Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad
Summery AF
This pasta salad is so good! It tastes like an elevated version of the one where you cook up some pasta and throw it in a bowl with chopped ham, frozen peas, and a squirt of ranch dressing. (No offense to that version, but this one is definitely on a different level… especially the homemade lemon dill vinaigrette!) Plus, it’s full of fresh veggies like spinach, tomatoes, corn, and scallions.
This recipe is a great way to use up the rest of a rotisserie chicken (or the rest of the slow-cooker chicken dinner from our recipe catalog!
Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad (adapted from the Summery Chicken Pasta Salad from Cooking Classy)
Cook time: 35 minutes
Serves: 6-8
For Dietary Restrictions
Gluten free: use gluten-free pasta
Dairy free: omit cheddar cheese
Kids Can Help
Wash produce, measure dressing ingredients, mix dressing and pasta
Ingredients
For the pasta salad:
2 chicken breasts (or 3 cups cooked chicken breast from a rotisserie chicken)
1 12 oz package uncooked bacon
1 lb rotini, penne, or farfalle pasta
1 English cucumber
10 oz cherry or grape tomatoes
½ bunch green onions
1 12 oz bag frozen corn (or use 3 ears of fresh corn when in season)
5 oz fresh baby spinach
8 oz block sharp cheddar cheese
For the dressing:
½ cup olive oil
⅓ cup mayonnaise
⅓ cup lemon juice
½-1 tsp kosher salt
¼ tsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp dried dill
Directions
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Step 2
Spread out the bacon on a baking sheet. If you are using uncooked chicken breast, lay them on the baking tray with the bacon. Bake for 18-20 minutes until bacon is crispy and chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees (remove bacon if necessary to avoid burning it while the chicken finishes cooking). Set aside to cool.
Step 3
Meanwhile, boil a pot of water. Cook pasta until al dente, then drain and rinse with cold water; drain again.
Step 4
Prepare the veggies: chop cucumber, spinach, and green onions; halve tomatoes. If you’re using frozen corn, thaw the kernels in a bowl of cool water, then drain.
Step 5
Make the dressing: whisk together ½ cup olive oil, ⅓ cup mayonnaise, ⅓ cup lemon juice, ½ tsp kosher salt, ¼ tsp garlic powder, and 1 Tbsp dried dill. Mix until the mixture is uniform. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.
Step 6
Crumble the bacon and dice the chicken and cheddar cheese into small cubes.
Step 7
Toss everything together (you’ll need a very large bowl– or you can mix in 2 batches!)
Tip: for younger children or picky eaters, you can reserve some plain pasta, chicken, cheese, tomatoes, etc. before mixing with the dressing.
Step 8
Mix in the dressing, reserving about ¼ of it to freshen up leftovers. Serve immediately.
