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Chicken Club Pasta Salad

Chicken club pasta salad brings club sandwich flavors to a creamy ranch pasta salad with diced chicken, crumbled bacon, tomatoes, and cheddar. Chilled for an hour, it turns into a hearty loaded salad with tender penne and bold ranch coating.
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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: 610
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Pasta Salad Base
  • 1 lb penne or rotini pasta
  • 3 cup cooked chicken breast, diced
  • 10 bacon cooked and crumbled
  • 2 cup romaine lettuce chopped
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
  • 1 cup cheddar cheese shredded
  • 1 cup ranch dressing
  • 2 tbsp mayonnaise
  • 0.25 Salt and pepper to taste

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Cook the pasta
  1. Cook penne or rotini pasta according to package directions, then drain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking and keep it from clumping.
Mix the ranch dressing
  1. Mix ranch dressing with mayonnaise until smooth and creamy, with no streaks visible.
Build the salad
  1. Combine pasta, diced cooked chicken, crumbled bacon, cherry tomatoes, and shredded cheddar in a large bowl so the ingredients are evenly distributed.
  2. Pour the ranch dressing over the salad and toss until everything looks coated and lightly glossy.
  3. Refrigerate the salad for at least 1 hour to let flavors meld, covered, and chilled to the point where it feels cold through the bowl.
Finish and serve
  1. Just before serving, add chopped romaine lettuce and toss again so the lettuce stays crisp and bright green.

Notes

For the cleanest texture, chill the pasta salad without the romaine, then fold in the lettuce right before serving so it doesn’t wilt. Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days; freeze is not recommended. For a lighter option, use light ranch dressing and reduce mayonnaise to 1 tbsp while keeping the same toss-and-chill method.