Description
This Chicken Ranch Pasta Salad combines tender chicken, crispy bacon, and fresh vegetables in a creamy ranch dressing, making it an ideal choice for a quick, flavorful meal that everyone will love.
Ingredients
Scale
- 3 cups uncooked fusilli or rotini pasta
- 5 strips bacon cut into small pieces
- 1/2 medium red onion chopped
- 2 cups shredded cooked/rotisserie chicken
- 2 cups grape or cherry tomatoes cut into halves
- 1/2 cup ranch dressing
- Fresh parsley chopped, to taste (optional)
Instructions
- Prepare the ranch dressing if making it from scratch and chill it in the fridge until needed.
- Boil a large pot of salted water, cook the pasta according to package instructions, then rinse it under cool water and let it drain.
- Cut bacon into small pieces and cook until crispy, then place on a paper towel-lined plate to absorb excess grease.
- Chop the onion, shred the chicken, and halve the tomatoes; combine these in a large bowl along with the drained pasta and cooked bacon.
- Toss the ingredients with ranch dressing, adjusting the amount to taste, and season with salt and pepper. Serve right away or refrigerate before serving.
Notes
Feel free to use any pasta shape you prefer.
You can substitute homemade ranch with store-bought for convenience.
This salad can be made a day in advance for extra flavor as the ingredients meld together.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 400
- Sugar: 2g
- Sodium: 750mg
- Fat: 18g
- Saturated Fat: 5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 13g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 40g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 22g
- Cholesterol: 70mg