Buffalo Chicken Pasta Salad

 

I needed a dish to take to a potluck Fourth of July party. I had seen some posts about Buffalo Chicken Pasta  that sounded different from other pasta salads. So I looked over various recipes and this is the variation I came up with for my first try.

1 lb Rotini
1/2 cup Franks Red Hot
1 1/2 cup chopped celery
3/4 cup chopped red onion
1 cup Hellmans Mayonnaise
1 1/2 cup Kraft Chunky Bleu Cheese Dressing
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 lb shredded cooked chicken


First of all I cooked my chicken breasts and then shredded it. I actually weighed the pound after shredding.  I generally put my chicken breasts in the crockpot on high for four hours and then shred. I don't add additional liquid to the crockpot.

Cook the rotini according to package directions and rinse with cold water and drain well; next time I will use the tri-color. Mix the mayonnaise, red hot, salt, pepper and Bleu Cheese dressing with a whisk. Add the onion and celery to the chicken and then mix with the rotini. Chill the chicken mixture and the dressing for a few hours before serving. Up to an hour before serving toss the chicken mixture and the dressing. Sprinkle paprika over the top. I don't mix the chicken rotini combination with the dressing too far before serving so that it remains creamy.

If you like more heat to your pasta salad increase the Franks Red Hot sauce. The bleu cheese dressing tends to cut the heat of the red hot sauce. Also next time I will toss in a jar of pimentoes to add a little more color.