Creamy Ranch Chicken Pasta Salad
This creamy ranch chicken pasta salad is quick and easy to make. It is creamy, flavorful, and delicious. The salad dressing is very easy to make, as store-bought ranch seasoning is used.
This will surely be a hit in your household this summertime or at any potluck or gathering. It is insanely good!!!
My love for creamy pasta is undeniable, but this ranch chicken pasta salad is currently my favorite. It’s versatile enough to be enjoyed as a main dish with garlic bread, focaccia or a side dish.
If you love pasta salad, try my simple macaroni salad, shrimp pasta salad, creamy tuna pasta salad, and creamy pasta salad recipe.
Why you will love this ranch chicken pasta salad recipe
- It is rich, creamy and delicious: The combination of ranch dressing, mayonnaise and milk creates a rich and creamy sauce that coats every bite of pasta and chicken. The Ranch seasoning mix and the brine from pepperoncini add a ton of flavor to the salad without doing too much.
- Perfect for a crowd: It can be doubled or adjusted to feed a crowd.
- Customizable: The dressing and choice of vegetable used can be adjusted to suit your individual taste preferences.
- It can be made ahead of time: This ranch chicken pasta salad develops more flavor as it sits in the fridge. It tastes even better the next day. However, I wouldn’t recommend storing it in the fridge for more than 48 hours.
- Versatile: This pasta salad makes a great light dinner or a side dish for all your summer needs, including family gatherings, picnics, potlucks, BBQs, and more.
What you will need
200g fusilli pasta, cooked
Cooked chicken breast: I seasoned two chicken breasts with salt and black pepper and cooked them in my air fryer at 400F / 200C for 18 minutes (until the internal temperature reached 165F). I let them cool down, then diced them into cubes, just about 1 inch less.
⅓ cup red onion finely diced
1 celery stalked finely chopped: This adds a perfect crunch to the salad without overpowering it.
1 red bell pepper
½ cup canned sweet corn
1 cup cucumber finely diced
½ cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup whole milk: I used evaporated milk
1 teaspoon caster sugar: substitute with honey or maple syrup
1 ½ Tablespoon ranch seasoning mix: I used storebought (Hidden Valley brand), but you can use homemade
2 Tablespoons each pepperoncino and its brine
Salt and black pepper to taste
How to make ranch chicken pasta
Make the dressing: In a large mixing bowl, add the mayonnaise, milk, sugar, ranch seasoning mix, and pepperoncini peppers (along with its brine). Whisk everything to combine. Cover it with a plastic wrap and place it in the fridge for the flavor to meld.
Cook the pasta: Cook the fusilli pasta one minute longer than the package instructions. Drain and rinse under cold water until the noodles are completely cooled.
Prep the vegetables: Finely dice the red onion, celery stalks, and bell pepper. I like to keep them roughly about the same size as possible. Dice cucumber into small cubes, too.
Assemble the salad: Add cooked pasta, cubed chicken, sweet corn, bell peppers, onion, celery, and cucumber to a large mixing bowl.
Pour the dressing over it and stir gently to combine everything. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed. I didn’t add extra salt to the pasta salad because the ranch seasoning already contains salt, and the pasta is salted.
Chill and serve: Serve immediately or save for later. Cover the bowl with a plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes or up to overnight before serving. Enjoy!!!
Watch how to make it
Tips and Variations
- Feel free to experiment with different types of pasta such as bowtie, elbow macaroni, penne or even spiral pasta.
- It is important you rinse the pasta under cold water to stop it from sticking together. You can even toss it in a little olive oil for a better measure.
- For a healthier alternative, you can use Greek yogurt, sour cream or low-fat mayonnaise instead of full-fat mayonnaise in the dressing.
- Add in some chopped bacon or bacon bits for added flavor and crunch.
- This salad is also great with diced avocado or artichoke hearts mixed in.
- For a vegetarian version, leave out the chicken or substitute it with tofu or chickpeas.
- To add more protein to the salad, try adding some hard-boiled eggs or cooked shrimp for a loaded version.
More salad recipes you will love
Creamy Ranch Chicken Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 200 g fusilli pasta
- 2 chicken breast, cooked sub with rotisserie chicken
- ⅓ cup red onion finely diced
- 1 celery stalk finely diced
- 1 red bell pepper finely diced
- ½ cup canned sweet corn
- 1 cup cucumber finely diced
Dressing
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup whole milk I used evaporated milk
- 1 teaspoon sugar substitute with honey or maple syrup
- 1 ½ Tablespoon ranch seasoning mix
- 2 Tablespoons each pepperoncino and its brine
- Salt and black pepper to taste optional
Instructions
- Make the dressing: In a large mixing bowl, add the mayonnaise, milk, sugar, ranch seasoning mix, and pepperoncini peppers (along with its brine). Whisk everything to combine. Cover it with a plastic wrap and place it in the fridge for the flavor to meld.
- Cook the pasta: Cook the fusilli pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water one minute longer than the package instructions. Drain and rinse under cold water until the noodles are completely cooled.
- Assemble the salad: Add cooked pasta, cubed cooked chicken, sweet corn, bell peppers, onion, celery, and cucumber to a large mixing bowl.
- Pour the dressing over it and stir gently to combine everything. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed. I didn't add extra salt to the pasta salad because the ranch seasoning already contains salt, and the pasta is salted.
- Serve immediately or save for later. Cover the bowl with a plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes or up to overnight before serving. Enjoy!!!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional data: Please note that the nutrition label provided is an estimate based on an online nutrition calculator. It will vary based on the specific ingredients and brands you use. Under no circumstances will thedinnerbite.com be responsible for any loss or damage resulting for your reliance on nutritional information.
And there you have it, a simple and delicious summer pasta salad recipe you can make at home in no time. As always, if you made this recipe, I would love to hear from you! Kindly rate the recipe 5 stars and leave me feedback in the comment section below. Tag me @thedinnerbite on Instagram and Facebook and save it to your Pinterest. Please subscribe to the blog if you haven’t for free new recipes in your inbox.
