Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad
Dinner just got easier. Creamy Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta made with local Ferranti Pasta and ingredients from the Boise Co-op.
Ingredients:
Pasta Salad Ingredients
• 12 oz pasta
• 4 cooked chicken thighs (or 3 cups cooked chicken), chopped
• 8 slices thick-cut bacon, cooked & chopped
• 1 cup corn (grilled or canned)
• 1 cup English cucumber, sliced
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
• ½ cup finely diced red onion
• 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, cubed or shredded
• ¼ cup fresh chives
Homemade Ranch Dressing
• ½ cup buttermilk
• ½ cup mayonnaise
• ½ cup sour cream
• 2–3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 garlic clove, finely grated
• 2 tbsp fresh chives, chopped
• 1 tbsp fresh dill, chopped
• 1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
• Sea salt & black pepper, to taste
Instructions:
Make the Ranch
Whisk together the buttermilk, mayonnaise, and sour cream until smooth. Stir in the lemon juice, garlic, chives, dill, parsley, salt, and pepper. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes so the flavors can blend. (It gets even better after a few hours!)
Assemble the Pasta Salad
Cook the pasta in salted water until al dente. Drain and rinse under cold water until completely cool.
Bake the bacon at 400°F for 12–15 minutes until crispy. Cool and chop.
In a large bowl, combine the pasta, chicken, bacon, corn, cucumber, tomatoes, red onion, cheddar cheese, and chives.
Pour about 1¼ cups of the homemade ranch over the salad and toss until everything is evenly coated. Add more dressing if you like it extra creamy.
Chill for 30 minutes (optional, but highly recommended!), then toss again before serving
Recipe Courtesy of Munchkin Time Blog.