Easy BBQ Chicken Pasta Salad with a creamy BBQ dressing, corn, bell peppers, black beans and juicy chicken breast. A perfect summer side!
I’ve made an Easy Pasta Salad, I’ve done an Italian inspired Antipasto Pasta Salad (this recipe is very popular!) and a very American Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad.
BBQ CHICKEN PASTA SALAD
Now it’s time to do a Southern style BBQ chicken pasta salad that has a conveniently short cook time. BBQ fans out there, this one’s for you. While you’re at it, pair this recipe with Southern Baked Beans and Baked Mac and Cheese.
Blow everyone else at the potluck out of the water with this chicken pasta salad recipe that is rich, flavorful and, best of all, drenched in a creamy dressing made from BBQ and mayonnaise. This is one of those easy recipes that you can whip up last minute and no one will be able to tell that you didn’t spend all day on it.
HOW TO MAKE CHICKEN PASTA SALAD
- In a large pan on medium high heat, cook the chicken in the vegetable oil until browned and cooked through.
- Add in the onions and cook them until they turn transparent.
- Remove the chicken and cut it into bite sized pieces and set aside in a small bowl.
- Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a rolling boil and stir in the shell pasta.
- Let the pasta cook until it’s still firm to the bite but cooked through, or al dente.
- Drain the pasta and rinse it with cold water until it’s chilled.
- Whisk the barbecue sauce and mayo together in a large salad bowl.
- Add in the rest of the ingredients and mix it all together until the pasta shells are coated.
- Put the whole thing in the fridge and chill it until you’re ready to serve.
VARIATIONS
- Avocado: chop up an avocado and serve it over the top of the salad as a delicious garnish.
- Grape tomatoes: add whole, washed cherry tomatoes to the salad as you chill it to give your salad a pleasant crunch.
- Penne: you can use any kind of pasta you want, but shells, rotini and penne work the best in my experience. Try mixing it up for a different fun texture.
- Sour cream: add just a dollop of sour cream to the top of the salad as a fun, summery garnish.
- Cheese: you can sprinkle some cheese onto the top for a savory zing. Try cheddar, parmesan or for a Greek twist you can use feta.
- Cayenne: leave the black pepper at home and try something with a bit of a kick. Sprinkle a little over the top and enjoy.
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SERVE WITH
- Boneless Buffalo Chicken Wings: buffalo sauce is amazing, and when you pair it with juicy boneless wings you get the perfect main dish to compliment your pasta salad side dish. Want the bones? My Classic Buffalo Wings are legendary award winning wings!
- Pulled Pork: rich, savory, and delicious, this is a great recipe to bring to your next get together or BBQ.
MORE EASY SUMMER SIDE DISHES:
- Coleslaw – The classic staple! Or make the KFC Coleslaw (Copycat) version!
- Macaroni Salad – Never buy this again, this is the best version ever.
- Potato Salad – No eggs in this one, this is your perfect classic recipe.
- Cucumber Tomato Salad – A Healthy, quick non creamy salad option.
How to Store BBQ Chicken Pasta Salad:
- Serve: you should not leave chicken pasta salad out for longer than 2 hours for the sake of your stomach.
- Store: your leftovers will be good in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Freeze: you can freeze chicken pasta salad, but you may want to freeze the sauce separately to make reheating easier.
WHEN IS CHICKEN SAFE TO EAT?
According to the USDA’s official website, chicken is cooked through when the internal temperature is at 165 degrees F (73.8 degrees C.)
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
- 1 red onion chopped
- 1/2 jalapeno peppers de-seeded, de-veined and minced
- 1 pound small pasta shells
- 1 cup bbq sauce
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon coarse ground pepper
- 1 red bell pepper seeded and diced
- 1 orange bell pepper seeded and diced
- 1 cup corn
- 15 ounce can black beans rinsed and drained
- 1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
Instructions
- Add the vegetable oil to a large skillet on medium high heat and add the chicken, cooking for 4-6 minutes on each side.
- Remove the chicken, add in the onions and jalapenos and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring often, until softened.
- Cook the pasta in a large pot of water one minute shy of the directions on the box, then drain and rinse.
- Mix the bbq sauce, mayonnaise, salt and pepper in a large bowl.
- Chop the chicken into bite sized pieces then add to the large bowl with the dressing along with the onions, jalapenos, bell peppers, corn, black beans and cilantro and toss well before serving.
Nutrition
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This is an easy, quick recipe to make with left over chicken! It was a big hit with my family a hot summer day!
Kid approved! Delicious. Left out jalapeños and cilantro.
This was a wonderful and tasty pasta salad! I did not cook my onion or my jalapeño before adding it to the salad. It was awesome!
If using fresh corn, do you cook if first?
Well it’s not summer and I have left over chicken so made this but served it warm and substitute pepper with celery and it was so darn good and now we can have the left over for lunch tomorrow cold. It’s a keeper that’s for sure.
This is so good! A great summer recipe. We had it for dinner with some roasted broccoli on the side. Thanks for the recipe ?
I had a bunch of BBQ chicken and corn on the cob leftover and was searching the internet for a way to use it up. I also just so happened to have all the ingredients for this pasta salad, after reading other comments I decided to make it tonight. My family hasn’t tried it yet but they won’t be disappointed- it is SO good!!
So do u not cook the bell peppers?
Excited to try this !!!!
Nope, they are raw. Hope you enjoy it!
Another good recipe. I keep running across your recipes and every one I have tried have been very good.
Thank you, Janice!
This was a total crowd pleaser. I added more bbq sauce than the recipe called for to give it more of a tangy flavor. My family wants me to make it for our big family reunion, so I’m going to substitute the chicken with Tyson’s “Grilled and Ready” chicken for my lazy girl needs 🙂
No judgement here, haha! So glad you all enjoyed it.
I debated making this recipe because the combo of mayo and bbq sauce seemed pretty weird. However, I ended up making it, substituting crushed red pepper because I didn’t have jalapeños and topped it with shredded cheddar cheese. It was delicious!
So glad you decided to give it a try Linda.
Many pasta salad recipes recommend making them the night before and refrigerating for the flavors to meld… yours seems to be a “same day” one… can you make it a day ahead or is it better to make it the same day???
It’s so easy I prefer to make it that day but you can definitely make it the day before. It’ll last up to 3 days in the refrigerator. Enjoy!
Is this supposed to be warm or cold?
Cold 🙂
Hi
Thank you for this recipe I’m going to try it. But I’m trying to loos my sugar intake . Do you know what I can substitute for the mayo?
Thank you
This was delicious! I made this for a family reunion and it was a big hit. My fiancé really enjoyed it too. He wanted to store the recipe in evernote so we wouldn’t forget about it. I might add some garlic and or bacon next time too!
You just made my day! Thanks for coming back to let me know Dana. I’m so happy you all enjoyed it.
This is such a fun twist on a pasta salad. I’ll use it at my next BBQ!
Yay!! Enjoy!
So delicious- big hit at our party!
Thanks for coming back to let me know Amy.
What a great recipe for busy nights! So quick and flavorful too! I will definitely be making this again this week!
Fantastic! So glad you all enjoyed it so much.
This pasta salad was AMAZING! Seriously soo good and the perfect thing to bring to a BBQ. Thanks for sharing!
You’re welcome Chelsea.
Absolutely love the flavors in this pasta salad! So creamy and delicious!
So glad you enjoyed it!
Enjoying your blog. One of my new faves, thanks to my sister who told me about your blog. Lots of wonderful recipes. Love that you do 2, to include a dessert. Duh, I just now got it…hence the dinner then dessert lol. Think I will try this recipe soon for sure. Fresh or frozen corn?
I’m so glad you’re loving all of the recipes. I used fresh corn for this recipe. 🙂 Enjoy!
Can you sub Greek yogurt for the Mayo to make it a bit lighter?
sure! whatever you are comfortable with! I would try it with a small amount to see if you like it or not.
This recipe looks AMAZING!! You have never steered me wrong on any recipe I have found on here, they’ve always been hits with my family. I will make this soon!
That’s so sweet of you to say! Thanks so much.