Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad
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Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad is an easy to make side dish for all your summer potlucks and gatherings. This pasta salad is loaded with tons of flavor thanks to the creamy ranch dressing.
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I love a good pasta salad recipe as you might have noticed from my BLT pasta salad, Tuscan pasta salad, or Italian pasta salad…you can never have enough variations!
Why I love this recipe
It is also super fast and easy to throw together, and perfect for using up leftover chicken and bacon you might have on hand.
Ingredients
- chicken breasts – cooked, cooled, and cubed
- bacon – cooked and crumbled
- rotini pasta – feel free to substitute penne, bowtie, or other sturdy pasta shapes
- shredded cheese – I used cheddar but you could switch it up to your favorite flavor
- cherry tomatoes
- red onion
- homemade ranch dressing or store-bought ranch dressing
Step by step
- Boil the pasta in a large pot according to package instructions, drain, and rinse with cold water. Set aside.
- In a large bowl combine chicken, pasta, bacon, tomatoes, onion, and shredded cheese. Mix to combine.
- Add salad dressing and stir to coat. Chill at least 2 hours before serving.
Tips for Best Results
- To make this recipe even faster use store-bought precooked bacon and chicken. You can also use rotisserie chicken or it is a great way to use up leftover chicken from a previous night’s meal.
- Do not skip chilling the pasta salad before serving, this allows time for the flavors to blend.
Variations
You can make this recipe your own by adding in some extra ingredients: chopped green onion and sliced black olives work well or try using chopped crispy chicken tenders to add a little crunch.
You can also amp up the ranch dressing with a little chopped fresh dill or parsley, I tend to add dill along with onion powder and garlic powder if I’m using a store-bought dressing.
Serving suggestions
While this makes the perfect side dish for a potluck or BBQ, this creamy ranch pasta salad is super filling thanks to the chicken and crispy bacon, it can stand as a meal all on its own.
If serving as a lunch side dish, I like to pair it with a nice chicken club sandwich or for dinner with simple proteins like baked pork chops, pork tenderloin, or baked BBQ glazed chicken.
Storage
Store leftover pasta salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 3 days. I do not recommend freezing pasta salad.
If you try this recipe please comment and rate it below, I love hearing from you!
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Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad
- Total Time: 2 hours 15 minutes
- Yield: 8 1x
Description
Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad is an easy to make side dish for all your summer potlucks and gatherings. This pasta salad is loaded with tons of flavor thanks to the creamy ranch dressing.
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked and cooled chicken breast, chopped
- 10 ounces rotini pasta
- ½ pound bacon, cooked and roughly chopped
- 8 ounces shredded cheddar cheese
- ½–1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- ½ small red onion, chopped
- 1 cup ranch dressing
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to package instructions, drain and rinse with cold water. Set aside.
- In a large bowl combine chicken, pasta, bacon, tomatoes, onion, and shredded cheese. Mix to combine.
- Add salad dressing and toss to coat. Chill at least 2 hours before serving.
Notes
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 3 days.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Category: side
- Method: none
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 428
- Sugar: 3.6 g
- Sodium: 650 mg
- Fat: 22.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 36.9 g
- Fiber: 1.4 g
- Protein: 19.7 g
- Cholesterol: 64 mg
big hit with the inlaws!