Epicurean Chicken Salad with Creamy Honey Lime Dressing

Name: Epicurean Chicken Salad with Creamy Honey Lime Dressing
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 10 ounces rotini pasta; 2-3 cups cooked chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces or shredded; 1 large sweet-tart apple, cored and diced; 1/2 cup red grapes, halved; 1 15-ounce can pineapple tidbits, drained very well; 4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, diced small; 2/3 cup sliced almonds; 1/2 tablespoon poppy seeds; 1/2 cup mayonnaise; 1/4 cup sour cream; 1/2 cup plain yogurt; 3 tablespoons honey; 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice; 1/8 teaspoon salt; Pinch of black pepper

Recipe GLPR86f35c77adaa06

Salad

45 min

665 cal

Servings: 6

Stovetop

SNAP eligible

A refreshing and elegant pasta salad that combines tender cooked chicken with sweet grapes, crisp apple, and tropical pineapple, tossed with al dente rotini and sharp cheddar cheese. The silky honey-lime dressing brings everything together with a perfect balance of sweet, tart, and creamy flavors, finished with a sprinkle of sliced almonds and poppy seeds for delightful texture.

Save recipes you love

Create a free Grocery List Plus account to save recipes, rate them, and add every ingredient to your grocery list in one tap.

Create free account Sign in

Ingredients

10 ounces rotini pasta

2-3 cups cooked chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces or shredded

1 large sweet-tart apple, cored and diced

1/2 cup red grapes, halved

1 15-ounce can pineapple tidbits, drained very well

4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, diced small

2/3 cup sliced almonds

1/2 tablespoon poppy seeds

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup sour cream

1/2 cup plain yogurt

3 tablespoons honey

3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice

1/8 teaspoon salt

Pinch of black pepper

Directions

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the rotini pasta and cook until tender, according to package directions.
Drain the pasta thoroughly and rinse it under cold water until completely cooled. Drain well again to remove excess moisture.
In a large bowl, combine the cooled pasta, cooked chicken, diced apple, halved grapes, drained pineapple tidbits, diced cheddar cheese, sliced almonds, and poppy seeds. Gently toss to combine all the salad ingredients.
In a small or medium bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, sour cream, yogurt, honey, lime juice, salt, and black pepper until the dressing is smooth and well blended.
Pour the creamy dressing over the salad and gently stir to coat all ingredients evenly with the dressing.
Serve immediately for the best texture and flavor. If needed, you can refrigerate for up to an hour before serving. Note that the salad may dry out if refrigerated longer—if desired, reserve a portion of dressing to stir in just before serving to restore creaminess.

Comments

Grocery List Plus Editorial Staff4

This is a sturdy crowd-pleaser with zero ingredient hunts—rotini, chicken, cheese, and dressing staples are universally available at Charlotte chains, and the fruit and nuts are standard produce and bulk finds. The stated 45 minutes is honest for a salad-assembly dish where you mostly boil pasta and shred chicken, though it assumes you have cooked chicken on hand; from-raw takes closer to an hour. Cost per serving lands around $2.50–$3.00, driven entirely by chicken and cheddar, so it's budget-friendly for a complete lunch. The texture-heavy blend of crisp apples, chewy raisins, and creamy dressing reheats poorly—this is strictly a same-day dish—and while it feeds six generously, it skews more to potluck than family dinner, since it reads as a side salad that became a main.