Begin by bringing a large pot of water to a rolling boil over high heat. Once boiling, add the rotini pasta and cook according to the package directions—about 8-10 minutes—until it reaches al dente perfection. After cooking, drain the pasta in a colander and rinse it under cold water to stop the cooking process, keeping it cool for your Southwest Pasta Salad.

While your pasta cooks, get busy prepping the salad's fresh ingredients. Drain and rinse the black beans and corn in a fine mesh sieve. Then, finely dice the bell pepper and red onion, halving the cherry or grape tomatoes. Chop the cilantro and dice the grilled chicken into bite-sized pieces.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the cooked and cooled pasta, drained black beans, corn, diced bell pepper, red onion, halved tomatoes, chopped cilantro, and chicken. Use a spatula to gently fold everything together.

Pour the creamy chipotle ranch dressing over the combined ingredients in the large bowl. With a gentle hand, toss the salad to thoroughly coat all ingredients with dressing.

To allow the flavors to meld together beautifully, cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a lid, and refrigerate the salad for at least one hour.