Coconut Adobo Macaroni Salad

The good old standard macaroni salad is excellent, but I decided to try something a little more interesting this time to stand out from the crowd. I made a Filipino-style macaroni salad, using Pulo Cuisine’s Coconut Adobo sauce as the creamy base instead of mayonnaise. Unlike your typical macaroni salad, this Filipino version has pineapple, shredded chicken, and lots of veggies, so it can stand as a meal on its own if you wanted.

I used a rainbow salad mix to make this recipe as straightforward as possible while still being healthy. If you don’t have the packaged mix, you can combine cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, and red cabbage.

Using the Pulo Cuisine sauce helped cut down on the prep time and pour it over the salad for instant flavor and creaminess. And if you happen to have leftover cooked chicken already in your fridge, this salad can come together in no time at all.

I loved the tropical flavors of coconut in the sauce with the sweet bits of pineapple. It paired so nicely with the savory cheese and chicken. I thought it was very satisfying, and I enjoyed it for lunch on several occasions.

Tony was also a fan and even posed for my photograph to show his approval. The kids weren’t so in love with it (I love Ayla’s expression in the photo!), but I expected that after their less than stellar review of Coconut Adobo Yam and Chickpea Wraps. I don’t get it because the Coconut Adobo is one of my favorite Pulo Cuisine sauces. Cole started to like it, though, after he tried heating it. He liked it better warm, and you know what? I think he might be onto something there. It was a pretty good warm-up! Now we know that you can enjoy this dish either cold or hot.
Disclosure: I received compensation from Pulo Cuisine for writing this post as their blogger ambassador. All opinions in this post are my own.

Ingredients

• 2 cups uncooked macaroni
• 1 cup pineapple tidbits
• 1 cup shredded cooked chicken
• 1 cup rainbow salad (julienned carrots, cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower)
• 1 jar of Pulo Cuisine Coconut Adobo Sauce
• 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
• 1/4 cup more rainbow salad (for sprinkling on top)

Instructions:

1. Cook macaroni according to package directions, then drain the noodles in a colander and run them under cold water to cool.
2. Once the macaroni has cooled, place the drained noodles in a large bowl. Add pineapple, chicken, 1 cup rainbow salad, and toss to combine.
3. Pour Coconut Adobo sauce into the bowl and stir until combined.
4. Add cheddar cheese to the salad, and stir again until combined.
5. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.
6. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of rainbow salad on top before serving.