Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad

5 from 2 votes

Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad

The perfect summer pasta salad, Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad is great for BBQs, Pot Lucks and easy transportable lunches. Pasta tossed with juicy chicken, crispy bacon, tangy olives and sweet tomatoes and corn, with a creamy and herby ranch dressing. Make a big batch - I promise it won't last long!

Prep Time10

Cook Time10

Total Time20

Course: Pasta, Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Calories: 601kcal

Author: Carrie Carvalho

Equipment

Ingredients

1 Cooked Chicken Breast or 1 cup rotisserie chicken
6 slices Crispy Cooked Streaky Bacon
300 grams Pasta Shells 5 cups
200 grams Cherry Tomato, halved 1 ⅓ cups
140 grams Sweetcorn 1 cup
1 Red Onion, diced
100 grams Black Olives, sliced ¾ cup
1 tbsp Chopped Fresh Chives optional, to garnish

Ranch Dressing (or use ¾ cup of your preferred prepared Ranch Dressing)

6 tbsp Mayonnaise
4 tbsp Greek Yoghurt
1 tbsp Chopped Fresh Parsley or 1 tsp dried
Chopped Fresh Chives or 1 tsp dried
Chopped Fresh Dill or 1 tsp dried
1 tsp Garlic Powder
½ tsp Onion Powder
¼ tsp Salt
1 tbsp Lemon Juice
1 tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar or white wine vinegar

Metric - US Measures

Instructions

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and cook pasta until al dente. Drain and rinse under cold water to cool and stop the cooking process.
Meanwhile, prepare the rest of the salad ingredients - slice the olives and tomatoes in half and dice the red onion. Add to a large mixing bowl and stir in the cooked pasta.
Dice the cooked chicken breast and crispy bacon and add to the salad ingredients. (see notes for chicken and bacon cooking instructions).
To prepare the Ranch Dressing, add all the ingredients to a small bowl or jug and whisk to combine. Add additional salt and lemon juice to taste if required.
Pour the Ranch Dressing over the pasta salad ingredients (you may not need to use it all so pour half at a time). Stir to combine and garnish with additional chopped chives.

Notes

This recipe serves 4 as a main meal or 6-8 as a side dish. Nutrition facts are based on 4 servings.

To cook perfect crispy bacon:

line a baking sheet with greaseproof or baking paper. Lay out the bacon rashers evenly and place in a COLD oven.
Turn the oven temperature to 200c/180fan/400f/gas 6 and cook for about 20-25 minutes, until bacon reaches your desired level of crispy. You can also cook the bacon in a pan on the hob.
When the bacon is cooked, allow it to cool on some kitchen paper then finely dice.

To cook the chicken breast, first season with salt and pepper.

Pan Fry over a medium high heat with a little oil and cook for about 4-5 minutes per side until cooked through.

Oven Cook at 200c/180fan/400f/gas 6 for 20-25 minutes until cooked through.

Air Fry at 180c/350f for 18-20 minutes until cooked through.

Chicken breast needs to reach an internal temp of 165 °F or 75°C. There should be no pink when you cut into the breast and the juices should run clear. Allow the chicken breast to cool before dicing and adding to the salad.

Nutrition