Chicken bacon ranch pasta salad is a classic summer dish chock full of everyone’s favorite flavor combination! Bowtie pasta gets tossed with cheddar cheese, bacon pieces, veggies, chicken, and Ranch dressing. Perfect for picnics, potlucks, barbecues, or just an easy dinner!
I think we eat pasta salad almost every day in the summer.
Between barbecues and potlucks and just wanting an easy cold dinner, pasta salad never fails.
And this chicken bacon ranch pasta salad is a winner every time I make it.
It’s perfect as a side dish for a barbecue but it’s hearty enough to serve as dinner too.
Plus it’s effortlessly easy to make!
Ingredients
To make this you’ll need:
- Pasta– I used farfalle pasta but you can use penne, rotini or another similarly sized pasta. Cook whatever you use according to the directions on the package.
- Cheddar cheese– A block cut into small cubes
- Bacon pieces– To keep it easy I’m using a package of real bacon pieces, but you could also cook up a few pieces of bacon and crumble them.
- Green onions– Thinly sliced
- Cherry tomatoes– Halved
- Chicken– Chopped rotisserie chicken
- Ranch dressing– Your favorite kind
- Salt and pepper– To taste
How to Make
This chicken bacon ranch pasta salad is so easy!
Just toss all of the ingredients except for the dressing, salt, and pepper together in a large mixing bowl to combine.
Once the ingredients are evenly combined, pour on the ranch dressing and toss it again until combined.
Season the salad with salt and pepper to taste.
Cover the salad and refrigerate it for an hour before serving.
Enjoy!
Storing Leftovers
This pasta salad holds up really well!
Store leftovers in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Just give it a toss before you serve it again.
Can I make it ahead?
Yes! You can make this pasta salad a day ahead of time.
Just store it covered in the fridge.
Tips and Tricks
- I like cut cubes of cheddar in this but you could use shredded cheddar to save time. You could also buy precut cubes if you prefer.
- You could add other veggies like diced cucumbers or diced bell peppers to this if you like.
- Feel free to adjust the amount of anything to suit your tastes.
Other Pasta Salad Recipes
Chicken bacon ranch pasta salad is a delicious side for a barbecue or even an easy dinner on its own!
Make it and enjoy!
Looking for other pasta salad recipes?
Try these:
If you’ve tried this CHICKEN BACON RANCH PASTA SALAD, or any other recipe on the site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and whatever else we’ve got going on!
Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 1 lb farfalle pasta cooked according to package directions, then run under cold water until completely cooled
- 1 8 oz block sharp cheddar cheese chopped into small cubes
- 1 2.8 oz pkg real bacon pieces
- 1 bunch green onions thinly sliced
- 1 1/2 - 2 cups halved cherry tomatoes
- 2 -2 2 1/2 cups chopped rotisserie chicken
- 1 1/2 cups ranch dressing your favorite variety
- salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients except the dressing, salt, and pepper to a large mixing bowl. Gently toss to evenly combine.1 lb farfalle pasta, 1 8 oz block sharp cheddar cheese, 1 2.8 oz pkg real bacon pieces, 1 bunch green onions, 1 1/2 - 2 cups halved cherry tomatoes, 2 -2 2 1/2 cups chopped rotisserie chicken
- Pour the ranch dressing over the pasta mixture, tossing just until everything's evenly coated.1 1/2 cups ranch dressing
- Season with salt & pepper, to taste.salt & pepper
- Cover and chill for 1 hour before serving.
Notes
- I like cut cubes of cheddar in this but you could use shredded cheddar to save time. You could also buy precut cubes if you prefer.
- You could add other veggies like diced cucumbers or diced bell peppers to this if you like.
- Feel free to adjust the amount of anything to suit your tastes.
Nutrition
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