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Chicken Club Pasta Salad

Chicken club pasta salad with ranch dressing delivers club-sandwich flavors—pasta, diced chicken, crumbled bacon, tomatoes, and cheddar—tossed until creamy and cohesive. Chill for at least 1 hour so the ranch coats every bite, then finish with crisp romaine just before serving.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
chilling 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 35 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: American
Calories: 780
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Pasta salad base
  • 1 lb penne or rotini pasta
  • 3 cooked chicken breast, diced
  • 10 bacon, cooked and crumbled
  • 2 romaine lettuce, chopped Add just before serving for crunch.
  • 1 cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1 cheddar cheese, shredded
  • 1 ranch dressing
  • 2 tbsp mayonnaise
  • salt and pepper to taste Season the salad after mixing.

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan
  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Cook and cool the pasta
  1. Bring a Dutch oven of water to a boil and cook the penne or rotini pasta according to package directions. Drain, then rinse with cold water until cooled to stop cooking.
Make the ranch dressing
  1. In a bowl, mix the ranch dressing with the mayonnaise until smooth and creamy. Taste and add salt and pepper if needed.
Build the salad (without lettuce)
  1. In a large bowl, combine the cooked pasta, diced chicken breast, crumbled bacon, halved cherry tomatoes, and shredded cheddar. Toss gently to distribute everything evenly.
Coat and chill
  1. Pour the ranch dressing over the salad and toss until every ingredient looks coated. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour to let the flavors meld.
Finish with romaine
  1. Just before serving, add the chopped romaine lettuce to the chilled salad and toss again. The romaine should look bright and slightly crisp, not wilted.

Notes

Pro tip: Chill without romaine so it stays crisp; add lettuce right before serving. Refrigerate in a sealed container for up to 3 days. Freezing is not recommended because the lettuce and pasta texture change. For a lighter option, use light ranch dressing and reduce mayonnaise to 1 tablespoon.