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!
HannahSofia says
this is my second time making this… I decided to review it now… The reason? I have made this two ways.. one as written, tonight.. and the one time before I hadn’t had ginger so used all spice. Didn’t have apple juice so added grapefruit and a 1/4 cup of good Canadian Whiskey. I did as a reviewer suggested to dust chicken with cornstarch.. a very good idea. Without it the sauce is to thin for my family… I gotta say this is my go to recipe for now on.. can be easily made into Curry sauce, BBQ sauce.. anything. I love this recipe and didn’t find it too salty and used regular soy sauce. I am on a HBP diet and this worked out great for even me…
Jessica says
I love hearing how people make recipes their own! Thank you for sharing your suggestions- and I’m glad you enjoy the salad!
Delores Dorn says
I like try to make chicken pot pie next week look good thankDelores do
AreYouKidding says
No chicken you can buy in a store has three breasts.
Jessica says
The recipe calls for 3 chicken breasts, but I mentioned I often use a Rotisserie Chicken… as in the whole chicken. 😉
Ashley T. says
This is a definite crowd pleaser! I’ve made this salad three times now! I left out to pepper and onions but kept everything else the same. It does make a huge batch, but it was nice to have leftovers for lunch for a few days. I also picked up some SantaFe tortilla strips (salad topping) from my local Smith’s (Kroger) to use instead of Fritos and I liked those a lot more. I’m making this again this weekend for a family BBQ and my mother in law cannot have gluten. I’m going to sub my pasta and taco seasoning for gluten free versions. Hopefully it turns out well! Wish me luck!
Nellie says
I’m so glad that you enjoyed it! I’ll have to try using the tortilla strips when I make it again – that’s such a great idea!
Hope O'Rourke says
I am in LOVE ! This recipe just how it is.. Tastes Amazing !
This will be my go to recipe when I want to impress or wow the crowd !! 😀
I wouldn’t change a thing! I cannot wait to serve it tomorrow at my granddaughters party !
Thank you for the recipe !
Jessica says
So glad you enjoyed it Hope!
Hope O'Rourke says
Everyone is asking for the recipe Jessica ! I am so pleased .
A lot of times it sounds good and you make it and it’s not what you were hoping for …
This recipe delivers all the way, with flavor and presentation !
You know the ole saying the proof is in the pudding , well it was 😀
Thanks again!
Jessica says
So glad you liked it Hope! 🙂
Alison says
This recipe is so yummy! My whole family loves it!
Kassie Miller says
Every time I make this recipe, I wonder why I don’t make it more often. It’s sooo easy and sooo good! Everyone loves it.
Rosemary says
I made this yesterday and it was so delicious, everyone loved it. Thanks for the recipe.
Nellie says
I’m so glad you enjoyed it Rosemary!