Loaded with tender grilled chicken, crunchy celery, whole grain pasta and a flavor packed dressing, this really is the Best Creamy Chicken Pasta Salad I've ever made! It is perfect to take along with calico beans and secret ingredient chicken salad for brunch, lunch, a picnic or potluck!
A few years ago, a group of coworkers started The Lunch Bunch. Each day, one person brought lunch for the entire group. So, as a Lunch Buncher, you only had to make lunch once every two weeks, but you had lunch waiting for you every single day.
There were crock pot meals, a do-it-yourself baked potato bar, deli sandwiches and sides, delicious baked casseroles and more! It was a great way to save money, chat and laugh and find some great new recipes.
This recipe is based on a Lunch Bunch recipe and with picnic and potluck season right around the corner, I thought now was the perfect time to share this yummy recipe with you!
The Best Creamy Chicken Pasta Salad
I tweaked the original recipe a little for my personal tastes: I grilled the chicken, used whole grain pasta, added garlic and lemon to the dressing and omitted the raw green onions. (I just can't do raw onions! But feel free to add them if you like them.)
The dressing is really what brings this whole dish together. It starts with mayonnaise and sour cream, so the base is definitely creamy. Then, it is packed with flavorful ranch seasoning, lots of dried dill, lemon juice to brighten it up, garlic for that familiar tang and finished with salt and pepper.
Can I make this ahead of time?
Yes, in fact, it's preferred! One of the secrets to this chicken pasta salad is to make the dressing ahead of time. It allows the dried spices to bloom a bit in the creamy dressing and helps develop the flavor. But if you are in a pinch, just go ahead and mix it up and stir everything together ... trust me, it will still be delicious!
Another tip? I let the pasta cool completely before mixing it together so it doesn't 'drink' up so much of the dressing. I love the chewy, slightly dense texture of whole grain pasta and that the dressing gets all hung up in the spiral twists of the rotini, but you can use your favorite type of pasta for this recipe.
Since all of the ingredients in this in this recipe can be made, chopped and prepped ahead of time, that makes it really easy to stir it together just before serving.
Creamy Pasta Salad Variations
Honestly, this is one of those recipes that you can really make your own.
- Substitute canned tuna, canned chicken or pull the meat from a rotisserie chicken if you don't have time to grill chicken.
- Add back in those green onions if you like a little bite.
- Make it even heartier and toss in cheese cubes or some toasted almonds. You really can't go wrong!
With the addition of the grilled chicken, this is a hearty recipe, so it makes a great lunch or brunch item. It would also be delicious to pack up in mason jars for a picnic or to add to any potluck spread, too.
How to Serve
Since the dressing is dairy-based, it is important to keep the pasta salad cool. If serving at an event or to a crowd where it will sit out for a while, chill the serving bowl before filling it with the pasta salad and fill a slightly larger bowl with ice to nestle the bowl in to keep the pasta salad cool.
Here are a few more of my favorite salad recipes!
- Secret Ingredient Chicken Salad
- Cuban Cobb Salad
- Pesto Parmesan Chicken Salad
If you try this recipe, please comment and rate it below, I love hearing from you
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The Best Creamy Chicken Pasta Salad
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours 10 minutes
- Yield: 8 1x
- Category: lunch
- Method: none
- Cuisine: American
Description
This easy pasta salad recipe is packed with grilled chicken, crunchy celery and has a super flavorful dressing. It really is the BEST Creamy Chicken Pasta Salad!
Ingredients
- One 16 oz. box of whole grain rotini pasta (cooked, drained and cooled)
- 2 lbs. grilled chicken (chopped into bite sized pieces)
- 1 cup diced celery
Dressing
- 1 ½ cups mayonnaise
- 1 ½ cups sour cream
- ½ cup milk
- One packet of ranch dressing/dip seasoning mix
- 2 tablespoons dried dill
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic (smashed into a paste (or ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder))
- Juice of ½ lemon
- Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
Prepare the Dressing
- Mix all ingredients together and refrigerate the dressing overnight or at least a few 3 hours.
Make the Pasta Salad
- In a large bowl, stir together the pasta, chicken, celery and prepared dressing.
- Garnish with fresh dill or chopped parsley if desired and serve.
Notes
Refrigerate any leftovers. If necessary, add a bit more mayonnaise to leftovers as the pasta will absorb some of the dressing as it waits in the fridge.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 588
- Sugar: 3.1 g
- Sodium: 653.2 mg
- Fat: 24.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 48.8 g
- Protein: 39.4 g
- Cholesterol: 98.1 mg
JaneEllen says
Sure looks and sounds delicious Keri. Sure glad you shared this recipe. How nice about your lunch club, sounds like fun and makes friends. Printing this recipe/side how-to's as I type. Would be such a good meal for many occasions. Like that you grilled the chicken, give it better flavor. Love easy salad recipes to make ahead, take with.
Happy Easter
Could sure use your HR expertise here in Grand Junction. The things employers do to employees here is downright criminal, have been victim myself. They claim not to know rules, bull. They hope we don't know rules.
Linda Sturdivant says
I made this Chicken Salad for my out of town family for lunch. They were all coming to my house straight from the airport around lunchtime before leaving for a family celebration. I made a vegetable garden salad to go with it. Three weeks later two of my sisters contacted me to ask for the recipe. They each said it was delicious and they wanted to make it for their families. Yesterday I asked my son if he liked it. He said it was yes it was delicious and was wondering when I was going to make it again! I was so excited everyone enjoyed it. It will be a family favorite!
Keri says
Hi Linda - I love hearing that your family enjoyed this creamy chicken pasta salad! Thanks so much for stopping by to let me know!!
Sylvie Lemaster says
This dish is fantastic! I make it all the time and every time I do I have people asking me for the recipe! so so good, making it again this weekend!
Melissa Riker says
so glad you enjoyed it!
Rebecca Payne says
Looks good. I can't wait to try this recipe.
★★★