Chicken Ranch Pasta Salad

This chicken ranch pasta salad is loaded with bacon and a delicious homemade ranch dressing. The perfect BBQ or potluck side dish! Ready in only 30 minutes.

Well, this chicken bacon ranch pasta salad is possibly my last pasta salad recipe for the season. We’ll see. They’re just so easy to throw together, and I think this one will hit the spot as well.

Labor Day is coming up, and this would be perfect for a late summer side dish!

This chicken pasta salad is made with rotisserie chicken, so it’s super fast. You can use any kind of cooked chicken – leftovers, grilled, or whatever.

Pro tip: You can either use my homemade ranch dressing (one of my most popular recipes) or save some time and use a bottled variety in this creamy chicken pasta salad. If you want it to have more of a spicy southwest flavor, try my chipotle lime ranch dressing (also a reader favorite).

I kept this pasta salad recipe pretty simple, so you could always add in some extras like cheese if you wish. I do like adding a bit of chopped parsley to brighten the salad up a bit, but it’s optional if you don’t have any.

I don’t usually post much about myself on recipe posts, but I thought I’d give a quick little update if you’re interested.

I just got back from my first ever visit to Philadelphia. My husband was there for a conference, and I brought my sister along so we could do a bit of sightseeing. Philly was never a place I really thought about visiting, but we all enjoyed it SO much.

Some highlights included dinner at Friday Saturday Sunday (a cute little bar + restaurant) with great cocktails and tasty small plates, doing my best Rocky impression (I was not the only one at the art museum doing this haha), Aquimero restaurant, the Reading Terminal Market, and just generally walking around and exploring the city.

Oh, and I met up with my fellow blogger friend Mary Ann from The Beach House Kitchen, which was really fun! It’s really nice to meet bloggers in real life even though I am a pretty shy and introverted person. 🙂 We packed a lot into a few days. We all really want to go back now! I hope you’re having a good late summer! I’ll be soaking up the rest of the warm weather and enjoying the late summer produce (mmm tomatoes and zucchini) while I can.

You may also like my chicken bacon ranch pasta, this grilled chicken pasta salad, or my BLT pasta salad.

Will you give this bacon ranch chicken pasta salad a try?

Let me know in the comments below.

4.75 from 4 votes

Chicken Ranch Pasta Salad

By Natasha Bull

This chicken ranch pasta salad is loaded with bacon and a delicious homemade ranch dressing. The perfect BBQ or potluck side dish! Ready in only 30 minutes.

Prep: 15 minutes mins

Cook: 15 minutes mins

Total: 30 minutes mins

Servings: 6

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Ingredients 

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• ▢ 3 cups uncooked fusilli pasta
• ▢ 5 strips bacon cut into small pieces
• ▢ 1/2 medium red onion chopped
• ▢ 2 cups cooked chicken (I used rotisserie chicken)
• ▢ 1 dry pint grape tomatoes halved
• ▢ 1/2 cup ranch dressing (use my recipe or bottled)
• ▢ Fresh parsley chopped, to taste (optional)

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Instructions 

• If making my ranch dressing, do that first and then keep it in the fridge until you're ready to use it. 
• Boil a large, salted pot of water for the pasta. Cook according to package directions and rinse pasta under cool water once it's cooked. Let it drain thoroughly.
• Meanwhile, cook the bacon until crispy. I cut it up using kitchen shears to make it easy.
• Prep your onion, chicken, tomatoes, and parsley (if using), and add them to a large salad bowl. Add the pasta and bacon when they're ready to go.
• Toss with the dressing (start with 1/2 cup and add more if needed) and season with salt & pepper if needed. Serve immediately or chill first.

Notes

• You can use your favorite bottled ranch dressing to save time if you wish.
• Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only and should be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Salt & Lavender makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information.

Nutrition

Calories: 366kcal, Carbohydrates: 25g, Protein: 18g, Fat: 21g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Cholesterol: 54mg, Sodium: 377mg, Potassium: 236mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 2g, Vitamin A: 19IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 20mg, Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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