Chicken bacon ranch pasta salad is a summer staple! This cold pasta salad recipe is loaded with flavor from the homemade ranch dressing, grilled garlic chicken, crisp bacon, fresh juicy grape tomatoes, and noodles. Bring to a potluck dinner, or a summer BBQ, or make it and enjoy easy lunches during the week. It makes the best healthy meal and also works as a side dish!
Thank you to Pure Flavor for sponsoring this post and providing the delicious Bumbles® Yellow Grape Tomatoes.

Easy Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad Recipe – Healthy!
I can’t get over how delicious this dish is! It comes together easily and is one of those meals you’ll want to repeat over and over again.
Once the chicken, pasta, and bacon are cooked, and the easy homemade ranch dressing is made, your main dish comes together in a snap! It’s really just a game of assembly then.
Add everything to a large mixing bowl, toss it, and enjoy this really good pasta salad.
You’ll love this one when warm weather shows up and chilled foods are the best.
What makes this the most delicious pasta salad?
Fresh and flavorful – Pure Flavor Bumbles® Yellow Grape Tomatoes bring fresh flavor to this salad. They are sweet and tangy, and such a pretty yellow color. Not only are they delicious and so good for you, but they also add the perfect amount of sweetness to this dish that pairs perfectly with the tender pasta, crispy bacon, green onions, and creamy ranch dressing.
Serves a crowd – This makes a really big yummy pasta salad. Serve it in a large bowl and pack it along for your next summer barbecue.
Great for meal prep – This makes a delicious meal that you can meal prep. It’s served chilled, making it excellent to prep in advance, and store in individual containers to take on the go.
Kid-approved – With all the different ingredients to pick from, kids will love this recipe! The chicken breasts are packed with flavor, and you can’t go wrong with grape tomatoes, noodles, and bacon!
Balanced and healthy – This tasty pasta salad has everything you need! Loads of healthy protein from the combination of chicken and bacon, healthy fats in the homemade kefir ranch salad dressing, vegetables from the grape tomatoes and spinach, and energizing carbohydrates from the cooked pasta.
Simple ingredients you’ll need for chicken bacon pasta salad
Scroll down to view the recipe card below for the full ingredients list, nutrition facts, and step-by-step instructions.
- Bumbles® Yellow Grape Tomatoes
- extra virgin olive oil
- sea salt
- garlic granules
- onion powder
- pepper
- chicken breast
- bacon
- ziti pasta
- fresh spinach
- green onion
- homemade ranch salad dressing
How to make this easy pasta salad recipe
Step 1: In a medium bowl, add the extra virgin olive oil, sea salt, garlic granules, onion powder, and pepper. Stir, and then add the diced chicken and stir. Marinade for 5 minutes, or up to 24 hours.
Step 2: When you’re ready to cook, heat a grill to medium-high heat. Use a grill basket, or skewer the chicken on wooden skewers, and cook for 12-15 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. Be sure to stir the chicken and turn it every few minutes for even cooking. When the chicken is done, add it to a plate to cool. You can also cook the chicken in a large skillet or bake it in the oven.
Step 3: Heat a large skillet over medium heat and cook the bacon until crisp. Let the bacon cool on a paper towel-lined plate, and then dice it into small pieces.
Step 4: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add salt and cook the ziti pasta for 10-12 minutes (or how long your box says to cook it), drain, and rinse under cool water to stop the cooking process.
Step 5: Now build your big chicken bacon ranch pasta salad! Add the cooked pasta to a large serving bowl. Add the cooked chicken, tomatoes, spinach, bacon, and green onion. Drizzle with ranch dressing, toss, and enjoy! If not serving right away, chill in the fridge.
Watch me make creamy bacon ranch pasta salad
The full how to video can be watched below, or on my YouTube channel!
How to store leftover pasta salad
When the pasta salad is done being prepped, it is ready to be stored! Since this dish is intended to be served cold or at room temperature, store it in an airtight container in the fridge until you are ready to enjoy it.
Make it in advance, and then serve it the next day. It will stay fresh in the fridge for 5 days.
Substitutions
Below you’ll find a list of substitutions that will work well in this chicken bacon Italian pasta salad recipe.
If you try something different out, please leave a comment below letting us all know how it turned out!
Ziti pasta – Don’t limit yourself to one shape – any pasta shape will do here!
Chicken breast – Try this with chicken thighs, shrimp, steak, or turkey breast. My Traeger grilled chicken breast recipe works great with this meal too!
Kefir ranch – Swap out the homemade kefir ranch for a mix of sour cream, lemon juice, and dried dill for a super quick ranch hack!
Bacon – Pancetta would be a tasty alternative to bacon.
More easy recipes you’ll love
Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp garlic granules
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1,5 lb chicken breast diced into bite-size pieces
- 4 slices bacon
- 1 lb ziti pasta
- 1 pint Bumbles® Yellow Grape Tomatoes quartered
- 3 cups fresh spinach thinly sliced
- 1 green onion minced
- 1/2 cup homemade ranch salad dressing
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, add the extra virgin olive oil, sea salt, garlic granules, onion powder, and pepper. Stir, and then add the diced chicken and stir. Marinade for 5 minutes, or up to 24 hours.
- When you’re ready to cook, heat a grill to medium-high heat. Use a grill basket, or skewer the chicken on wooden skewers, and cook for 12-15 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. Be sure to stir the chicken and turn it every few minutes for even cooking. When the chicken is done, add it to a plate to cool. You can also cook the chicken in a large skillet or bake it in the oven.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat and cook the bacon until crisp. Let the bacon cool on a paper towel-lined plate, and then dice it into small pieces.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add salt and cook the ziti pasta for 10-12 minutes (or how long your box says to cook it), drain, and rinse under cool water to stop the cooking process.
- Now build your big chicken bacon ranch pasta salad! Add the cooked pasta to a large serving bowl. Add the cooked chicken, tomatoes, spinach, bacon, and green onion. Drizzle with ranch dressing, toss, and enjoy! If not serving right away, chill in the fridge.
Nutrition
If you try this healthy blt pasta salad recipe, I’d love it if you left a star rating and comment below letting me know how it turned out!
XO
Heather
Comments are temporarily closed while we perform maintenance on the website.