Chicken and Bacon Pasta Salad
A delicious and satisfying chicken and bacon pasta salad recipe, tossed in a creamy homemade ranch dressing – perfect for barbecues, summer picnics, or a relaxed al fresco lunch.
Servings 6
Calories 453kcal
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Equipment
- Knife
Ingredients
- 250 g Cooked Pasta
- 2 Cooked Chicken Breasts cut into chunks
- 6 Grilled Streaky Bacon Rashers chopped
- 4 Spring Onions chopped
- 10 Cherry Tomatoes halved
- ¼ Cucumber diced
- 1 Red Pepper chopped
- 100 g Cheddar Cheese grated
For the ranch dressing
- 200 g Mayonnaise
- 100 ml Sour Cream
- 2 tablespoon Parsley finely chopped
- 2 tablespoon Dill finely chopped
- 1 Lemon juice only
- 1 Garlic Clove peeled and finely chopped
- Salt and Pepper
Instructions
- Mix together the ranch dressing ingredients in a bowl.200 g Mayonnaise, 100 ml Sour Cream, 2 tablespoon Parsley, 2 tablespoon Dill, 1 Lemon, 1 Garlic Clove, Salt and Pepper, 100 g Cheddar Cheese
- Place the cooked pasta, cooked chicken chunks, grilled bacon pieces, salad vegetables, and grated cheddar in a large mixing bowl.250 g Cooked Pasta, 2 Cooked Chicken Breasts, 6 Grilled Streaky Bacon Rashers, 4 Spring Onions, 10 Cherry Tomatoes, ¼ Cucumber, 1 Red Pepper
- Pour over the ranch dressing and mix to combine. Store in the fridge until needed.
Notes
Top Tips:
- Use store-bought ranch dressing to save time. I would suggest adding a squeeze of lemon juice to store-bought dressing and check the seasoning is OK.
- Use leftover roast chicken in the pasta salad, instead of chicken breasts.
- If you're not serving this pasta salad straight away, save a dollop of the dressing to spoon through when you are ready to eat!
- Use different salad vegetables such as celery, radishes or fennel. You could also add cooked peas or sweetcorn.
- Lower the fat content by using low-fat mayonnaise.
- Up the fiber by using wholewheat pasta.
- Add a sprinkling of dried cranberries for a chewy sweetness or some toasted nuts for crunch.
Nutritional Information (Approximate)
Calories: 453kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 29g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 95mg | Sodium: 560mg | Potassium: 437mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 1289IU | Vitamin C: 45mg | Calcium: 173mg | Iron: 2mg
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