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This Buffalo Chicken Pasta Salad will be a weeknight favorite! Crunchy chicken tender pieces on top of golden pasta and veggies. It’s all topped with buffalo sauce, ranch dressing, and creamy crumbled blue cheese. Easy and delicious!
Cooling ranch, crispy chicken, tangy buffalo sauce, and a host of other goodies, come together in this flavor-packed Buffalo Chicken Pasta Salad! It’s super satisfying without weighing you down. Great for BBQs, lunches, brunches, or dinner! An easy chicken pasta salad with so much flavor that the whole family will love.
If you’re looking for other yummy pasta salads, why not also try my Shrimp Pasta Salad and my Creamy Chicken Pesto Pasta Salad!
why you’ll love this buffalo chicken pasta salad
- Crispy chicken. The oven-baked chicken tenders are perfectly crunchy, giving you a super satisfying bite every time. Also, you may make your own crispy chicken or top with grilled chicken slices
- Flavor packed! Cooling ranch, tangy blue cheese, finger-licking buffalo sauce – what’s not to love!
- An easy pasta salad. This hearty pasta salad comes together so easily, using pantry staples.
ingredients you’ll need
These are just a list of ingredients you will need to make this recipe. The full measurements are at the bottom of this post.
- Pasta
- Olive Oil
- Salt & Pepper
- Oven-Fried Chicken Tenders – make your own or use your favorite grilled chicken
- Veggies – celery, cherry tomatoes, green onions.
- Buffalo Sauce
- Ranch Dressing – We have a homemade ranch dressing recipe you can use.
- Blue Cheese
how to make this buffalo chicken pasta salad
- First, prep the pasta– Cook according to package instructions. Drain and season. Set aside.
- Next, make the sauce – In a bowl, mix the buffalo sauce and ranch dressing.
- Then, combine– In a salad bowl, mix the pasta, veggies, and crispy chicken strips pieces (you can use your favorite grilled chicken instead). Then pour the dressing on top.
- Finally, sprinkle on blue cheese, serve and enjoy!
recipe notes and tips
- Adjust the level of buffalo sauce as needed.
- It’s best to use dry packaged pasta, not fresh, it holds up better. For a healthier option, use lentil or chickpea pasta.
- Use your favorite ranch dressing or try our homemade ranch recipe
- Avoid bland pasta be seasoning it properly! Season your pasta while your cooking it.
- Cook your pasta al dente, that works best.
- You can sub in different chicken. I used my easy oven fried chicken tenders, but you can use pre-packaged or your own grilled chicken recipe.
- Or… go with rotisseries chicken. Rotisserie chicken won’t have that crunch but it still works great in this easy pasta salad.
- Mix in the sauce while your pasta is still warm. Warm pasta absorbs the dressing a lot easier, making the pasta salad full-bodied and packed with flavor!
- You can serve this pasta warm or chilled.
faq’s
This recipe can easily be made into a delicious gluten-free dish! Alternatively, just sub out the regular pasta in the ingredients for your favorite pasta or lentil pasta. For the chicken tenders, use gluten-free breadcrumbs or opt for rotisserie chicken.
You want pasta shapes with lots of nooks and crannies, to cling on to all that lovely buffalo ranch sauce! Rotini, penne, or macaroni noodles give great results. Also, just make sure the noodles are not overcooked—al dente works best.
You can dial-up or down the spice by adjusting the buffalo sauce ratio. If you have little ones it’s a great dish to sneak in those veggies, but you can go light on the buffalo if they don’t want too much spice!
This recipe can easily be made the day before if you are prepping ahead. Also, you can pre-cook your noodles and have all your ingredients chopped and ready to go in the fridge.
A few minutes before you are ready to serve, mix all the ingredients in one bowl and toss with the sauce.
other easy pasta dishes
- Broccoli Chicken Pasta Casserole
- Easy Cheeseburger Pasta
- Creamy Wild Mushroom Pasta
- Lemon Dill Salmon Pasta Salad
- Shrimp Pasta Salad
- Cheeseburger Pasta
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Buffalo Chicken Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 12 oz. package pasta
- 1 tsp olive oil
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
- 1 lb. oven-fried chicken tenders, chopped
- 3-4 celery sticks, chopped
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered
- 2 green onions, sliced
- 1 cup buffalo sauce
- 1/2 cup ranch dressing, homemade
- 1/3 cup blue cheese crumbles
Instructions
- Slice the tomatoes in half. Chop the celery and onion. Cook pasta according to the package directions.
- Once the pasta is done, drain well in a colander and run under cold water.
- Add a tsp of oil, season with a pinch of salt and pepper, toss well, and set aside.
- Mix the buffalo sauce and ranch dressing to a bowl. Place the cooked pasta, chopped celery, tomatoes, and green onion to a salad bowl.
- Add chopped crispy strips.
- Pour the dressing on top, toss until all the ingredients are well coated with the dressing.
- Sprinkle blue cheese and serve.
Notes
- Adjust the level of buffalo sauce as needed.
- Make your own ranch. Try our homemade ranch
- It’s best to use dry packaged pasta, not fresh, it holds up better.
- Avoid bland pasta be seasoning it properly! Season your pasta while your cooking it.
- Cook your pasta al dente, that works best.
- You can sub in different chicken. I used my easy oven fried chicken tenders, but you can use pre-packaged
- Or… go with rotisseries chicken. Rotisserie chicken won’t have that crunch but it still works great in this easy pasta salad.
- Mix in the sauce while your pasta is still warm. Warm pasta absorbs the dressing a lot easier, making the pasta salad full-bodied and packed with flavor!
- You can serve this pasta warm or chilled.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
