This healthy and delicious BLT Chicken Pasta Salad is out of this world! Not only is it easy to make but it's great for lunch or dinner. Not to mention, it makes a great addition to any potluck! I use Primal Kitchen ranch dressing as an easy but clean shortcut, turkey bacon instead of pork to provide a more lean option and chickpea pasta to provide some additional fiber and nutrients. This recipe also happens to be dairy-free and very high in protein.
You can enjoy this easy and delicious pasta salad throughout the year!
If you love this recipe, you will love my chicken fattoush salad, my no mayo pasta salad, and my zesty quinoa salad.
You can find more lunch ideas here.
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Ingredients
- Lettuce, Chopped – Adds crisp texture, hydration, and fiber while providing a fresh, slightly bitter contrast.
- Roma or Cherry Tomatoes, Diced or Halved, respectively – Contribute natural sweetness, acidity, and antioxidants like lycopene for heart health.
- Turkey Bacon, Crumbled – Offers a smoky, savory crunch with lean protein and lower fat compared to regular bacon.
- Cooked Chicken, Chopped – Provides a hearty, lean protein source with mild flavor to balance the dish.
- Whole Wheat or Chickpea Rotini Pasta – Delivers fiber, protein, and complex carbohydrates for sustained energy.
- Salt & Pepper, To Taste – Enhances overall flavor balance while subtly bringing out the natural taste of ingredients.
- Primal Kitchen Ranch Dressing – Adds creamy, herbaceous richness with healthy fats and clean ingredients.
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
- Start by washing your lettuce and tomatoes thoroughly and then chopping, dicing or halving your vegetables as described in the ingredients list above.
- Next cook your turkey bacon according to the instructions on the packaging. Make sure to cook until the turkey bacon is extremely crispy so that you are easily able to crumble or chop it.
- Chop some freshly cooked chicken or you can purchase store bought pre-cooked chicken and chop it.
- Next, cook your whole wheat or chickpea pasta according to the instructions on the packaging and then allow the pasta to cool down completely.
- Combine your chopped lettuce, diced or halved roma or cherry tomatoes, crumbled turkey bacon, cooked and chopped chicken and room temperature whole wheat or rotini pasta into a large salad bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste preference.
- Drizzle primal kitchen ranch dressing on top. Toss, serve and enjoy!
Hint: If you are meal prepping this BLT Chicken Pasta salad, toss all of your ingredients (without the dressing) and pre-portion into meal prep air-tight containers. Pour some dressing in a dressing cup and place inside of your container. When you are ready to serve, pour the dressing on top, shake and then serve!
Substitutions
- Lettuce - you can use romaine lettuce or spinach
- Gluten-free- if you use chickpea pasta, this recipe is already gluten-free. However, make sure to check individual labels of products that you use to make sure the product is gluten-free and not made in a facility that also produces products with gluten.
- Vegetarian - skip the chicken and the turkey bacon to make this recipe vegetarian, however, be mindful that it will no longer truly be a chicken blt pasta salad. Also, make sure to replace with another protein source to make this a balanced dish.
Primal kitchen ranch dressing is dairy-free which makes this recipe dairy-free!
Variations
- Spicy - add sautéed jalapeños to add some heat to this salad!
Equipment
To make this healthy and easy BLT chicken pasta salad, all you need is several pans and a salad bowl.
If you are meal prepping this recipe, you will love these glass air-tight containers from amazon.
Disclaimer: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, which means I make a small commission if you choose to purchase through qualifying links.
Storage
This recipe is best served fresh and not great for leftovers once the dressing has been added and tossed. You can store leftovers in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 1-2 days but the lettuce will wilt and lose its crunch texture.
If you plan on meal prepping this recipe, hold off on adding the dressing and tossing until you are ready to serve.
Top Tip
If you are meal prepping this BLT Chicken Pasta salad, toss all of your ingredients (without the dressing) and pre-portion into meal prep air-tight containers. Pour some dressing in a dressing cup and place inside of your container. When you are ready to serve, pour the dressing on top, shake and then serve!
Salads
Looking for other salad recipes like this? Try these:
Lunch & Dinner
Looking for other main course meals like this? try these:
Jump to: Recipe
Healthy BLT Chicken Pasta Salad
Equipment
- Large bowl
Ingredients
- ½ Head Fresh Lettuce Chopped
- 2-3 Roma Tomatoes Diced (OR 1 Cup cherry tomatoes, halved)
- 4 Slices Turkey Bacon Cooked until crispy and then crumbled
- 2 Cups Cooked Chicken Chopped
- 1 Container (8.8 Ounces) Barilla Chickpea Rotini Pasta (OR whole wheat pasta)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- ½ Cup (½ bottle) Primal Kitchen Ranch Dressing or however much you'd like
Instructions
- Start by washing your lettuce and tomatoes thoroughly and then chopping, dicing or halving your vegetables as described in the ingredients list above.
- Next cook your turkey bacon according to the instructions on the packaging. Make sure to cook until the turkey bacon is extremely crispy so that you are easily able to crumble or chop it.
- Chop some freshly cooked chicken or you can purchase store bought pre-cooked chicken and chop it.
- Next, cook your whole wheat or chickpea pasta according to the instructions on the packaging and then allow the pasta to cool down completely.
- Combine your chopped lettuce, diced or halved roma or cherry tomatoes, crumbled turkey bacon, cooked and chopped chicken and room temperature whole wheat or rotini pasta into a large salad bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste preference.
- Drizzle primal kitchen ranch dressing on top. Toss, serve and enjoy!
- Hint: If you are meal prepping this BLT Chicken Pasta salad, toss all of your ingredients (without the dressing) and pre-portion into meal prep air-tight containers. Pour some dressing in a dressing cup and place inside of your container. When you are ready to serve, pour the dressing on top, shake and then serve!
Notes
Nutrition
Food Safety
- Cook chicken to a minimum temperature of 165 F
- Don’t leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
Pamela says
This was a wonderful and pretty salad. I was in the pasta aisle and bought a multi-color rotini pasta. The colors of the pasta just gave the salad such a vibrancy. The flavors were so good together, and my husband said several times how good the salad was and he's looking forward to the leftovers. I didn't dress the big bowl of salad, we added our own, so the leftovers are fresh. Home run!
christina.klapper says
I’m so happy to hear you loved it Pamela!!!! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave this review!