Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad
This Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad is excellent for an easy family dinner or a crowd-pleaser side dish. Tender chicken, crispy bacon, cooked pasta, and fresh vegetables tossed in a creamy ranch dressing for the most delicious and hearty summer salad.
Ingredients
- 1 lb. rotini pasta (or similar)
- 12 oz. bacon, chopped into small pieces
- 2 cups chicken breast, diced See Note 1
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1/2 medium red onion, finely diced
- 2-3 celery stalks, diced
- 1 cup ranch dressing highly recommend: Wingstop Ranch Dressing (recipe below). You can also use your favorite store bought ranch dressing.
Wingstop Ranch Dressing (optional)
- 1 cup good quality mayonnaise
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 1 oz. packet of Hidden Valley Ranch dip mix or other ranch mix, about 4 tablespoons
- 1/4 tsp sea salt or kosher salt
Instructions
- Prep: Prepare dressing (if using). Whisk together all ingredients for the dressing, and refrigerate until ready to use. Cook bacon until crisp. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and cool.
- Assemble: In a large bowl, add pasta. Top with cooled bacon, tomatoes, red onion, celery, and chicken. Toss with dressing until everything is well-coated. Refrigerate at least an hour to allow flavors to marry. I like to reserve a little of the dressing and toss it in right before I am ready to serve.
Notes
Note 1: Store bought rotisserie chicken works great! This easy Blackened Chicken recipe, this Oven Baked Chicken or this simple Pan-Cooked Chicken all work, too!
Nutrition is only an estimate based on the Very Well Fit Nutrition Calculator
Nutrition
Calories: 692kcalCarbohydrates: 45.5gProtein: 42.2gFat: 36gSaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 102mgSodium: 1522mgPotassium: 526mgFiber: 2.8gSugar: 4.1gCalcium: 20mgIron: 3mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!