Filipino Style Chicken Macaroni Salad

I've been receiving requests for Filipino Style Macaroni Salad...so here it is! 

Unlike the usual macaroni salad which is served as a side dish, Macaroni Salad in the Philippines is mildly sweet and is served as dessert especially during parties and special gatherings. Just like any other Filipino food, it varies from region to region...but there are three characteristics that remain consistent: it's creamy, a little sweet and a little sour and it has three basic ingredients: macaroni, mayonnaise and chicken.

This Filipino Style Macaroni Salad that I am sharing with you is my mom's version. I grew up with this very simple but really delicious macaroni salad which for me has a well-balanced creaminess, sweetness and sourness. For me, this is the perfect one! The combination of ingredients is just right and doesn't overpower the supposedly main star of the dish which is the macaroni! 

My mom has always used the "Royal" brand salad macaroni which is about 1/3 the size of  elbow macaroni, and I find that more ideal for Macaroni Salad. 

But I can't find it here so I used another kind of tube pasta by Barilla which is called Ditalini.  It's a bit smaller compared to Royal salad macaroni but it works well. If elbow macaroni is all you have, you can just use that too!

Ingredients:
Yield 8 cups

• 1 lb salad macaroni or ditalini
• 2 cups boiled chicken breast, cubed
• 2 cups pineapple tidbits
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup condensed milk
• 1/2 cup carrots, fine
• 1 cup mild cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 cup yellow onion, finely chopped

Instructions:

1. Cook macaroni pasta al dente (in water where you boiled the chicken) according to package instructions. Drain then set aside.

2. In a large bowl, mix all ingredients (except the onions) until well combined. If you don't think you can finish the whole serving in one sitting, divide it and mix the onions only to the portion that would be served. 

3. Refrigerate before serving.