Chicken Ranch BLT Pasta Salad
This mouth-watering recipe (perfect for summertime!) is loaded with shredded chicken, bacon pieces, lettuce, tomatoes, and cheese tossed into a ranch dressing pasta. Voila: a BLT pasta salad your family will love!
Make sure you double this recipe if you’re taking it to a potluck or feeding a crowd, as it will go quickly! The recipe below will make 4-6 servings, but it’s easy to double. And then you have a tasty BLT pasta salad – perfect for the summertime!
This is a great recipe because it only takes about 10 minutes to gather together the ingredients and do the prep, and another 10 minutes to cook the noodles.
When I make pasta salads (whether this BLT pasta salad or any other kind), I’ll sometimes cook the pasta in the morning while I’m doing breakfast dishes or kitchen chores. Then, I cool the cooked pasta and add the mayo (or in this case, the ranch dressing) and put it in the fridge.
Later, I’ll add the rest of the ingredients and then put it in the fridge to sit for at least an hour.
Also, the recipe calls for shredded, cooked chicken. IMO, it’s a terrific way to use up leftover chicken from a meal such as these adobo chicken thighs or this crockpot lemon chicken recipe.
You’ll want to store any leftovers in an airtight container and keep it in the refrigerator.
As you gather what you need to make this recipe, make sure you have a medium or large pot, a good cutting board and kitchen knife, a medium-sized bowl (large if you’re doubling the recipe), and a mixing spoon.
Ingredients for Chicken Ranch BLT Pasta Salad
Directions:
- Fill a medium or large pot halfway with water, bring to a boil, then add noodles and cook until al dente, about 8-10 minutes. Drain water, and rinse under cold water.
- While the noodles are cooking, shred your lettuce, if it isn’t already shredded, and cut your tomatoes in half.
- Add the cooked noodles and ranch dressing to a bowl and stir well to coat the noodles.
- Add the chicken, lettuce, tomatoes, lettuce, cheese, and bacon, and gently toss together.
- Cover, and refrigerate for 1 hour, or until ready to serve.
More Great Summertime Recipes
We all love those easy summer recipes, especially the ones we can prepare ahead of time. (Not all of these are make-ahead, but they’re all tasty!)
Chicken Ranch BLT Pasta Salad
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10-12 Minutes
- Total Time: 0 hours
- Yield: 4–6 servings 1x
Description
One of my family’s favorite pasta salads, this mouth-watering recipe is loaded with shredded chicken, bacon pieces, lettuce, tomatoes, and cheese tossed into a ranch dressing pasta. Voila: a BLT pasta salad!
Ingredients
- 8 oz medium shells pasta
- ½ cup ranch dressing
- 1 cup cooked chicken, shredded
- 1 cup lettuce, shredded
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- ½ cup cheddar cheese, shredded
- 5 oz package bacon pieces
Instructions
- Fill a medium or large pot halfway with water, bring to a boil, then add noodles and cook until al dente, about 8-10 minutes. Drain water, and rinse under cold water.
- While the noodles are cooking, shred your lettuce, if it isn’t already shredded, and cut your tomatoes in half.
- Add the cooked noodles and ranch dressing to a bowl and stir well to coat the noodles.
- Add the chicken, lettuce, tomatoes, lettuce, cheese, and bacon, and gently toss together.
- Cover, and refrigerate for 1 hour, or until ready to serve.
Notes
Double this recipe if feeding a crowd.
