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This BBQ Chicken Ranch Pasta Salad is that “salad” everyone really wants to EAT. It’s simple to throw together but packs in the flavor. Grilled BBQ chicken tossed together with a creamy homemade ranch dressing, fresh romaine lettuce, grilled corn, tomatoes, and fresh avocado. This pasta salad is flavorful, filling, and a great way to use up all that summer produce. Enjoy this for dinner and save the leftovers for lunch. Or serve this up at your next backyard dinner with friends. Perfect to enjoy from now through the fall months.
There’s nothing like a pasta salad in the summertime. I’ve told this story before, but pasta salad used to be one of my favorite summer dinners that my dad would make. He’d often make a pasta salad on random nights when my brothers had already eaten. Since anything with the word salad in it was not their kind of meal.
His pasta salad was super simple. Pasta, broccoli, cheese, olive oil, lots of herbs, and then whatever random items happened to be in the fridge.
I remember having a lot of fun on Saturday nights helping him toss things together while munching down on broccoli. I think it’s partly the memories that I really love so much.
Anyway, I’m always inspired to create pasta salad recipes throughout the summer. And today’s recipe is my newest…and my favorite.
It’s not fancy by any means. And it’s certainly not the prettiest salad I’ve ever tossed together. But the flavors, the textures, and the deliciousness are all spot on.
Making this pasta salad is easy, here are the steps
You need to gather up your ingredients…really good BBQ sauce, summer produce, your favorite short cut pasta, and a bit of homemade ranch dressing.
I always start with the chicken and toss it simply with my favorite homemade BBQ sauce. You can certainly use store-bought too. I recommend something lower in sugar so the chicken is not too sweet.
Grill the chicken, and while that’s cooking, I usually start assembling the salad.
You’ll of course need pasta. I love a fun short cut like these guys, or maybe these fun squiggles. Once the pasta is all cooked, I add it to my biggest salad bowl. To the bowl I add cubes of cheddar and pepper jack cheese, lettuce, grilled corn, tomatoes, and slices of jalapeño.
Then I throw in lots of fresh cilantro and basil and give it all a nice toss.
Now the ranch – the secret to this salad
I did a quick homemade ranch dressing that, if you ask me, is far superior to anything from the store…but I am of course, a bit biased.
It’s creamy, made with plenty of fresh garden herbs, and when tossed with the pasta? It makes for the very best pasta salad. BBQ and ranch is one of the best low-key, not fancy, but so delicious food combinations.
Once you have the salad all tossed, finish it off with avocado on top. Then serve with additional ranch and BBQ sauce.
I know it’s not your classic pasta salad, but try to trust me on this one. It’s really good and fully approved by every family member. This was a huge hit!
You can eat this warm or at room temperature. Though the longer the pasta sits, the more flavor it develops, so this is also perfect for making ahead. My only recommendation is to wait to add the avocado so that it doesn’t get brown.
Looking for other pasta salad recipes? Here are a few ideas:
Corn, Tomato, and Avocado Pasta Salad
Honey Mustard Pretzel Chicken and Avocado Bacon Salad
Pesto Chicken, Corn, and Avocado Bacon Pasta Salad
Lastly, if you make this BBQ Chicken Ranch Pasta Salad, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
BBQ Chicken Ranch Pasta Salad
Servings: 8
Calories Per Serving: 503 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken, cut into bite size chunks
- 1/2 cup BBQ sauce
- 1 pound short cut pasta
- 1 1/2 cups cubed cheddar cheese
- 3 cups shredded romaine lettuce
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 3 ears grilled or steamed corn
- 1 jalapeño, seeded, if desired, and chopped
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro and or basil, chopped
- 1 avocado, diced
Creamy Ranch
- 1/2 cup plain greek yogurt or sour cream
- 1/4 cup olive oil mayo
- 1/4-1/2 tablespoon buttermilk
- 2 tablespoons fresh chopped chives
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon dried dill
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- kosher salt and black pepper
Instructions
- 1. Set your grill, grill pan, or skillet to medium-high heat. 2. In a bowl, combine the chicken and BBQ sauce. Grill the chicken until lightly charred and cooked through, turning halfway through cooking. Cook about 8-10 minutes.3. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Boil the pasta to al dente, according to package directions. Drain and add to a large salad bowl with the cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, corn, jalapeño, cilantro, and basil. 4. To make the ranch. Combine all ingredients in a bowl or glass jar. Taste, adding salt and pepper as needed. 5. Toss the pasta with half the ranch. Add the chicken and gently toss to combine. 6. Top the pasta with avocado. Season with freshly cracked pepper and salt. Serve warm or cold with additional ranch as desired.
This looks so good!! Probably a silly question since ranch is in the name but any alternate dressing suggestions for those that can’t have dairy?
Hi Eva,
I would just use some non-dairy options like dairy free yogurt and milk. I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xx
Delicious! Left out the cheese and didn’t feel like I needed it.
Hi Mimi,
Thanks so much for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback, so glad to hear it turned out well for you! xx
This is my very favourite summer recipe! I use spinach instead of lettuce and our family loves it! The grilled corn takes this meal to a whole other level. We cheated and use frozen and it was so not the same. Love the ranch – way better than store bought!
Hey Nicole,
Happy Sunday!!🍋☀️ I appreciate you trying this recipe out and your comment, so glad to hear it was a winner! xT
I’m looking forward to making this this week! One question: How do you feel about parsley in place of the cilantro/basil? I’m ordering some anyway and would love to just use some of it in this salad, but if you feel strongly about cilantro and/or basil, I trust your judgment 🙂
Hey there,
I think the parsley would be just fine for you to use! Let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope it turns out well for you! xx
Loved this! I agree that it sounded weird to have lettuce and pasta but it really works! Will definitely be making this again as it’s so easy.
Hi Kirsten,
Fantastic!! I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks for trying it out! Have a great week:)
This salad is crazy good. A crowd pleaser for sure. I hate ranch dressing, but this recipe is a total game changer. We keep this one on heavy rotation in my house. The kids love it!!
Hi Jennifer,
Happy Monday!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe turned out well for you and I appreciate you making it! xT
This is ridiculously good. It seemed odd as I was assembling; I was having a hard time imagining lettuce with pasta, but it was a hit. I didn’t have time to grill so I used rotisserie chicken mixed with BBQ sauce and heated it in a pan. I also sauteed some frozen corn and added it. My kids did request not using chunks of cheese and to use shredded but I loved the chunks. This is a great summer keeper!
Hey Amy,
Love it!!🍪🍦 I am thrilled to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks for making it and sharing your review!! xx
Love this! One of our weeknight staples. A quick time saving hack I use — rotisserie chicken heated up in a pan with bbq sauce!!
Hey Kaylee,
Happy Friday!!❄️🧑🎄 I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your review, so glad to hear it turned out well for you! xx
My daughter loved this so much after we tried it the first time that it became her requested birthday dinner! She was away at camp last week and this was her welcome home dinner too. I always double the dressing; we love pinwheel pasta for this; you can use another ranch if you are short on time, but the homemade is great! We also keep the lettuce separate if we are not going to finish it so that the leftovers are better preserved.
Hey Kate,
Awesome!! So glad to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks so much for trying it out! Happy Tuesday! xT
Girl! This is heaven.
Hey Melissa,
Awesome!! Thanks so much for your review:) Love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for giving it a try! xx
So Good! Will definitely be making the ranch over and over again! Thank you for sharing.
Hey Lauryn,
Happy Friday!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for giving it a go! xxT