Chicken Macaroni Salad: Made with Dried Apricots and Blueberries

Chicken Macaroni Salad is probably one of the few dishes my dad would request, a side from puto and bulalo. However, one thing I hate about macaroni salad is the raisin. Don’t get me wrong, I like to eat raisin as is or in cookies. But, raisins in savory food is a big no, no for me. Yes! I’m talking about embutido, menudo and others.

The flavor it impart in savory dish is not to my likings. Specially in menudo, it get bloated, soggy and unappetizing. The best of my knowledge, though, raisin is just an extender in these dishes.

Okay, fruits in macaroni salad is a big yes for me. It adds a tropical flavor to this dish, except raisins. I like the pineapple in this dish so why not add other fruits. Before, I was able to make macaroni salad with dried cranberries instead of raisins and it was good.

However, I don’t have any dried cranberries in the fridge at the moment. Then, I remember that I bought some dried apricots and dried blueberries several months ago in Shopee. Thankfully, we have Shopee and everything seems to be available and at the tip of our fingernails, right?

I bought some dried apricots and blueberries before because I was planning to bake some goods with these ingredients. But, the extremely hot weather during the summer is so exhausting that heating up the oven will surely break me so many sweats.

Some of the ingredients I used might be unusual for some but trust me it adds additional elements and flavors to this dish.

Tips

For this chicken macaroni salad recipe a brick of all purpose cream will surely makes a difference. It adds extra creaminess to this dish that is not too over empowering like the mayonnaise. Besides, it has a neutral taste compared adding more mayonnaise, which is a bit tangy.

One thing I dislike about mayonnaise is its tangy and creamy taste, which I find over empowering. To balance this out, a few tablespoons of condensed milk did the trick. It adds extra creaminess and a sweet flavor to this dish. Filipino loves their food savory and sweet, right?

Some don’t like raw onion to their dish but I find the chopped onions add extra crunch and a subtle spice to this dish. I tried it without the onion and something is mixing. However, when I added the chopped onions it enlighten the entire dish or I would say I gives life to this dish.

You can also use other dried fruits like cranberries if you like and I can attest to it that it is really good with macaroni salad. If you are more traditional, go a head with raisins. Its just a matter of preference.

For more pasta dishes check out my Pasta Recipes.

Ingredients

250 grams	Chicken Breast
	Water for Boiling
1 cup	Water for Boiling
1 Tablespoon	Salt
1/4 teaspoon	Ground Black Pepper
300 grams	Mayonnaise
250 grams	All Purpose Cream
6 Tablespoons	Condensed Milk
1/3 cup	Finely Chopped Carrot
1/3 cup	Chopped Dried Apricot
1/3 cup	Dried Blueberries
1 cup	Pineapple Tid Bits
2 bulbs	Onion, finely chopped
	Salt
	Ground Black Pepper
250 grams	Macaroni Pasta, cooked to al dente

Procedure

Place chicken in a pot and fill until chicken is submerged. Boil for 5 minutes and discard water. Thoroughly rinse the chicken.

Place the chicken, water, salt and ground black pepper in a pot. Simmer unitl chicken is done. Shred the chicken and set a side.

In a bowl, combine mayonnaice, all purpose cream and condensed milk. Whisk until smooth.

Add the shredded chicken, chopped carrot, apricot, blueberries, pineapple and onion. Mix and season with salt and pepper.

Add the macaroni pasta and mix. Season with salt and pepper. Chill before serving.