Kristin Maxwell
Last updated on
Bacon Ranch Chicken Pasta Salad
This Bacon Ranch Chicken Pasta Salad is cool and refreshing with a delicious, creamy Ranch flavored dressing, making it a summer staple for outdoor picnics and parties.
This post has been updated from 2014.
Pasta salad just screams summer to me. So fresh and cool and completely customizable – you can create a big batch as a base and your family can add the toppings they love. This Bacon Ranch Chicken Pasta Salad is a perfect example of a delicious and totally family friendly pasta salad!
My kids aren’t big veggie fans but they definitely prefer them cold and crunchy. It’s easy to get them to eat their veggies when they are mixed in to a yummy pasta salad. I added tomatoes (my daughter’s favorite) and peas (my son’s favorite) to this one.
For this remake I opted for crispy chicken strips instead of rotisserie chicken, but you could use any kind of pre-cooked chicken you like. The crispy chicken added a delicious element of crunch to this creamy salad.
The pasta is cooked separately and cooled, and the bacon is fried until nice and crispy. Everything is tossed together and then coated in the ranch dressing. For the remake I added some mayo and sour cream to the basic Ranch dressing to make it a little creamier. But you could just do the straight Ranch if you prefer.
This savory salad has made it into our weekly rotation. We love it for lunch or dinner. It’s will be a hit for your next party, especially Memorial Day and all through the summer!
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Ingredients
- 2 cups small dry pasta, cooked to al dente
- 2 cups diced or shredded chicken
- 1 cup frozen peas cooked
- 1 cup diced tomatoes
- 6 slices bacon cooked and diced
- 1/2 cup bottled ranch dressing
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons sour cream
- 1 tsp fresh cracked black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Cook the pasta to al dente and allow to cool. Add chicken, bacon, peas and tomatoes and toss to combine.
- Combine Ranch dressing, sour cream and mayonnaise into a small bowl. Add salt and pepper and stir until combined.
- Pour dressing mixture over pasta mixture and gently stir to coat.
- Top with bacon crumbles for garnish, if desired.
Notes
* There is no right or wrong when it comes to the chicken. Use crispy chicken strips, boiled chicken, leftover rotisserie chicken or whatever you happen to have on hand.* Cheese makes a great addition to this pasta salad - we like cheddar or blue cheese.
For more delicious pasta salads, be sure to check these out:
Lightened Up Broccoli Pasta Salad
Balsamic Strawberry Pasta Salad
For all salads go HERE, for all entrees go HERE and for the Recipe Index go HERE.
Good recipe and super easy. I will make this again! We ate it all up.
Thanks for the awesome feedback Pamela!
Hi Kristin, I have made this before but I tried it again with steamed shrimp. As a Marylander I love shrimp steamed in Old Bay seasoning. The seasoning added extra zip to the bacon and ranch dressing. I used rotini and it was fantastic!
Oh, that sounds delicious!!
how many does this serve?
It would depend on whether you are serving this as a main course, or with a party spread. As a main dish it would serve about 6, or even up to 8.
Do you use real mayo or Miracle Whip
Always real mayo! 😉
What brand of Ranch dressing do you use?
I use Hidden Valley religiously. It’s our favorite!
what could i substitute for green peas
You could just leave them out, or use maybe some celery for crunch?
Made this for an office potluck, it was a hit! Multiple people asked for the recipe! Noted, I made my own ranch instead of using bottled ranch as I personally cannot stand the bottled stuff. To me, it also seemed a little too peppery but not enough to really impact the yumminess. I doubled the recipe, and probably about 10 people had a decent helping of it (but with a potluck, there are lots of other foods so this was not a main dish size helpings). Worked out great! I got everything ready the night before, threw it all together before serving, and it lasted staying out for a few hours. Unfortunately, no leftovers to know if it would be as good the next day!
Thanks for sharing your feedback Elyn! So glad to hear it was enjoyed by all!
I made this for the first time this weekend and I will make it again. Yum!
I really enjoyed this. Thanks for the recipe .
how many people does this serve?
I’d say a good six servings, but it depends on the serving size.
I am cooking this an entree for a soup kitchen, serving 25. Would quadrupling be enough?
As a main dish? Maybe…but for a soup kitchen I’d ere on the side of caution and make more.
Would this sit well overnight?
Yes, it’s great the next day!