This Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad is the perfect dish to bring to a party. It is also a quick and easy lunch that you can make ahead and enjoy all week.
30 minutes
Beginner-friendly
You’ll Learn: The pan-searing technique for juicy chicken with golden edges
Worth It: It’s a satisfying, protein-forward option that actually keeps you full
Bonus: Air fryer option for faster crispy chicken and bacon
Why You’ll love this recipe
- Amazing flavor combination – I love the chicken, bacon and ranch together so it only made sense to add them to pasta salad. I also added crunchy green bell pepper and red onion to balance the rich flavors.
- Perfect for feeding a crowd – If you are having a backyard barbecue or headed to a party, this is the perfect thing to make! It serves many people and is extra filling thanks to the protein from the chicken breast.
- Prep ahead of time – Prep all the ingredients ahead of time and toss with the ranch dressing just before serving. Serve chilled or at room temperature.
- Customize as needed – you can use your favorite store bought ranch dressing or make one at home! Swap gluten free pasta for the regular pasta and turkey bacon for the regular baco.
How to make extra crispy bacon?
Crispy bacon is a key ingredient in this chicken bacon ranch pasta. I make my bacon extra crispy by baking it.
I usually follow this oven baked bacon recipe. Just line a baking sheet with parchment paper and bake bacon at 400F for 15-20 minutes.
Serving Suggestions
This filling and flavorful pasta salad recipe is the perfect thing to add to your backyard barbecue menu. It is also a great meal prep option.
I would serve it with some of my other favorite summer salad recipes like this summer corn salad or grilled watermelon salad. It is also great with grilled proteins like this marinated grilled flank steak or grilled lemon pepper wings.
Be sure to serve it with a sweet summer dessert to balance the savory pasta salad ingredients. I love this mixed berry cobbler for a dessert that looks fancy, but is actually SO easy to make.
Ingredients
- Pasta – use whatever pasta shape you like best. I usually use fusili or rotini. You can make it more of a classic macaroni salad by using macaroni noodles. Boil the pasta in a large pot with heavily salted water until
- Boneless skinless chicken breasts – add lots of protein to this pas
- Bacon – cook a few strips of bacon in a pan until crispy. Then, set them aside to cool so that you can chop it into bite sized pieces. Save the bacon fat to cook the chicken.
- Ranch dressing – This ranch is this pasta salad dressing for this dish. I like to use my homemade ranch dressing recipe, but any creamy ranch dressing works well for this recipe. Buy your favorite one at the store or make a quick one with mayonnaise, greek yogurt, lemon juice and ranch seasoning powder.
- Green bell pepper – add a fresh crunch to this savory pasta salad with diced green bell pepper.
- Red onion – finely dice some red onion to add extra flavor.
- Fresh chopped parsley – I love using fresh chopped parsley when making refreshing summer pasta salad.
- Salt and pepper – season the chicken liberally with this simple mixture prior to cooking it in the leftover bacon fat. You can also add some garlic powder and onion powder to this seasoning blend.
Ingredient substitutions
Simplify this recipe by using pre cooked and crumbled bacon. You can also save a step by using shredded leftover rotisserie chicken breast.
Add shredded sharp cheddar cheese to add a boost of flavor to this easy pasta salad recipe. You could also use something like crumbled goat cheese or feta for tang.
There are plenty of extra vegetables that you can add to this dish. I like to add quartered cherry tomatoes for subtle sweetness and acidity. Add cucumbers for extra crunch and thinly sliced green onions or other fresh herbs for flavor.
How to make
Step 1: Cook pasta, bacon and chicken
Boil one pound of pasta in heavily salted water. Drain the pasta and rinse it in cool water until its room temperature. Transfer to a large bowl and set aside. Cook the bacon in a pan on the stove top or in the oven.
Chop the bacon into bite size pieces and reserve the bacon grease. Then, cut chicken breasts in half horizontally.
Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Cook in the bacon grease on medium for 4 minutes each side and slice into strips.
Step 2: Prep veggies
Dice the green bell pepper, finely dice the red onion and chop the fresh parsley. Set aside for later.
Step 3: Mix pasta with chicken, bacon, ranch and veggies
Then, place the cooked and cooled pasta, sliced chicken strips, cooked bacon, and chopped veggies into a large mixing bowl. Finally, pour the ranch dressing on top. Toss to combine it all and serve!
Make ahead of time
To prepare this chicken bacon ranch pasta salad ahead of time, mix all of the ingredients together except for the ranch dressing. Toss the other ingredients with the ranch just before serving.
Storage
Store this pasta salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Serve leftovers on its own as a quick lunch or over mixed greens for some added veggies!
Check out these other Easy Lunch Recipes
You can find the full recipe below. If you make this recipe, please rate and review it in the comments, or share it with me on Instagram!
You can find the full recipe below. If you make this recipe, please rate and review it in the comments, or share it with me on Instagram!
Email Recipe for Later
Recipe
Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 1 lb pasta
- 6 strips of bacon
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1 green bell pepper
- 1/4 a red onion
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley
- 1 1/2 cups ranch dressing
Instructions
- Boil pasta in heavily salted water until cooked. Drain and rinse the pasta in cold water until it is room temperature.
- While the pasta cooks, cook the bacon in a frying pan or on the stove top until crispy. Reserve the bacon grease and cut the bacon into bite size pieces.
- Slice the chicken breasts horizontally into two pieces each. Season with salt and pepper. Heat bacon grease over medium heat in a frying pan and cook the chicken over medium for 4 minutes each side. Slice chicken into thin strips.
- While the chicken cooks, dice the green bell pepper, finely dice the red onion, and chop the parsley. Add the cooked and cooled pasta, chicken strips, crispy, bacon, pepper, onion, and parsley to a large mixing bowl.
- Pour the ranch dressing into the mixing bowl and toss to combine thoroughly. Serve immediately or chill and serve chilled.
Recipe Notes
- serve chilled or at room temperature
- to prepare a head of time, mix all of the ingredients together except for the ranch dressing. Toss the other ingredients with the ranch just before serving.
Nutrition Information
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
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