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Buffalo Chicken Pasta Salad

Buffalo chicken pasta salad with penne (or rotini) tossed in ranch dressing, coated in buffalo sauce, and chilled until cold and creamy. Loaded with celery, cherry tomatoes, and blue cheese crumbles for a tangy game day salad bite.
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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: 720
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Pasta
  • 1 lb penne or rotini pasta Use 1 lb dry pasta.
Buffalo chicken
  • 3 cup cooked chicken breast, diced
  • 0.5 cup buffalo sauce
Vegetables and dressing
  • 1 cup celery, diced
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1 cup ranch dressing
  • 0.5 cup blue cheese crumbles
  • 0.25 cup green onions, sliced
Seasoning
  • 0.25 Salt and pepper to taste Season as needed.

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Cook and cool the pasta
  1. Cook the penne or rotini pasta according to the package directions, then drain and rinse under cold water until fully cooled. This stops the cooking so the pasta stays firm for salad texture.
Coat the chicken with buffalo sauce
  1. Toss the diced cooked chicken breast with the buffalo sauce until every piece looks well coated. Keep tossing until the chicken has a glossy, saucy layer.
Assemble the salad
  1. Combine the cooled pasta, buffalo chicken, diced celery, and halved cherry tomatoes in a large bowl. Spread everything out so the mix is even.
  2. Add the ranch dressing and toss until the pasta and chicken are coated. Season with salt and pepper to taste during this step for balanced flavor.
  3. Gently fold in most of the blue cheese crumbles so they stay visible but don’t disappear. Aim for streaks and scattered pockets of cheese.
Chill and serve
  1. Refrigerate the pasta salad for at least 1 hour. Chilling helps the ranch dressing cling and the flavors meld.
  2. Top with the remaining blue cheese and the sliced green onions right before serving. Add them on top so you get a fresh crunch and clear buffalo-coated bites.

Notes

For the best texture, rinse the pasta under cold water until it’s cool and slightly springy, then chill uncovered for the first 15 minutes before covering. Refrigerate in a sealed container for up to 4 days; freezing is not recommended because ranch dressing can separate. For a lighter version, use reduced-fat ranch dressing to keep the creamy tang while lowering calories.