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!
sidney hupp says
i dont see the calories, do you have any content on that?
Jessica says
I added them- keep in mind this accounts for using the ENTIRE bag of Fritos… even though most generally only use half.
Chrishael says
Do you use the taco seasoning with the ranch packet or only if you can’t find the fiesta blend? Looking forward to making this! Thanks!
Nicole says
If you cant find a fiesta blend, using a taco seasoning mix is acceptable in its place
Barb says
It looks to me like you use both taco seasoning and the fiesta seasoning in your dressing?
Nicole says
taco seasoning is in the pasta mix and the fiesta seasoning is in the dressing, but you can whisk the taco seasoning into the dressing if it makes it easier to mix everything together that way.
Paula says
Do you know if Hidden Valley Spicy Original Ranch Salad Dressing and Seasoning Mix is similar to the Hidden Valley Fiesta Ranch Dressing Mix called for in the recipe?
Jessica says
It sure sounds a lot like it! Just not sure how spicy it is?? Maybe use half the spicy packet and half original?
Libby says
Great tasting and easy to make. I would be proud to take this to any potluck. I made it tonight for dinner and it was a hit!!! I crushed the Frito’s instead of putting them whole. I added cilantro and topped with diced avocado. Also substituted with green onion. Had to use ranch seasoning and added 2Tbls Schilling Taco seasoning. This is a definite recipe to pass on for generations.
Nellie says
I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe Libby! I love the idea of crushing the chips and adding avocado!
Jeanne1 says
Made this for a cook out n everyone loved it. I was a little dis that it all had gotten eaten during our meal. Oh well I guess I will just have to make again. I have shared the recipe with four people so far. I had like a topping bar for our picky eaters. Crushed corn chips, green onions, black olives, tomatoes n broken Doritos all in bowls for people to pick to put on top of their salad.
Nellie says
What a great idea to have a topping bar!
Jo-Anne Doleva says
I can never find buttermilk. What can I substitute?
I am making this for Book club tomorrow night.
Nellie says
One common substitution for buttermilk is to use regular milk and an acid like vinegar or lemon juice. To make this substitution, simply add 1 tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice to a measuring cup, and then add enough milk to make 1 cup. Let the mixture sit for a few minutes until it curdles and thickens, and then use it in place of buttermilk in the recipe.
Paula says
Delicious! Will be my go to for gatherings.
Karen C says
Outstanding recipe. Was a big hit. Hubby has a picnic to go to and requested this recipe. Everyone must try this. You won’t be disappointed.
Jessica says
So glad you liked it Karen!!
Karen C says
I have a question: The recipe says 10 frozen corn or canned. You did not mention if you drain the canned corn. I have made this recipe twice and have drained the corn. I think the liquid would make it to soupy. Your thoughts.
Nellie says
Yes, if you use canned corn, you will need to drain it well first.