Whisk all of the dressing ingredients together, and keep at room temperature or cover and refrigerate until ready to use. Can be made and refrigerated for up to 2 days before using.

Have the chicken and all of your vegetables chopped, measured, and ready for step 4, because you don’t want the pasta to cool for too long.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. (I usually use 1 teaspoon salt.) Add the pasta and cook until just past al dente. See pasta package for specific instructions. Drain the pasta, and let it cool for just 3–5 minutes.

Pour pasta into a large bowl. Add the chicken, tomatoes, broccoli, corn, and pepper. Pour most of the dressing over the pasta salad (reserve about 1/3 cup (80ml) to use in step 7) and gently toss to combine.

Stir in the feta cheese and bacon. Taste. Season with additional salt, pepper, and herbs if desired.

You can serve the pasta salad right away, but it tastes even better if you cover and refrigerate it for at least 1 hour and up to 1 day. If refrigerating for longer than a few hours, let it sit on the counter for 20–30 minutes before serving, to help loosen up the cold, firm pasta.

Whenever you’re ready to serve it, stir in the reserved dressing.

Cover leftovers tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.