This Copycat Hug-Hes Chicken Pasta Salad, is the BEST pasta salad you will ever try. It is so simple to make, inexpensive, and tastes delicious. It’s the perfect, light spring or summer dish.
Literally a pasta salad that I dream about, it is so dang good. I decided, I just need to figure out how to make this, because I could save some serious money.
That’s exactly what I did, and I have to say, this salad is spot on. I even like it better because it’s less expensive, and I can have the huge bowl of it, all to myself.
Recipe Ingredient Notes
To make our copycat version of Hug-Hes chicken pasta salad, you need the following ingredients:
- Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts (cooked and shredded)
- Bowtie Pasta
- Tri-Color Rotini Pasta
- Broccoli
- Carrots
- Kidney beans
- Sugar
- Red Wine Vinegar
- Olive Oil
- Salt
- Pepper
- Tabasco Sauce
Equipment Needed
For this recipe, you only need a few simple kitchen tools. We recommend using the following equipment:
How to Make Copycat Hug-Hes Chicken Pasta Salad
- In a large bowl, combine your chicken, pasta, broccoli, carrots, and kidney beans. Mix until fully combined.
- In a smaller bowl, whisk together your sugar, red wine vinegar, oil, salt, pepper, and tabasco sauce.
- Pour the dressing mixture over the pasta mixture, and toss.
- Store in fridge for 30 minutes (We prefer to have the dressing sink into the pasta and vegetables, so they taste less like vegetables, and more like the dressing).
- Serve cold.
Recipe Notes
Want to add a little more spice? In this recipe, the Tabasco sauce just adds a small kick of flavor, not so much heat or spice. You could easily add more hot sauce, and make it more spicy with red pepper flakes.
Miscellaneous FAQ’s
You could definitely switch up your pasta to what you have on hand, but we recommend pasta that is easier to stab with a fork (not so much spaghetti or fettuccine). Here are a few other pasta types that would work great for this recipe: cavatappi, fusilli, rigatoni, penne, shells, or macaroni. You can also add any vegetables to this recipe.
The starch in the hot water, is what helps your sauce stick to your pasta. However, for cold dishes, you don’t want your pasta sticking together, or have the sauce fully absorbed.
That’s why when you make cold pasta dishes, you will want to rinse your noodles in cold water, but not when you make hot pasta dishes.
I usually blend my chicken in my blender or food processor.
I just push the pulse button a few times and within about 10 seconds, all my chicken is shredded.
You could also use a hand mixer, but I usually go for the blender, because it keeps it all in the blender, and no chicken is flying about.
Enjoy More Delicious Pasta Recipes
Want to add more veggies to your meals? Browse our comprehensive list of salad recipes.
- BBQ Macaroni Salad
- Cheesy Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad
- Cowboy Pasta Salad
- Creamy Macaroni Salad
- Creamy Pasta Salad
- Deviled Egg Pasta Salad
- Greek Pasta Salad
Copycat Hug-Hes Chicken Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 2-3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, (cooked and shredded)
- 2 ½ cups bowtie pasta, (cooked)
- 2 ½ cups tri-color rotini pasta, (cooked)
- 1 cup broccoli, (chopped)
- ⅔ cups carrots, (chopped)
- 1 (16 ounce) can kidney beans, (rinsed and drained)
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup red wine vinegar
- 1 ½ cups olive oil
- 1 Tablespoon salt
- 1 Tablespoon pepper
- 2 teaspoons tabasco sauce
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine your chicken, pasta, broccoli, carrots, and kidney beans. Mix until fully combined.
- In a smaller bowl, whisk together your sugar, red wine vinegar, oil, salt, pepper, and tabasco sauce.
- Pour the dressing mixture over the pasta mixture, and toss.
- Store in fridge for 30 minutes (We prefer to have the dressing sink into the pasta and vegetables, so they taste less like vegetables, and more like the dressing).
- Serve cold.
Notes
Nutrition
Did You Make This Recipe?We’d love to hear your thoughts! Leave a review or a question in the comment section below the post.
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