This Chicken Pasta Salad is the best I've ever tried! It's packed with veggies, has an incredible creamy dressing, and perfectly tender pasta. It's filling enough to be a main dish but also works well as a side.
Course Main Course, Salad, Side Dish
Cuisine American
Keyword Chicken Pasta Salad, pasta salad with chicken
PASTA: Bring a large pot of 12 cups water to a rolling boil. Once boiling, add 1 tbsp salt and then pasta. Boil to package directions for "al dente." Drain, rinse under cold water (only for 20 seconds). Shake off excess water and set aside to fully cool.
DRESSING: Whisk together dressing ingredients in a bowl. Season; I add 2 tsp salt & 1 tsp pepper. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
PREP: Dice or shred chicken. Cook bacon, cool and finely dice. Halve tomatoes, thaw corn or sauté, dice red pepper, dice celery, peel and shred carrots on large holes of box grater. Add everything to a very large bowl with cooled pasta.
ENJOY: Add dressing to salad and gently mix to combine. Taste and adjust. To make ahead, see Note 3.
Video
Notes
Note 1: Bacon:Baking a large batch of bacon is my preferred method, but microwave bacon also works great. Feel free to omit this ingredient if you prefer or want to simplify preparation.Note 2: Corn: Fresh corn kernels or canned corn also work. If using frozen corn, ensure it is thawed or sautéed before adding to the salad.Note 3: Make Ahead/Storage: The pasta continues to absorb the dressing over time, so I recommend holding back some dressing to add just before serving. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.