Summery Chicken Pasta Salad
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Summery Chicken Pasta Salad – Made with fun mini bowtie pasta, a lemony herb flecked dressing, sharp cheddar, crisp veggies, flavor-rich bacon, and tender rotisserie chicken. That’s right—an easy chicken salad that gives you protein, veggies, and carbs in healthy doses. Swap this with your boring chicken salad recipes and you’ll never go back. This is an absolute crowd pleaser!
Club Chicken Pasta Salad
This is a family favorite pasta salad! It’s similar to the taste of a club chicken sandwich meets a ranch salad. In other words, it’s completely irresistible!
It has all the best flavors, including the unmistakable taste of dill, sweet corn, vibrant tomatoes, craveable cheese, meaty bacon, bone-in cooked chicken, and a rich, tangy dressing with the perfect creamy texture. And if you want one more summery mix-in, you can also include a buttery avocado.
It makes an extra-large batch, which is perfectly fitting for a summer cookout of about 12 people, but the recipe can easily be halved as well for a smaller family lunch or dinner (amounts are included at the bottom of the recipe). We’ve found this makes a great side dish alongside burgers or hot dogs.
Though you’ll find it also keeps well in the fridge, so you may opt to just make the full batch and have the extra for lunch that’s ready to go the following few days. It’s a great option for meal prep!
This chicken pasta salad is chilled and refreshing and perfect for a hot summer day. Plus, it’s such a tasty upgrade from traditional pasta salad with the expected mayo, celery, grapes, or apples. The colors are brighter, the produce is more seasonal, and the flavors are even bigger! So much delicious goodness in every serving!
Chicken Pasta Salad Recipes Ingredients
- Olive oil
- Mayonnaise
- Fresh lemon
- Fresh parsley
- Dried dill
- Fresh garlic
- Salt and pepper
- Fresh yellow corn
- Bow tie pasta
- Bacon
- Green onions
- Tomatoes
- Cheddar cheese
- English cucumber
- Rotisserie chicken
How to Make Chicken Pasta Salad
- Make the dressing: In a small mixing bowl, whisk together olive oil, mayonnaise, lemon juice, parsley, dill, garlic, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate until ready to use.
- Boil water in pot: Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt water to taste (I use about 2 Tbsp).
- Cook corn, cool: Add corn and boil (while turning as needed so all sides cook), 4 minutes. Remove the corn and let it cool while keeping the water boiling.
- Cook pasta, cool: Add pasta to boiling water and cook to al dente according to the times listed on the pasta package. Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water before draining the pasta.
Transfer drained pasta to a greased baking sheet and let cool 10 to 20 minutes. - Cut the corn from the corn cobs.
- Add pasta salad ingredients to bowl: In an extra-large bowl, add cooled pasta, corn, bacon, tomatoes, cheddar cheese, cucumber, and chicken.
- Toss with dressing: Pour dressing over and 1/4 cup pasta water, then toss to evenly coat. Thin with more pasta water as needed (as it rests, it will thicken) and season with more salt as needed.
- Rest: If time allows, let flavors meld in the fridge for 1 hour, otherwise, it can be served right away.
Recipe Variations
- Grilled or canned chicken: In place of rotisserie chicken, you could use well-drained canned chicken, grilled chicken, or other leftover cooked chicken breasts.
- Pastas: Other types of pasta that will work here are standard bow tie pasta (farfalle), mini penne, elbow macaroni, fusili, or small shell pasta.
- Cheeses: In place of cheddar, try Swiss, feta, colby cheese, or blue cheese.
- Dressing: Swap the mayo for Greek yogurt, and experiment with a squirt of Dijon mustard or adding spices like paprika or cayenne for some kick.
- Fresh dill: If you would like to use fresh dill, just start with 1 Tbsp and add more to taste from there. Fresh herbs need to be taste-tested!
- Frozen corn: If you don’t have access to fresh corn, frozen corn will work as well, just cook according to package directions and run under cold water in a colander to cool.
- Additions: 1 diced avocado is a delicious addition to this salad (should be fairly firm but ripe). If you like some crunch, try adding some nuts like walnuts, pecans, or almonds.
- Serve this with crackers for some crunch, in lettuce wraps for a low-carb lunch (just scoop spoonfuls into lettuce leaves), or on your favorite roll or croissant for chicken salad sandwiches.
How to Store
- Pasta salad should not be kept at room temperature longer than 2 hours.
- Don’t keep in warmer environments longer than 1 hour.
- Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container.
How Long Does it Keep?
- This bacon cheddar chicken pasta salad will keep for 3 days in the fridge.
More Amazing Pasta Salad Recipes to Try
- Caprese Pasta Salad
- Chicken and Grape Poppy Seed Pasta Salad
- Easy Pasta Salad
- Greek Pasta Salad
- Italian Pasta Salad
- Macaroni Salad
Follow Cooking Classy
Summery Chicken Pasta Salad
Ingredients
Dressing
- 2/3 cup olive oil
- 1/3 cup mayonnaise
- 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
- 1 Tbsp dried dill
- 2 tsp minced garlic (2 cloves)
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
Pasta Salad
- 2 ears fresh yellow corn
- 16 oz mini bow tie pasta
- 12 slices (12 oz) bacon, cooked, drained and chopped*
- 12 oz. grape tomatoes, halved
- 8 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
- 1 1/2 cups chopped English cucumber (about 3/4 of one medium)
- 1 cup chopped green onions (about 5)
- 3 1/2 cups cooked shredded rotisserie chicken, chilled
- 1/4 cup pasta water, or more as needed
Instructions
Dressing
- In a small mixing bowl whisk together olive oil, mayonnaise, lemon juice, parsley, dill, garlic and season with salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Pasta Salad
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and season the water with salt (I use about 2 Tbsp).
- Add corn and boil (while turning as needed so all sides cook), 4 minutes. Remove corn and let cool while keeping water boiling.
- Add pasta to boiling water and cook to al dente according to times listed on pasta package. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water before draining pasta.
- Transfer drained pasta to a greased baking sheet and let cool 10 to 20 minutes.
- Cut corn kernels from corn cobs.
- In a extra large bowl add cooled pasta, corn, bacon, tomatoes, cheddar cheese, cucumber, green onions, and cooked chicken.
- Pour dressing over along with 1/4 cup pasta water then toss to evenly coat. Thin with more pasta water as needed (as it rests it will thicken) and season with more salt as needed.
- If time allows let flavors meld in fridge for 1 to 2 hours, otherwise it can be served right away.
Notes
- *To cook bacon I bake in a 400 degree oven on a rimmed 18 by 13-inch baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. It takes about 15 to 23 minutes depending on the thickness of the bacon. Using tongs transfer bacon to paper towels to drain.
- Optionally you can also add 1 diced avocado to salad or some cayenne pepper to taste for a kick of heat.
- Recipe makes about 18 cups.
- Recipe can be halved for a smaller group. If doing so just use these amounts: 1/3 cup olive oil, 2 1/2 Tbsp mayonnaise, 2 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice, 1/4 cup parsley, 1 1/2 tsp dried dill, 1 tsp garlic, salt and pepper to taste, 1 ear corn, 8 oz mini bow tie pasta, 6 slices cooked bacon, 1/2 cup green onions, 6 oz. grape tomatoes, 4 oz. sharp cheddar, 3/4 cup chopped english cucumber, 1 3/4 cup cooked chicken, 2 Tbsp pasta water.