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Salad meets pasta salad in this Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad recipe. Perfect for an easy and delicious work lunch and it can be thrown together in just 30 minutes.
Why You’ll Love Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad
This easy pasta salad combines crunchy romaine lettuce with shredded cheddar cheese, tender diced chicken, crispy bacon and tender pasta all tossed in creamy ranch dressing.
❤️ It’s such a versatile recipe – that can accommodate your favorite modifications. Add bell peppers, peas, avocado, etc. You can also substitute the regular pasta for a high protein or whole grain variety.
❤️ It is hearty enough as a complete meal or serve it as a side salad. If the pasta salad will be made ahead though, be sure to add the romaine lettuce just before serving to prevent sogginess.
❤️ Meal prep friendly! There are lots of tips included in the recipe to make this chicken bacon ranch pasta salad ahead without the worry of the lettuce or croutons getting soggy.
❤️ Homemade nonfat ranch is a great option instead of store-bought if you are looking for a lighter, healthier pasta salad.
Key Ingredients
This chicken bacon ranch pasta salad has wholesome ingredients that are easy to prepare!
Chicken – I used chicken tenderloins and seasoned them with Kick’n Chicken seasoning or use your favorite all purpose poultry seasoning.
Pasta – I used fusili or rotini. You can also use a high protein pasta like this one or this one.
Bacon – adds saltiness and a savory crunch.
Cheddar – shredded or cubed cheddar adds a little decadence and pairs so well with the bacon, chicken and ranch.
Green Onions – these add a light onion flavor without being too overpowering.
Ranch Dressing – if you are using store-bought dressing, buy your favorite. Litehouse is mine and it’s found in the produce/salad area. The recipe card has a list of ingredients for my low fat homemade greek yogurt ranch dressing.
Seasonings – Poultry seasoning for the chicken, I used Weber Kick’n Chicken. You’ll also need Salad Supreme Perfect Pinch. It’s used as a topping for the salad.
Croutons – roughly chopped so they are more comfortable to chew.
How to Make Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad
In a large pan, add the bacon and cook over low heat until bacon is crispy. Set aside. Remove most of the pan drippings, leaving behind 2 tablespoons.
Rub the chicken with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Season liberally with your preferred seasoning. Cook the chicken in the skillet over medium-low about 3-4 minutes per side or until cooked through.
While the chicken is cooking, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta according to the package instructions. Rinse the cooked pasta with cool water and drain well.
Into a large bowl add pasta, diced chicken, cheddar, bacon, and green onions. Pour over most the dressing (reserving some) and toss. Sprinkle in the Salad Supreme seasoning to your liking, I do about 8-10 shakes.
When it’s ready to serve, add in the romaine lettuce, croutons and extra dressing and toss.
My Favorite Meal Prep Tools
Low-Fat Greek Yogurt Ranch
This greek yogurt ranch dressing is much healthier and lighter alternate than the store bought mayo-based dressing.
Combine all these ingredients into a bowl and mix until smooth. Taste and adjust if needed:
1 cup plain greek yogurt
1 teaspoon each: dried dill, dried chives, dried parsley, garlic powder, onion powder
½ teaspoon salt
1/2 tsp cracked black pepper
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1-2 tablespoons buttermilk or milk, as needed
Make Ahead Meal Prep
This chicken bacon ranch pasta salad makes a terrific work lunch! But there are a few pro tips to prevent your croutons and romaine lettuce from getting soggy.
Here is what I do:
- Don’t add the romaine lettuce until you’re ready to eat. I like to pack my romaine in a snack sized zip top bag.
- Add extra dressing in a condiment cup so you have a little extra for the added romaine and to rehydrate the pasta that will absorb the dressing as it sits.
- Pack the croutons in a condiment cup or ziptop bag and add those right before serving.
I hope you enjoyed this holiday side dish recipe for this Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad! I look forward to your questions and feedback below.
Please be sure to tag me @BadBatchBaking using hashtag #badbatchbaking if you made this recipe and I will feature you on my story! Plus, I LOVE to see your baking accomplishments.
Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs chicken breasts or tenderloins diced into 2″ pieces
- 7 oz container romaine lettuce shredded
- 8 strips bacon diced
- 8 oz dry rotini or fusili pasta high protein or whole grain can be used instead
- 6 oz cheddar cheese shredded
- 5 green onions diced
- 3/4 cup ranch dressing** homemade or store-bought
- 1-2 tablespoons poultry seasoning like Weber Kick’n chicken or Italian seasoning
- Pinch Perfect Salad Supreme to taste
- 1/2 cup croutons roughly chopped
Instructions
- In a large pan, add the bacon and cook over low heat until bacon is crispy. Set aside. Remove half of the pan drippings, leaving behind 2 tablespoons.
- Rub the chicken with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Season liberally with your preferred seasoning. Cook the chicken in the skillet over medium-low about 3-4 minutes per side or until cooked through.
- While the chicken is cooking, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta according to the package instructions. Rinse the cooked pasta with cool water and drain well.
- Into a large bowl add pasta, diced chicken, cheddar, bacon, and green onions. Pour over most the dressing (reserving some) and toss. Sprinkle in the Salad Supreme seasoning to your liking, I do about 8-10 shakes.
- When it’s ready to serve, add in the romaine lettuce, croutons and extra dressing and toss.
Notes
1 teaspoon each: dried dill, dried chives, dried parsley, garlic powder, onion powder
½ teaspoon salt
1/2 tsp cracked black pepper
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1-2 tablespoons buttermilk or milk, as needed For Meal Prep To make this ahead, do not add the romaine or croutons until ready to serve. When packing it up for lunch, I’ll put the pasta salad in a container and the romaine in a zip-top bag. The croutons and extra dressing can be added into condiment containers as well. See photos above in the blog post for inspiration.
