Chicken Ranch Pasta Salad Recipe

4.80 from 15 votes

Chicken Ranch Pasta Salad Recipe

This Chicken Ranch Pasta Salad is a delicious creamy pasta salad recipe perfect for summer BBQs, picnics, and potlucks. Packed full of juicy ranch chicken, fresh vegetables, and a creamy ranch sauce, everyone will love this fun and easy ranch pasta salad.

Prep Time10

Cook Time25

Total Time35

Course: Lunch, Main Course, Meal Prep

Cuisine: American

Keyword: chicken ranch pasta salad

Servings: servings

Author: Jessica Randhawa

Ingredients

FOR THE RANCH CHICKEN

2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 tablespoon olive oil
¼ cup Hidden Valley® Ranch Salad Dressing and Seasoning Mix
2 tablespoon sweet paprika
2 teaspoon cayenne powder optional
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper

FOR THE RANCH PASTA SALAD

16 ounces dried pasta (I used mini penne)
3 cups broccoli florets
⅔ cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoon zesty Italian dressing
2 tablespoon Hidden Valley® Ranch Salad Dressing and Seasoning Mix
1 small red onion diced
1 yellow bell pepper seeded and diced
6 roma tomatoes seeds removed and diced
½ pound smoked mozzarella chopped into small cubes
¼ cup fresh parsley finely chopped
1 cup green onion chopped
1 serrano pepper diced (optional)
2 tablespoon fresh chives chopped (to garnish)

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

FOR THE RANCH CHICKEN

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
As the oven preheats, mix together the Hidden Valley® Ranch Salad Dressing and Seasoning Mix, sweet paprika, cayenne powder (if you enjoy a little heat), Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper.
Transfer chicken breasts to the prepared baking sheet and brush both sides with olive oil. Sprinkle each side with the prepared Ranch and Paprika seasoning mixture (approximately 2 teaspoons per chicken breast).
Bake the chicken for 18-20 minutes or until internal temperature registers 165 degrees. Remove chicken from the oven and allow at least 5 minutes to rest before slicing or chopping.

FOR THE PASTA SALAD

Bring a large, salted pot of water to a boil over high heat. Cook pasta according to package instructions for "al dente" pasta (see notes). Drain and rinse pasta with cold water to stop cooking. Set aside.
At the same time, bring a separate, smaller, pot of water to a boil over high heat. Once water is boiling, add the broccoli and cook for 2-3 minutes, or until the broccoli is bright green. Immediately drain and transfer to an ice water bath to stop cooking. Drain again and transfer broccoli to a large cutting board. Roughly chop into small bite-size pieces. Set aside.
Prepare the creamy ranch sauce. In a medium bowl whisk together the mayonnaise, zesty Italian dressing, and Hidden Valley® Ranch Salad Dressing and Seasoning Mix. Season to taste.
Prepare the remaining ingredients for the salad- red onion, bell pepper, tomato, smoked mozzarella, parsley, green onion, serrano pepper (optional), and fresh chives.
Transfer the pasta, broccoli, and freshly chopped vegetables to a large mixing bowl. Gently toss to combine. Add the ranch seasoning mayo mixture to the pasta and vegetables and mix well to combine. Top with sliced chicken or chopped chicken and sprinkle with fresh chopped chives.

Notes

Pasta salads are not very tasty when the noodles are overcooked. My rule is to drain the pasta noodles just before they are al dente. They should still have a "bite" to them and hold their shape. In other words, noodles that are tender but firm.

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