Chicken Pasta Salad

Print Recipe

5 from 19 votes

Chicken Pasta Salad

Creamy chicken pasta salad is quick, easy, and packed with hearty ingredients for a filling side or main dish!

Prep Time10

Cook Time10

Total Time20

Course: Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Author: Kristyn Merkley

Equipment

Ingredients

8 ounces spiral pasta
¾ cup Italian Salad dressing
¼ cup mayonnaise
2 cups cooked seasoned chicken, we used packaged fiesta chicken
8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 cup cubed Colby Jack cheese
1 cup green bell pepper, chopped
8 ounces cherry tomatoes, halved
1 avocado, peeled, pitted, chopped

Instructions

Boil water in a medium pot. Add the pasta and cook until firm, about 10 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water. Set aside.
Add the Italian dressing and mayo to a small bowl. Whisk until smooth.
In a large bowl, add pasta, chicken, bacon, cheese, green bell pepper, cherry tomatoes, and avocado.
Pour the dressing over the top and stir until evenly covered.

Video

Notes

Recipe tips.

Cook the pasta to al dente. If you don't have spiral rotini, try fusilli, cavatappi, farfalle, penne, or medium shell pasta
We most often used a package of cooked Fiesta chicken from the grocery store, but other options include cubing a rotisserie chicken, using leftover chicken from a previous dinner, or cooking up fresh chicken breasts.
While we love the recipe as written, sometimes we add veggies that we have on hand, like green onion, celery, black olives, diced cucumbers, corn, peas, or red onions.

Make ahead of time. Store the bacon bits in a container. Save ¼ of the dressing to add right before serving. Wait to cut the avocado to avoid browning. The rest of the ingredients can be mixed and stored, covered, in the fridge for about 12 hours. To serve, mix in the remaining dressing. Add the bacon and avocado.

Store leftovers, covered, in the fridge for up to 3 days. Add a little extra Italian dressing and mayonnaise if the pasta gets a bit dry.

Nutrition