Chicken Avocado Pasta Salad with Bacon
A creamy pasta salad with spiral pasta, chicken, bacon, eggs, and cherry tomatoes tossed in an avocado buttermilk dressing with dill.
Equipment
- Large pot
- Large skillet
- Medium saucepan
- Blender or food processor
- Large mixing bowl
Ingredients
Main Ingredients
- 1 lb spiral pasta rotini or fusilli
- 1 tbsp kosher salt for the pasta cooking water
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts about 2 breasts, for the chicken
- ½ tsp smoked paprika for the chicken
- ¼ tsp kosher salt for the chicken
- ¼ tsp black pepper for the chicken
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil for the chicken
- 1 ⅓ cup mashed avocado about 1 1/2 avocados, for the dressing
- ½ cup buttermilk for the dressing, or yogurt thinned with milk
- ⅓ cup mayonnaise for the dressing
- 3 tbsp lemon juice for the dressing
- 1 ½ cloves garlic finely grated, for the dressing
- ½ tsp onion powder for the dressing
- ½ tsp kosher salt for the dressing
- ½ tsp black pepper for the dressing
- ½ cup fresh dill finely chopped, divided between the dressing and the salad
- 8 oz bacon for the salad
- 6 large eggs for the salad
- 8 oz cherry tomatoes for the salad, halved
- ¼ red onion for the salad, very thinly sliced
- 1 celery stalk for the salad, thinly sliced
Instructions
Cooking
- Boil the pasta. Salt a large pot of boiling water and cook the pasta until al dente, about 10 minutes. Rinse under cold water and drain thoroughly. Sear the chicken. Season the chicken with paprika, salt, and pepper, then cook in hot olive oil for 6 to 7 minutes per side until it reads 165 degrees F. Rest, then cut into small cubes.
- Fry the bacon. Cook the bacon in a cold skillet over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes until crisp. Drain and crumble.
- Hard boil the eggs. Cover the eggs with cold water, boil, then turn off the heat and cover for 12 minutes. Chill in ice water, peel, and chop.
- Blend the dressing. Puree the avocado with the buttermilk, mayonnaise, lemon juice, garlic, onion powder, salt, pepper, and half of the dill until smooth and creamy.
- Assemble. Combine the cooled pasta, chicken, bacon, eggs, tomatoes, red onion, celery, and remaining dill in a large bowl.
- Dress and serve. Fold in the dressing gently until evenly coated. Serve right away or chill up to 2 hours.
Notes
Substitutions: Use plain yogurt thinned with milk in place of buttermilk, and rotisserie chicken in place of the cooked chicken.
Tips: Rinse the pasta so it stays loose, and stir in a splash of buttermilk to loosen leftovers.
Storage: Refrigerate up to 2 days in a sealed container. The avocado dressing may darken slightly on top, so stir before serving.