Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad
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The Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad is an irresistible blend of chicken, crispy bacon, and perfectly cooked pasta coated with a luxuriously creamy ranch dressing.
This popular salad is the ultimate choice for any gathering, whether it be a laid-back picnic, a potluck with friends, or a delicious and satisfying lunch. With its rich and satisfying flavors, this salad will surely be a crowd favorite!
Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad
This easy-to-make pasta salad is loaded with summer veggies, chicken, and bacon. It is super simple to pull together and makes for the ideal side dish for those summer barbeques, picnics, or potlucks.
It’s a perfect make-ahead dish. You can prepare this pasta salad a day or two in advance and store it in the fridge until you are ready to serve it.
Why You Should Make This Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad
Ingredients And Tips For Making Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad
(Ingredients at a glance, you will find the full recipe with ingredient amounts in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.)
- Pasta | I used rotini in today’s version, but any short-shaped pasta will work.(Like fusilli or farfalle.)
- Sour cream | The recipe calls for full-fat sour cream; low-fat works fine, too. You could also sub the sour cream for plain greek yogurt.
- Mayonnaise | Full fat or light. Just make sure to use a brand with good flavor. (I always go for Helmans or Dukes over the store brand when the mayo is a prominent ingredient in a recipe.)
- Milk | Any fat percentage works, the purpose of the milk is to thin out the dressing a bit.
- Ranch Seasoning | One 1 oz packet of ranch seasoning is needed. If you have a big jar of ranch seasoning, use two tablespoons.
- Onions | You need both red and green.
- Chicken | Chopped cooked chicken. I love the flavor rotisserie chicken adds, but canned, skillet-fried, poached or even something like the Tyson grilled chicken strips will work
- Bacon bits | Your favorite brand of real bacon bits, or for the best flavor, freshly cooked and crumbled bacon. (I usually use the pre-cooked microwaved bacon for this. Cooks up in about 30 se
- Cherry tomatoes | Cherry or grape tomatoes are good, cut in them in half.
- Corn kernels | I used canned but fresh or frozen corn are also good.
- Black olives | I used canned sliced black olives, but you can use whole olives and slice them yourself. (Or leave them out altogether if you are not an olive fan.
- Seasoning | salt and pepper
How To Make This Chicken Pasta Salad
1 Cook the pasta: Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water to cool and to stop the cooking process.
2 Make the dressing: In a small bowl, combine sour cream, mayonnaise, milk, and ranch mix.
3 Combine all the ingredients: In a large bowl, combine the pasta, green onions, red onion, chicken, bacon bits, tomatoes, corn, and olives.
4 Dress the Pasta Salad: Drizzle the pasta mixture with the dressing, and toss to coat the pasta well. Season with salt and pepper.
5 Chill: Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Recipe Tips
- Let the salad sit for an hour or so in the fridge to allow the flavor to mingle.
- If making the chicken bacon ranch pasta salad ahead of time, you might consider making extra dressing to add just before serving to ensure the pasta has not absorbed to much of the dressing.
- If you happen to be grilling chicken, throw some fresh corn on the cob on the grill, too. Grilled corn would be a great alternative to canned or frozen corn in this salad.
Variations
- Add different vegetables to your pasta salad. Instead of tomatoes and corn, you can use broccoli and red peppers. Or add some leafy green vegetables like chopped romaine lettuce. (The crisp, sweet flavor of romaine is perfect for this salad.)
- Cubes of Cheddar Cheese would be great in this salad.
- Use bottled ranch dressing instead of making your own for even quicker meal prep.
- If you don’t have any cooked chicken you can use a can of tuna. Drain well and add to the bowl with the pasta.
- To make a vegetarian version of this salad, you can use canned beans like kidney, cannellini, or even chickpeas.
- Sprinkle the salad with crumbled goat cheese or feta.
Storage suggestions
Any leftovers can be stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Freezing is not recommended.
FAQs
Can I Use Bottled Ranch Dressing?
Of course, Hidden Valley Ranch is great in this salad.
Can this pasta salad be made ahead of time?
Yes, this chicken bacon pasta salad will stay fresh in an airtight container in the fridge for about a day or two, so it is perfect for prepping the night before.
Can I use real bacon instead of bacon bits?
Yes, you can. If you have bacon in the fridge you can cook it up and crumble it into the salad.
Looking for more pasta salad options:
- BLT Pasta Salad
- Summer Picnic Pasta Salad
- Chicken and Tortellini Pasta Salad
- Sausage and Tortellini Pasta Salad
Did You Make This Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad?
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Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad
- Prep Time: 5
- Cook Time: 12
- Total Time: 17 min
- Yield: 8–10 servings 1x
- Category: side dish
Description
The Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad is an irresistible blend of chicken, crispy bacon, and perfectly cooked pasta coated with a luxuriously creamy ranch dressing.
Ingredients
- 1 lb pasta (I used rotini)
- ½ cup sour cream
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 2 Tablespoons milk
- 1 1oz. packet of ranch dressing mix
- ¼ cup green onions, sliced thinly
- ½ red onion, diced
- 3 cups cooked, chopped chicken
- 1 3 oz. packet of bacon bits
- 1 ½ cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half
- 1 cup canned corn kernels
- ¾ cup sliced black olives
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon ground pepper
Instructions
- Cook and drain pasta, rinse with cold water to cool and to stop the cooking process.
- In a small bowl, combine sour cream, mayonnaise, milk, and ranch mix.
- In a large bowl, combine pasta, green onions, red onion, chicken, bacon bits, tomatoes, corn, and olives.
- Drizzle the pasta mixture with the dressing, and toss to coat the pasta well.
- Season with salt and pepper
- Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/10 of the recipe
- Calories: 300
- Fat: 16
- Carbohydrates: 36
- Fiber: 3
- Protein: 21
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