Go Back
–+ servings
Rotini pasta salad with grilled chicken, crispy bacon, cherry tomatoes, cheddar, and parsley tossed in chipotle ranch in a wooden bowl

Grilled Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad with Chipotle Ranch

Boneless chicken thighs grilled to 185°F so the fat renders, cubed and tossed cold with rotini, crispy bacon, quartered cherry tomatoes, fresh cheddar, green onions and parsley in a homemade chipotle ranch.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Main Course, Salad, Side Dish
Cuisine: American, BBQ
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Grilled Chicken
  • 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs
  • 1 tbsp olive oil As a binder.
  • Your favorite poultry seasoning To taste. Or use the blend below.
  • 1.5 tsp kosher salt Only if making your own blend.
  • 1 tsp black pepper Only if making your own blend.
  • 1 tsp garlic powder Only if making your own blend.
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika Only if making your own blend.
Pasta Salad
  • 12 oz rotini pasta
  • 8 slices bacon Cut into 1/4 inch pieces.
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes quartered
  • 0.75 cup freshly grated cheddar cheese
  • 0.25 cup green onions chopped
  • 0.25 cup fresh parsley chopped
Chipotle Ranch
  • 0.5 cup mayonnaise
  • 0.5 cup sour cream
  • 0.25 cup buttermilk
  • 1 chipotle peppers in adobo 1 to 2, minced fine.
  • 1 tbsp adobo sauce
  • 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp dried dill
  • 0.5 tsp dried parsley
  • 0.5 tsp kosher salt
  • 0.25 tsp black pepper

Equipment

  • Grill For the chicken thighs.
  • Instant-Read Thermometer Thighs come off at 185°F.
  • Large Pot For the pasta.
  • Skillet For the bacon.
  • Large Mixing Bowl Everything goes in at the end.
  • Medium bowl For the ranch.

Method
 

Grill the Chicken
  1. Pat the chicken thighs dry and coat lightly with olive oil. Season generously with poultry seasoning, or salt, pepper, garlic powder and smoked paprika.
  2. Grill, flipping every so often, until they reach 185°F internal. Thighs are dark meat and get more tender at that temperature, and it renders the fat so it will not congeal in the cold salad.
  3. Remove, let rest a few minutes, and cut into bite sized cubes.
Make the Chipotle Ranch
  1. Mince the chipotle peppers fine. Combine them in a bowl with the mayonnaise, sour cream, buttermilk, adobo sauce, lime juice, garlic powder, onion powder, dill, dried parsley, salt and pepper. Mix well and refrigerate.
Prep the Rest
  1. Cook the rotini in salted boiling water about 7 to 8 minutes until tender. Drain and let it cool completely.
  2. Cut the bacon into 1/4 inch pieces and pan fry until crispy. Drain and let cool.
  3. Quarter the cherry tomatoes, grate the cheddar, and chop the green onions and parsley. Have everything ready before you assemble.
Assemble
  1. Add the cooled pasta to a large bowl, then the chicken, cheddar, green onions, parsley, cherry tomatoes and bacon.
  2. Pour the chipotle ranch over the top and mix once until everything is coated. Refrigerate until serving. Serve cold with extra ranch on the side.

Notes

Thighs to 185°F: Thigh fat that has not rendered firms up when chilled and makes the salad greasy. 185°F renders it on the grill. Thighs get more tender at that temperature rather than drying out.
Prep everything first: It all goes into one bowl in about a minute. Have the chicken cubed, bacon cooked, tomatoes quartered, cheese grated, herbs chopped, pasta cooled and ranch chilled before you start.
Everything cold: Warm pasta or chicken melts the cheese and thins the ranch.
Grill temperature: Miguel did not specify one. Cook by the 185°F internal target.
Make ahead: Better the next day. Keep a little ranch back to refresh it.
Timing: Times and servings are estimates. The 185°F and 7 to 8 minute pasta cook are as given.

Tried this recipe?

Let us know how it was!