This big flavor pasta salad recipe came about because I have a family who won’t stop asking for my garlic ranch dressing. So I tossed it with this chicken I make at least once a week along with some cooked pasta for a creamy chicken ranch pasta salad that is hearty enough for a main course.
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A big chop of salty, applewood smoked bacon and this is a bbq-worthy main course pasta salad.
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Why Orecchiette Works Best Here
I love using the ear-shaped orecchiette pasta because its little pockets hug the dressing and bits of celery so well. A thicker pasta, orecchiette takes a little longer to cook so it holds up better than something delicate like rotini and it won’t turn gummy or mushy even after sitting in dressing overnight.
One thing to note is that not every national pasta brand makes orecchiette. My recommendation is to look for orecchiette by De Cecco, which is “bronze drawn” meaning it’s extruded with a bronze die. This helps create a rougher texture to cling to the ranch dressing.
The foolproof method behind the chicken
If you’re a longtime J+N reader, you have probably seen my foolproof pan-seared chicken recipe. And if you’re not, I’d love to tell you that it only takes 21 minutes to turn ordinary chicken breasts into the juiciest, most flavorful chicken to use chicken salads, one pan pastas and maybe a companion chicken bacon pizza.
Homemade ranch is worth the effort
Work with me here. Making homemade ranch dressing is quicker than going to the grocery store. Other than maybe the Greek yogurt and fresh dill, everything else is sitting in the spice drawer ready to become the best ranch dressing you’ll want to keep in the fridge. Always.
The only change to my original recipe is adding some extra milk to thin out the dressing enough so that it tosses well with the pasta.
How to make chicken bacon ranch pasta salad
Bacon tip
To keep the bacon at its crispest, it’s best to add it right before serving almost as a garnish, not when you’re mixing everything else together. I’ve even served it on the side.
Rotisserie chicken works too
If an extra 21 minutes is hard to come by, especially on a weeknight, feel free to pull some white or dark meat from a rotisserie chicken for the salad. Shred all the chicken and then it can be used to amp up the leftover pasta salad.
Scaling This Up for a Crowd
For a bbq or party side dish, this doubled (2 lbs of pasta) will serve about 16, depending on how hearty of eaters they are.
To do so:
- Double all the ingredients except the ranch dressing.
- Make 2.5 recipes of the dressing instead so that there’s enough to toss with leftovers.
Speaking of which…
Leftovers? A little extra ranch works wonders
The reserved ranch dressing is what makes the leftover salad as good as it was the first serving. I add it cold and if needed, I thin the dressing out first with a little milk or pasta water to make coating the pasta easier and loosen things up.
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Creamy Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad
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Ingredients
For the Salad
- 1 lb orrecchiette pasta
- ½ lb bacon, cooked crispy and cooled; or more for using the next day
- 2 chicken breasts, shredded, cooked foolproof style (can use rotisserie chicken)
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 4 oz blue cheese, crumbled
- 2 stalks celery, diced
For the dressing
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1 cup mayo, I use Duke’s
- 3 Tablespoons fresh dill, 1 ½ teaspoons, dried
- 2 teaspoons fresh minced garlic, optional, from two cloves
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- splash of milk
Instructions
- In boiling heavily salted water, cook the pasta according to package directions until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water and drain the pasta to cool slightly.1 lb orrecchiette pasta
- Cook chicken according to pan-seared, foolproof method.2 chicken breasts
- Cook bacon until crispy. I bake mine on a sheet pan lined with parchment and then foil in a 400° oven about 18 minutes.½ lb bacon
- Dice the veggies. Crumble the blue cheese.1 cup cherry tomatoes, 2 stalks celery, 4 oz blue cheese
- Mix the dressing ingredients together until smooth and blended.1 cup plain Greek yogurt, 1 cup mayo, 3 Tablespoons fresh dill, 2 teaspoons fresh minced garlic, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon dried thyme, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1 teaspoon garlic salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, splash of milk
- Add the pasta to a large serving bowl. Toss with the chicken, tomatoes and celery until well combined.
- Pour in half the dressing and toss the salad. Add in ¼ cup of reserved pasta water.
- Taste and adjust the dressing according to taste.
- Crumble over the bacon and blue cheese and add more dressing as needed. Serve at room temperature.
