Description
This Chicken Club Pasta Salad is a hearty and flavorful dish combining cooked pasta, tender chicken, crispy bacon, fresh vegetables, and creamy ranch dressing. Perfect for picnics, potlucks, or a quick lunch, it offers a balance of savory, smoky, and fresh flavors with an easy preparation process.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 8 ounces pasta (rigatoni, shells, rotini, penne)
Meat & Cheese
- 12 slices bacon (cooked and crumbled)
- 2 cups cooked chicken (chopped)
- 1 cup cheddar cheese (cut into 1/2-inch cubes)
Vegetables & Others
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes (halved)
- 2 stalks celery (chopped)
- 1 medium green bell pepper (chopped)
Dressing & Seasonings
- 1 cup Ranch dressing
Instructions
- Cook Pasta: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, adding enough salt to make the water taste like the sea. Add the pasta and cook for 10 to 12 minutes until al dente, then drain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process.
- Prepare Ingredients: While the pasta cooks, prepare the other ingredients. Cook and crumble the bacon, chop the cooked chicken, halve the cherry tomatoes, and chop the celery and green bell pepper.
- Combine Salads: In a large bowl, add the cooled pasta followed by the cooked chicken, bacon, cherry tomatoes, cheddar cheese, celery, and green bell pepper.
- Add Dressing: Pour the Ranch dressing over the mixture and toss well until everything is evenly coated.
- Chill & Serve: Refrigerate the salad for at least 30 minutes to allow flavors to meld. Serve chilled, and enjoy!
Notes
- Salt your pasta water generously—think salty like the sea—to flavor the noodles.
- Avoid overcooking the pasta; keep it al dente to prevent mushiness in the salad.
- Rinse pasta in cold water after cooking to halt the cooking process and keep the salad crisp.
- Since the bacon, cheese, chicken, and dressing are salty, additional salt is usually unnecessary.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days; the salad tastes even better the next day.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 664 kcal
- Sugar: 4 g
- Sodium: 817 mg
- Fat: 48 g
- Saturated Fat: 14 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 31 g
- Trans Fat: 0.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 34 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 23 g
- Cholesterol: 87 mg
