Easy Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad (only 4 steps!)

This Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad is packed with chicken, crispy bacon, cheddar, and juicy tomatoes, all tossed with pasta in a creamy homemade ranch dressing. Perfect as a hearty main or a crowd-pleasing side for picnics and BBQs!

Originally posted August 2010, updated April 2025

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• Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad Recipe
• Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta Recipe
• More Cold Salad Recipes We Love
• Tools Needed
• Ingredients
• How to Make Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta
• Variations
• Storage Directions
• Pro Tips
• More Delicious Recipes
• Recipe

Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad Recipe

I love a cold pasta salad and this Bacon Chicken Ranch Pasta is no exception. This delicious pasta salad has some of my all-time favorite flavors... crispy bacon, cheese, juicy chicken, and creamy ranch dressing! It's like crack pasta salad. It's the perfect main dish or side dish for family gatherings or your next BBQ.

For potlucks, this Chicken Bacon Pasta Salad is a perfect side dish, but we also serve it as a main course and my family will happily fill up on it! Having the pasta salad with chicken and bacon for protein makes it a hearty, great meal. 

Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta Recipe

This Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad is your new favorite summer dish! It’s LOADED with so many fantastic ingredients, it's hard to choose just one as a favorite - chicken, crispy bacon, cheddar cheese and juicy tomatoes all tossed with tender pasta in a creamy homemade ranch dressing. I

It’s flavor-packed and hearty enough to make a satisfying main dish or side dish for picnics and barbeques.

More Cold Salad Recipes We Love

• Creamy Crab Pasta Salad
• German Cucumber Salad
• Creamy Grape Salad
• 5 Ingredient BLT Salad (Breadless!)
• Hawaiian Rice Salad (Cold Brown Rice Salad with Chicken & Pineapple)

Tools Needed

• Large Pot
• Collander or Strainer
• Small Bowl
• Whisk
• Large Bowl

Ingredients

These simple ingredients are all easy to find and especially good in the summertime when fresh tomatoes are in season. You should be able to grab them all at your local grocery store and whip up this Chicken Ranch pasta in a flash.

For the Pasta Salad

Dried Pasta - Macaroni, penne, shells, rotini pasta - any type of pasta works for this Chicken Pasta Salad.

Chicken - Cooked chicken, diced or shredded. There are so many options here; pretty much any kind of chicken works: baked chicken breasts,  leftover chicken from another recipe,  leftover rotisserie chicken, etc. Even canned chicken would work (but it's my least favorite option). 

Bacon - cooked, chopped bacon. I really love fresh fried bacon but you can also get store-bought real bacon pieces and they're delicious. Just don't use imitation bacon bits (yuck!).

Grape or Cherry Tomatoes, halved

Cheddar Cheese, cubed - I generally use mild or medium cheddar but sharp cheddar cheese works too if you want a bigger punch of flavor

Green Onions, sliced

For the Dressing

This homemade creamy ranch dressing is so delicious for this Chicken Bacon Pasta Salad. 

Mayonnaise - please don't use Miracle Whip. Please. That's all.

Sour Cream - Greek Yogurt works as a sour cream substitute.

Milk - I use whole milk but 2% would work too.

Chives, finely chopped

Parsley, finely chopped

Dill, finely chopped

Garlic Powder

Onion Powder

Salt & Black Pepper

Lemon Juice

Find the full recipe with ingredient measurements in the recipe card below.

How to Make Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta

This Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta recipe has only 4 easy steps! It's an easy pasta salad recipe that you'll love!

1. Cook pasta according to the package directions in a large pot of salted water. Drain the cooked pasta and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking process so that you have perfectly al dente pasta.
2. While the pasta cooks, whisk together the mayo, sour cream, milk, herbs, garlic powder, and onion powder in a small bowl. Add the lemon juice then whisk to combine.
3. In a large mixing bowl, toss the pasta with the dressing. Gently fold in the chicken, bacon, tomatoes, green onions, and cheddar cheese.
4. Cover and chill for at least 30 minutes before serving. I like to let it chill for at least a couple of hours for the flavors to really meld.

Variations

There are a few things you can add or substitute to change up the flavors for this Chicken Bacon Ranch Salad if you wish.

• Adding diced bell peppers or red onion is are a great option if you like the extra texture and flavor of raw veggies. Black olives are another ingredient you could add to change it up a bit.
• Our favorite ranch dressing is homemade. Store-bought ranch can be used but if you must substitute in this Chicken Ranch Pasta Salad, I recommend at least making ranch from a dry ranch seasoning mix - it's so much better than bottled!
• I am a diehard cheese lover so I have been known add some fresh shredded parmesan cheese on top of this pasta salad because you cannot go wrong with more a more Cheesy Bacon Ranch Chicken.
• If you want crispy chicken, you could cut up baked or fried chicken strips for some extra texture and crunch. If you choose to do this, add the chicken just before serving so it doesn't get soggy.

Storage Directions

Leftover Bacon Ranch Chicken Pasta can be stored for 3-4 days in an airtight container or covered tightly with plastic wrap in the fridge. Give the pasta salad a stir before serving to redistribute the dressing. If it seems dry at all, you may want to add a little extra dressing.

Pro Tips

For the very best Creamy Chicken Bacon Pasta - keep these tips in mind!

• Rotisserie chicken is an easy yet delicious option for this recipe, but grilled or baked chicken work great, too.
• Dried herbs can be used for dressing, but fresh herbs provide a more vibrant and brighter flavor. To use dried herbs, use ⅓ of the measurements for the fresh herbs.
• If you prefer, shredded cheese can be used in place of the cubed cheese.
• Reserve some of the ingredients and fresh herbs for the topping for presentation if you prefer.

More Delicious Recipes

• Chicken Bacon Ranch Crack Dip Recipe
• Homemade Buttermilk Ranch Dressing Recipe
• Best Cranberry Pecan Chicken Salad Recipe
• Crunchy Broccoli Salad with Homemade Sweet & Sour Dressing