Chicken Pasta Salad with Italian Dressing

Chicken Pasta Salad is packed with flavors and paired with a tangy Italian dressing. It's an easy side dish perfect for cookouts or potlucks!

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 35

Chiling Time 1

Total Time 1 45

Servings

Calories 705kcal

Author Julie Kotzbach

Place a large skillet over medium heat. Cook the bacon, flipping as needed, until crispy - about 8 minutes. Transfer the strips to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Once cooled, crumble into small pieces.
Add the butter to the same skillet with any leftover bacon grease. Then, add the onion slices and cook until the onions begin to brown, about 5 to 8 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and continue to cook for another 15 to 20 minutes until the onions have caramelized and are soft and golden brown.
While the onions are cooking, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the rotini and cook according to the package directions until al dente. Drain the pasta and immediately run it under cold water to stop the cooking and cool it down.
Pour the pasta into a large mixing bowl. Add the bacon, caramelized onions, chicken, cheese, and roasted red peppers. Toss to combine.
Pour the dressing over the ingredients in the bowl. Gently mix until everything is well coated.
Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 1 hour or until you're ready to serve (up to 6 hours ahead of time). You could serve this pasta salad as soon as everything is mixed if you don't mind things being warm.

You can save yourself some prep time by using a rotisserie chicken from the store. Discard the skin, dice or shred the meat, and you're all set!