Vineyard Chicken and Pasta Salad -- The One I’m Bringing to Every Porch Gathering This Summer

Summer is here in full now. The heat is real and present and the air conditioning in my apartment is doing its best but struggling by afternoon. I have a box fan in the bedroom window and a ceiling fan in the main room and I cook early in the morning or in the evening after the sun goes down, when the stove does not feel like a punishment.

Made macaroni salad this week, cold and simple, the kind that is not a cooking project so much as an assembly project: pasta, celery, red onion, hard-boiled eggs, mayonnaise, mustard, sweet pickle relish, salt and pepper. Gloria makes this every summer, serves it out of a big green bowl at every cookout, and it tastes like summer itself tastes. Mine was close. I used too much relish, I think, but the texture was right and it kept in the refrigerator beautifully for four days.

Keisha had a get-together Friday evening, nothing formal, just her and a few people from the daycare and a neighbor, on her front porch with a fan running. She made jerk chicken and her mother sent coconut rice and peas. I brought the macaroni salad and banana pudding. Keisha said your pudding is getting famous and I laughed but it stuck with me in a good way. I want to be known for something made from scratch. That feels like something worth being known for.

The toddlers are exhausted in the heat. The afternoon slump is real and I have started building fifteen minutes of quiet activity into every day after lunch, not naps exactly but a slower time, puzzles and books and gentle music. DeVon falls asleep every single day during the quiet music. His chin drops and his breathing slows and he is gone. I put a thin blanket over him and let him sleep an extra twenty minutes. He needs it.

The macaroni salad was good, and I’ll keep making it — but standing on Keisha’s porch Friday night, watching how fast the food disappeared and how happy everyone seemed just to be together in the evening air, I started thinking about what else I could bring to a night like that. This vineyard chicken and pasta salad felt like the natural next step: still cold and easy, still made for a bowl and a crowd, but with a little more going on — the kind of dish that holds up in the refrigerator, makes enough to share, and feels like you put in real care even when the summer heat is telling you not to.

Vineyard Chicken and Pasta Salad

Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 15 min | Total Time: 35 min (plus chilling) | Servings: 8

Ingredients

• 3 cups rotini or bow-tie pasta, uncooked
• 2 cups cooked chicken breast, shredded or chopped
• 1 1/2 cups red seedless grapes, halved
• 3/4 cup celery, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup red onion, finely diced
• 1/2 cup pecan halves or pieces, toasted
• 3/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• Fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish (optional)

Instructions

1. Cook the pasta. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions until al dente. Drain and rinse under cold water until completely cool. Shake off excess water and set aside.
2. Toast the pecans. In a dry skillet over medium heat, toast pecans for 3—4 minutes, stirring frequently, until fragrant. Remove from heat and let cool.
3. Make the dressing. In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, sour cream, apple cider vinegar, honey, Dijon mustard, and garlic powder until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Combine the salad. In a large mixing bowl, combine the cooled pasta, chicken, grapes, celery, and red onion. Pour the dressing over the top and toss gently until everything is evenly coated.
5. Add the pecans. Fold in the toasted pecans just before serving, or set them aside to add at the last minute if making ahead, so they keep their crunch.
6. Chill and serve. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving. Garnish with fresh parsley if you like. This salad keeps well in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 390 | Protein: 18g | Fat: 22g | Carbs: 32g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 280mg