Fiesta Ranch Chicken Pasta Salad is full of fresh southwestern flavors with black beans, corn, cheese and tomatoes. This hearty chicken pasta salad recipe topped with Fritos is perfect as a main dish or a side dish for potlucks and parties!
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Fiesta Ranch Chicken Pasta Salad is one of my favorite summertime meals because it doesn’t require the oven and it makes a huge batch which usually leaves us with enough leftovers to give me another night off from making dinner! Gotta love those no-bake/no-oven dinners!
Can you make this chicken pasta salad in advance?
This is also a perfect dish for taking to potluck dinners. You can make the salad immediately before serving, or you can make it 2-3 days in advance if that’s more convenient! This pasta salad recipe makes a large batch, so I like to serve it for dinner one night and then eat the leftovers the rest of the week! It stores beautifully in the refrigerator and this pasta salad is one meal that I actually like the leftovers for! Just wait to add the Fritos until right before serving or they will get soggy.
When do you add the Fritos to the salad?
Don’t forget the final step! Just before serving you’ll want to top the salad with Fritos. They add a lot of crunch and pair very well with the flavors in the salad. When I serve this salad at home, I usually just serve the Fritos separately and let everyone add their own to the top of their portion. That way, any leftovers that we have can be stored without the chips so that they don’t get soggy!
What types of toppings work best in chicken pasta salad?
This dish is very versatile – you can add or subtract any toppings you want and it still turns out wonderfully each time. I absolutely love the corn and the beans in this salad, and the cheese is amazing in it as well.
Sometimes when I serve this to my family, I will leave some of the veggies out and serve them next to the salad. That way everyone can add the ones that they like. Kind of like a chicken pasta salad bar! Olives, green peppers, onions and tomatoes are all toppings that can be added separately to the salad. This way I get to leave out the tomatoes, since as much as I’ve tried, I haven’t found a way to enjoy eating them!
What type of ranch dressing is used in this chicken pasta salad?
The key to the dressing for this salad is the Hidden Valley Fiesta Dip mix. You use this in place of regular ranch dip mix and the flavor is incredible! I will admit that I have had some difficulty finding it at certain grocery stores, but I have almost always been able to find it Walmart. Since I make this salad many times each year, I just make sure to stay stocked up! When I’m at a grocery store where I can find this, I get several so that I can make sure I have it when I need it. You’ll find it right next to the other dressing mixes.
There have been a few times where I have been in the middle of making this salad and then realized that I didn’t have any of my stockpile left, and I have used regular ranch dip mix in place of the Fiesta flavored one. If you do this, just add a couple tablespoons of taco seasoning or a Southwest seasoning to the dry mix before you add the wet ingredients. It won’t taste exactly the same as the real thing, but it’ll still be yummy! You can even just use regular ranch dip mix – it’s delicious too but doesn’t have the southwestern flavor of the Fiesta Dip mix.
Ingredients in Fiesta Ranch Chicken Pasta Salad
- 1 pkg. of pasta (rotini, bowtie, tri-colored, etc)
- 3 boneless chicken breasts, cooked and diced (I usually use a rotisserie chicken)
- 1 packet taco seasoning mix
- 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 package frozen corn
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 green pepper, chopped
- 1 can of olives, sliced
- 2 cups grated cheddar cheese
- 2 tomatoes, chopped
SOUTHWEST DRESSING INGREDIENTS
- 2 cups mayonnaise
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 pkg. Hidden Valley Fiesta dip mix (I have had best luck finding this at Walmart)
How to make Fiesta Ranch Chicken Pasta Salad
The first step is to cook pasta, drain and cool.
Combine the cooked pasta with all of the other ranch chicken pasta salad ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, buttermilk and Hidden Valley Fiesta dip mix. Pour the dressing over the salad and stir to combine. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.
Right before serving, add in Frito corn chips to taste. I usually just leave them in a separate bowl and let everyone add as many as they’d like to the top of their pasta salad.
FIESTA RANCH CHICKEN PASTA SALAD
Ingredients
- 16 oz pasta rotini, bowtie, tri-colored, etc
- 3 boneless chicken breasts cooked and diced (I usually use a rotisserie chicken)
- 1 packet taco seasoning mix
- 15 oz can black beans drained and rinsed
- 15 oz can kidney beans drained and rinsed
- 10 oz corn frozen or canned
- 1 cup onion chopped
- 1 green pepper chopped
- 3 oz olives sliced
- 2 cups grated cheddar cheese
- 2 tomatoes chopped
- 1 pkg Frito Corn Chips (for topping)
SALAD DRESSING
- 2 cups mayonnaise
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 pkg Hidden Valley Fiesta Ranch Dressing Mix
Instructions
- Cook pasta, drain and cool. Combine with all of the other ingredients in a large mixing bowl, and then mix up the dressing.
- Whisk all of the dressing ingredients together in a small bowl until smooth.
- Add dressing to the salad and keep refrigerated until ready to serve. Right before serving, add in Frito corn chips to taste. Enjoy!
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What kind of chicken works best in chicken pasta salad?
I usually use a rotisserie chicken in chicken pasta salad because rotisserie chickens are easy and I love the taste and texture of the chicken. If I don’t have a rotisserie chicken to use, I prefer to bake chicken breasts (or chicken tenders) in the oven.
To cook chicken breasts in the oven, place them in a baking dish and brush a little olive oil on them, adding a little bit of salt and pepper. Bake for 30 minutes or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165°.
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Fiesta Ranch Chicken Pasta Salad is full of fresh southwestern flavors with black beans, corn, cheese and tomatoes. This hearty chicken pasta salad recipe topped with Fritos is perfect as a main dish or a side dish for potlucks and parties!
marylee :) says
Will try this & serve on a bed of lettuce. It looks absolutely yummy!!!
Amy in Texas says
This salad is really tasty. It has a beautiful blend of southwest flavors and is perfect for hot summer days when you just want something cold rather than hot. I would suggest refrigerating it for several hours after you make it. I found it was even better the next day once it had sat overnight in the fridge. It was equally good with or without the fritos. I had it both ways and loved it just the same! This makes a huge amount of pasta salad, 15 1/2 cups to be exact. If you do not have a large family or are not making it for a get together, I would half the recipe. This is a definite keeper, a bit addictive really…. Highly recommended…..
Jessica says
thank you so much for your kind words!!
Peggy says
This looks really good, but I stopped using ranch dressing mix years ago because it contains MSG. 🙁
Paula says
You can make your own ranch dressing powder…they have recipes on here that are delicious
happychelle says
I have made this recipe several times now…and I use sour cream instead of mayo and buttermilk. It’s amazing. I also didn’t have the fiesta ranch dip so I used the regular ranch dip along with taco seasoning and roel tomatoes…was still good.
Cole Long says
I cant stand dressings. Especially if they're white with mayo, cool whip, or ranch. Any suggestions on a substitute dressing??
pcody says
What size is the "package" of frozen corn?
Debi says
This response is for Peggy and Cole Long. I make my own Fiesta Dressing which can be as spicy or mild as you like. I mix 8 ounces of sour cream (regular or lite) with a jar of my favorite Salsa. I use mild. I use it on taco salads all the time and would probably use it for this recipe too.
Keri Dilts says
It says taco seasoning and fiesta ranch. where does the taco seasoning go?
Kasi Timmerman says
I think it falls under "add all other ingredients" prior to the dressing.
Amy Kindernay says
Use salsa instead of ranch mix. Put the taco seasoning on the pasta and mix up, then add veggies. You can also use cumin in place of the taco seasoning if you want to cut back on procesed mixes
Becky Berquist says
Sound yummy
Samninetysix says
Low fat mayo, chipotle paste and fresh squeezed lime juice<br />
Paula Alegria says
Is the buttermilk necessary to make this dish?
Alexis Ireland says
Nope. I never use buttermilk and just used mayo and the seasoning – loved it!
Donna Ausmus says
I made this from my husband's lunch and used no dressing at all. He completely loved it. It was so easy to make too!
Deb Foster says
This looks absolutely yummy and so very colorful. I don’t see anywhere where it says to print out the recipe. Any suggestions? Thank you so much for you time! Looking forward to giving it a try!
Rosemary says
I need to make this for church supper for 40 people. How many people does this recipe serve?
Rosemary
Nellie says
If this is being used as a side dish, it would probably be enough for 40 people. When I serve this as a main dish, it usually serves about 14-16 people.
Ashley says
I was wondering if i have to cook the beans and corn.
And also, do i put the taco seasoning on the chicken when i cook it?
Jessica says
Nope- you don’t have to cook the beans or the corn. Put the taco seasoning with the other dressing ingredients, then whisk it to combine. Then you just toss all the ingredients together and add Fritos to the top right before serving!
Kim says
Looking to make this for a 4th of July gathering tomorrow and getting groceries tonight. What size of box for the pasta? And what size package of frozen corn?
Nellie says
I used a 12 oz box of pasta and I’m not sure exactly what size the corn package was, but I’m guessing between 10-16 oz. Sometimes I even use a can of corn instead, just make sure to drain well before adding to the salad. Enjoy!
Leslie says
Do you put the frozen corn in frozen or do you thaw? Also, has anyone used regular milk instead of the buttermilk? Thanks in advance!
Nellie says
I just put the corn in frozen because I usually make it at least a couple hours in advance, but it thaws really quickly. I’ve never tried using regular milk but I think it would probably turn out just fine that way too…maybe a slightly different taste?
Kelly says
I think this will be a really tasty dish and am making it right now, but note to the author: it REALLY needs to be re-written with actual measurements and much better directions. I’m ok with winging it as that’s how I cook, but based on the virtual plethora of the same comments, many others need more instruction. And, based on the volume of ads on this page, I completely missed the ingredient list for the dressing. I’m also a bit skeptical as to why you need both taco seasoning AND fiesta ranch seasoning. Plus, you sprinkle the taco seasoning over the plain veggies and pasta??? Not in the dressing? Or season the meat with it? Nice blog but this could use a little editing. Thanks.
Lindsey says
Delicious. Best pasta salad I have ever ate. It will definitely be on the menu again.