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High Protein BBQ Chicken Pasta Salad

High protein BBQ chicken pasta salad with protein pasta, shredded BBQ chicken, black beans, and corn in a ranch-BBQ dressing. Built for meal prep: cool, creamy, and tangy with colorful crunch from bell pepper and red onion.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
chilling 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 35 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: American
Calories: 490
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

protein pasta (chickpea or lentil)
  • 1 lb protein pasta
BBQ chicken
  • 3 cup cooked chicken breast, shredded
  • 1 cup BBQ sauce Use 1/2 cup for tossing chicken and 2 tbsp for the dressing.
salad add-ins
  • 1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 cup corn kernels
  • 1 count red bell pepper, diced
  • 0.5 cup red onion, diced
  • 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
  • 0.25 cup cilantro, chopped For topping.
ranch-BBQ dressing
  • 0.5 cup ranch dressing
  • 2 tbsp BBQ sauce Stir into ranch for the dressing.
seasoning
  • 0.25 salt and pepper to taste

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Cook the protein pasta
  1. Cook the protein pasta according to package directions, then drain and rinse with cold water.
  2. Transfer the rinsed pasta to a large bowl to cool while you prep the rest of the components.
Make BBQ chicken and the ranch-BBQ dressing
  1. Toss the shredded chicken with 1/2 cup BBQ sauce until evenly coated.
  2. Mix the ranch dressing with 2 tablespoons BBQ sauce until smooth and evenly tinted.
Assemble the salad
  1. Combine the pasta, BBQ chicken, black beans, corn, red bell pepper, red onion, and cheddar cheese in the large bowl.
  2. Pour the ranch-BBQ dressing over the salad and toss to coat thoroughly.
  3. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then toss again to distribute.
Chill and serve
  1. Refrigerate the salad for at least 1 hour to let flavors meld.
  2. Top with cilantro before serving.

Notes

For the best texture, rinse the pasta well with cold water so it doesn’t clump during chilling. Store covered in the refrigerator up to 4 days; do not freeze since ranch-dressing texture can break. For a lighter option, use low-fat ranch and swap half the cheddar for reduced-fat cheddar.