaroni to the salsa mixture and toss to combine.
Step 17 -Gently fold the avocado and the chicken into the macaroni mixture.
Step 18 -Serve immediately or cover and chill for up to 2 hours before serving.
