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.
This makes SOOOOO much dressing. Are the portions correct?? Also unclear- is the amount of pasta before being cooked or already cooked?? My salad is SWIMMING in dressing. Wondering if this is correct?
A cup of sugar sounds like an awful lot…and 1 1/2 cups oil, is that correct??
Update- the salad does absorb all the dressing. And is delicious. I just had to be patient.
Can i make this the day before and keep in the fridge or will it get soggy?
We didn’t eat it all on the first day and saved the leftovers for the next day and it was great. Be sure to cover it well and refrigerate.
I’m sorry but this was awful. The salad was too sweet and oily. I followed to a T and let set for 4 hours. Nobody could eat it. Went down the drain along with money it took to buy ingredients.
I made this salad and it was good but it was way to much dressig.
I usually like the six sisters stuff but this was not very good, I’m sorry. The olive oil was too strong, the sauce was too much.
This salad is to die for at the restaurant and it’s the norm to drown the salad in dressing! If you’re not from Northern Utah and haven’t been eating this salad your whole life, it may not be your thing. I have eaten this for 25 years or more and the more dressing the better! Love a good copy cat recipe since I no longer live near a Hug Hes Cafe 😭
I was concerned about the amount of salt and pepper. Is 1 Tbs the correct amount. We order this for family gatherings.
You can always just add 1/2 and see if that’s enough.
I was quite disappointed in this recipe, especially the dressing. I was in the kitchen cooking for 1 1/2 hours (way too long for pasta salad) and after tasting the dressing, I decided to save the pasta for the next night’s dinner and pick up the dressing from hug hes. The dressing was bitter and way too oily. Wasted a lot of expensive ingredients and a lot of time. Won’t be making this again.
Hughes pasta salad has always been a special favorite of our family. We don’t live close by so this is amazing to have a copy cat!! I keep mine in the fridge for days and when it gets a little dry I drizzle homemade ranch dressing over it!! A summer staple! Thanks for another amazing recipe!
You are so welcome. So glad you like our copycat Pasta Salad!
Made a smaller portion of this recipe for lunches and it turned out perfect! A great copycat of their smoked chicken pasta salad at Hug Hes!