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Chicken Club Pasta Salad

Chicken club pasta salad with ranch dressing, diced chicken, crumbled bacon, cheddar, and cherry tomatoes—styled like a club sandwich but served cold over penne or rotini. It’s tossed, then chilled for a creamy, flavorful, ranch-coated texture.
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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: 615
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
  • 1 cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1 cheddar cheese, shredded
  • 1 ranch dressing
  • 2 tbsp mayonnaise
  • 0.25 salt and pepper to taste

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan
  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Cook and prep
  1. Cook the penne or rotini pasta according to package directions, then drain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking and prevent sticking.
  2. In a bowl, mix the ranch dressing with the mayonnaise until smooth and evenly combined.
  3. In a large bowl, combine the cooked pasta, diced chicken breast, crumbled bacon, halved cherry tomatoes, and shredded cheddar cheese to distribute the fillings.
  4. Pour the ranch dressing mixture over the salad and toss thoroughly to coat all the pasta and ingredients.
Chill
  1. Refrigerate the salad for at least 1 hour to let flavors meld and the pasta absorb the ranch.
Finish and serve
  1. Just before serving, add the chopped romaine lettuce and toss again so the lettuce stays crisp.

Notes

For clean flavor every bite, rinse pasta with cold water until it feels cool to the touch, then drain well before mixing. Store covered in the refrigerator up to 3 days; keep romaine out until serving for best crunch. Freezing is not recommended for salad texture. For a lighter option, use Greek-yogurt ranch or a reduced-fat ranch dressing while keeping the mayonnaise amount the same or reducing to 1 tbsp.