Buffalo Chicken Pasta Salad

One of my favorite summer dishes at a BBQ, is pasta salad. I also have a love for buffalo chicken. My husband on the other hand hates pasta salad AND buffalo chicken, weird I know. I used to forgo making pasta salads, or any type of buffalo chicken dish, then one day I had a bright idea. Why not combine the two, and make a fantastic Buffalo Chicken Pasta Salad! I knew my husband couldn't argue because we still always have his favorite potato salad, so it wasn't like I was replacing his salad with one only I liked. We first made this salad for my son's baptism a month ago, and it was a HUGE hit. Not a drop of pasta salad left, and since then I always get asked to make it for other events. Sometimes I just make a batch for the week and eat it at lunch :)

Buffalo Chicken Pasta Salad

Ingredients:
1 lb box of spiral pasta
1 green pepper
1 red pepper
1 onion (optional)
2 cups of cooked, diced chicken breast *
1 cup of Ranch or Blue Cheese Dressing
1/2 cup of Franks Red Hot
1/2 cup of mayo**

*Tyson makes a bag of precooked, diced chicken breast. Its juicy and great, comes in the freezer section in a green bag. If you are looking for a quick, minimal prep way to make the salad, this is a great way!

**They now have buffalo mayo, which is a great substitute for regular mayo in this recipe :)

Directions: 


Cook the pasta, drain, and set aside. I usually put my pasta in the fridge after it is done while I make everything else.  If you do this, make sure you rinse the pasta in cold water before doing so, this helps it not stick together!

While the pasta is cooking, prepare your chicken. If you use the Tyson bag, just warm it in a skillet. Once its heated all the way through, put it in a bowl and place it in the fridge. If you don't go the Tyson route, use 3-4 chicken breasts, cook them in a skillet with a tablespoon of olive oil or butter. I also usually put a 1/2 of water in the skillet to keep the chicken from drying out. Once the chicken is cooked, cut it into small cubes. You can also pre-cut the chicken in cubes before cooking, this makes it cook MUCH faster! Again, place the chicken in the fridge.

After the chicken and pasta are in the fridge, get out a large bowl. Dice both the green and red pepper and place in the bowl. Next, dice the onion into very small pieces and add to the bowl. I am not an onion fan, so I only use about half the onion. Add the pasta from the fridge. Next add the Ranch/Blue Cheese (I use ranch), Franks Red Hot, and mayo. mix together until everything is coated. Then add the chicken and mix again. Cover and chill. Serve cold.

I prefer to make this the night before a party so it can get nice and cold in the fridge. One batch can serve 20-30 people! Enjoy!