This Chicken Club Pasta Salad is super easy to make and is a delicious hearty side dish. Perfect for potlucks, summer barbecues and picnics, and block parties, and especially summer holidays - 4th of July, Memorial Day.
This Chicken Club Pasta Salad is loaded up with roasted chicken, crispy bacon and so many delicious add-ins and tossed in a creamy ranch - mayo sauce. It's fantastic for large groups!
The recipe is super versatile and is perfect for your next summer potluck, picnic, or barbecue. Plus, leftovers are just as delicious and make easy meals for the week.
If you're looking for even more recipes for your next gathering check out these recipes. Game day? Try this Buffalo Onion Dip! Picnic? Check out this stunning Trader Joe's Crudité Platter or Cucumber Feta Mint Salad. Summer desserts for bbq? My easy Salted Pistachio Brown Butter Rice Krispies Treats or rich Fudgy Brown Butter Brownies.
Why You'll Love this Recipe
- Super filling for potlucks!
- Everyone’s favorite ingredients - Bacon, Ranch and Avocado!
- Easily Customizable: Have different ingredients on hand? No problem!
- Delicious use for leftover chicken
- Make ahead
- Perfect for summer BBQs, picnics and holidays (4th of July, Memorial Day)
Ingredients
Pasta Salad Ingredient Notes
- Pasta: Use your favorite small or medium pasta shell - shells, elbow, spirals, bowties/farfelle, penne, etc. Just make sure to cook it al dente. You could even use a tri-colored pasta to add more color and interest to the dish.
- Chicken: Use rotisserie chicken or leftover chicken to save time. You can even replace with turkey.
- Bacon: Adds crunchy , savory and salty element. Can be substituted with turkey bacon.
- Cheese: Grab your favorite cheese block and slice into pieces or use thick cut shredded. Using a high quality cheese for best flavor.
- Tomatoes: Use whatever tomatoes you have on hand like roma but I love using colorful grape tomatoes for the most appealing pasta salad.
- Avocado: Don't add it right away as the avocado will get brown and mushy when left overnight. Serve it fresh with the pasta salad right before serving.
- Chives or Green Onions: Adds a beautiful touch of green!
- Red onion: gives the pasta salad and added bite and contrasts nicely from the creamy dressing. You could put sliced red onion in ice water for a few minutes to cut some of the sharpness if you desire.
Dressing Ingredient Notes
- Sour Cream: makes the dressing thick and creamy to coat the pasta. I recommend a full fat option.
- Mayonnaise: Mix together with ranch seasoning to make a creamy sauce to coat the pasta salad.
- Ranch Seasoning: Combines with mayonnaise and sour cream to create that classic ranch flavor.
- Lemon: Use fresh! If you prefer your ranch extra tangy, add a splash more of lemon juice.
- Salt + Pepper: Adjust to taste.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Cook the pasta: Bring a pot of water to a boil. Salt heavily. Follow package directions to cook pasta al dente.
- Drain: pasta and rinse in cold water. Set aside until cool.
- Prep: wash and slice/dice vegetables except for avocado and chives/green onions. Cube or shred chicken and chop bacon. Set aside.
- Whisk: In a bowl, whisk the mayonnaise, sour cream and dry ranch seasoning until combined.
- Combine: In a large bowl combine all ingredients including dressing except for the avocado and chives or green onions. Cover and refrigerate pasta salad for at least 2 hours - 1 day for optimal flavor.
- Right before serving, add in cubed avocado and chopped chives or green onion. Toss, taste and adjust seasonings if needed. Serve & enjoy!
Expert Tips
- This recipe is great for leftover ingredients! Leftover grilled chicken or rotisserie chicken? Bacon from breakfast? Handful of vegetables? Pasta salad is a wonderful way to transform leftover ingredients into something delicious and new. If you need to cook bacon and chicken just realize you'll need to add time for prep and cooking!
- Season the pasta water well. The water should be salty to impart flavor on the pasta plus keep it from sticking together.
- Don’t overcook the pasta. Use the package directions of the pasta you choose as a guide and cook al dente. When done, drain the pasta and move onto our next tip.
- Rinse the cooked pasta under cold water before tossing with the salad dressing. If you’ve ever made pasta salad that turned sticky, not rinsing the pasta before tossing with the dressing could be the reason. The cooked pasta is coated in starches. By removing the starches, the salad won’t turn sticky or clump as much. Rinsing the pasta will also keep the pasta from continuing to cook.
- Check the seasoning!: The flavor of pasta salad changes when cold. Make sure to toss the pasta salad after refrigerating to evenly redistribute, taste and re-season as needed before serving.
Recipe FAQs
Rinsing the hot pasta in cold water until it's cooled, stops the cooking process. No one wants mushy overcooked pasta salad. It'll also remove any extra starches on the pasta.
Yes, you can! I actually recommend making it a full day ahead of serving so the ingredients have plenty of time to blend their flavors! I would just recommend putting the avocado and green onion/chives on before serving.
Of course! Pasta salad are a great way to add in all sorts of vegetables. You can add in some chopped green leaf lettuce to make it more 'salad' like but can add in classic pasta salad additions like olives or celery, or even bell peppers, carrots, broccoli, etc.
I don't recommend it as it was change the whole texture of the pasta salad.
Keep any leftovers in the fridge for 2-3 days in a sealed container.
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PS If you try this recipe, why not leave a star rating in the recipe card right below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page? I always appreciate feedback. You can also follow me on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram.
Chicken Cobb Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- kosher salt to salt pasta
- 8 ounces pasta
- 2 cups cooked chicken I used rotisserie chicken
- 5 slices cooked bacon
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes
- ¼ cup red onion
- 1 cup shredded cheese
- 1 avocado medium or ½ large
- 3 tablespoons chives
Dressing
- 1 cup mayo
- ¾ cup sour cream
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 packet ranch seasoning
- salt + pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook the pasta: Bring a pot of water to a boil. Salt heavily. Follow package directions to cook pasta al dente.
- Drain: pasta and rinse in cold water. Set aside until cool.
- Prep: wash and slice/dice vegetables except for avocado and chives/green onions. Cube or shred chicken and chop bacon. Set aside.
- Whisk: In a bowl, whisk the mayonnaise, sour cream and dry ranch seasoning until combined.
- Combine: In a large bowl combine all ingredients including dressing except for the avocado and chives or green onions. Cover and refrigerate pasta salad for at least 2 hours - 1 day for optimal flavor.
- Right before serving, add in cubed avocado and chopped chives or green onion. Toss, taste and adjust seasonings if needed. Serve & enjoy!
Notes
- This recipe is great for leftover ingredients! Leftover grilled chicken or rotisserie chicken? Bacon from breakfast? Handful of vegetables? Pasta salad is a wonderful way to transform leftover ingredients into something delicious and new. If you need to cook bacon and chicken just realize you'll need to add time for prep and cooking!
- Season the pasta water well. The water should be salty to impart flavor on the pasta plus keep it from sticking together.
- Don’t overcook the pasta. Use the package directions of the pasta you choose as a guide and cook al dente. When done, drain the pasta and move onto our next tip.
- Rinse the cooked pasta under cold water before tossing with the salad dressing. If you’ve ever made pasta salad that turned sticky, not rinsing the pasta before tossing with the dressing could be the reason. The cooked pasta is coated in starches. By removing the starches, the salad won’t turn sticky or clump as much. Rinsing the pasta will also keep the pasta from continuing to cook.
- Check the seasoning!: The flavor of pasta salad changes when cold. Make sure to toss the pasta salad after refrigerating to evenly redistribute, taste, and re-season as needed before serving.
Did you make this recipe? Let me know!