Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad

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.

Chicken bacon and ranch is an unstoppable flavor combo

I love to mix chicken bacon and ranch together for sandwiches and pizza so of course I had to make a Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad! Just make a pound of pasta and toss it with chicken, crispy bacon, ranch dressing, herbs and veggies.

To balance the rich flavors of bacon and ranch, I added some chopped onion, bell pepper and fresh parsley. I like to use a slightly thicker ranch to create the perfect pasta salad texture.

Kitchen Tools

• Large pot for boiling pasta
• Frying pan for searing chicken
• Sharp knife and cutting board
• Large mixing bowl
• Measuring spoons and measuring cups
• Liquid measuring cup

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.

Ingredients

• Pasta
• Boneless skinless chicken breasts
• Bacon
• Ranch dressing – I like to use my homemade ranch dressing recipe
• Green bell pepper
• Red onion
• Fresh chopped parsley
• Salt and pepper

What kind of pasta is best for this chicken bacon ranch pasta?

Certain types of pasta are better than others for making pasta salad. I like to choose a noodle that can easily be pierced by a fork.

The best types of pasta for pasta salad are cavatapi, fusili, rotini, elbows and farfale. I used rotini for this chicken bacon ranch dish.

How to make chicken bacon ranch pasta salad?

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. 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!

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

• Quinoa Chickpea Salad
• Shrimp Pesto Pasta Salad
• Italian Chopped Salad
• Lemon Dill Tuna Salad

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!

Recipe

Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad

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Chicken, bacon and ranch tossed with cooked pasta, bell pepper, red onion, and parsley.

Recipe By: Madeline

Prep: 10 minutesCook: 20 minutesTotal: 30 minutes

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Servings: 10 servings 1x

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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
• 1/2 a red onion
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley
• 1 1/2 cups ranch dressing

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Instructions

1. Boil pasta in heavily salted water until cooked. Drain and rinse the pasta in cold water until it is room temperature.
2. 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. 
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. Pour the ranch dressing into the mixing bowl and toss to combine thoroughly. Serve immediately or chill and serve chilled.

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.