Start by preheating your oven to 220°C (430°F). While the oven heats, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the pasta, and simultaneously start boiling another pot of water for the eggs. Spread the chopped bacon on a baking sheet and the flattened chicken breasts (pounded to 1.5 cm thickness and coated with olive oil, smoked paprika, salt, and black pepper) on another sheet. Once the oven is ready, place both sheets in at the same time—the bacon will take about 20 minutes and the chicken about 12 minutes until it reaches 67°C (153°F) internally. This parallel cooking saves significant time since all proteins cook simultaneously.

Once the pasta water is boiling, add the spiral pasta and cook for 2 minutes longer than the package instructions recommend to ensure a slightly softer texture that holds the creamy dressing better. For the eggs, boil them for 9 minutes in the separate pot of water, then immediately transfer to an ice bath to stop the cooking. While the pasta finishes, peel the cooled eggs and quarter them. Drain the pasta and rinse it lightly with cool water to stop cooking, then spread it on a large sheet pan to cool faster—this prevents the warm pasta from breaking down the avocado in the dressing.

While everything else cooks, prep all your fresh vegetables: halve the cherry tomatoes lengthwise, thinly slice the red onion into 1-inch strips, finely mince the celery stem, and finely mince both the fresh dill portions (keeping them separate—1/4 cup roughly chopped for the dressing, 1/4 cup finely minced for texture). I like to slice the red onion just before using it so it stays crisp and doesn't lose its bright color. Now blend the avocado with the buttermilk, mayonnaise, lemon juice, minced garlic cloves, onion powder, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper until completely smooth. Fold in the finely minced dill by hand at the end to preserve some texture in the dressing rather than over-blending.

Remove the baked chicken from the oven and let it rest for 5 minutes—this allows the juices to redistribute and keeps the meat tender when you cut it into 1-inch cubes. Remove the bacon from the oven at the same time. Once the chicken has rested, cut it into the desired 1-inch cubes. Both proteins should now be cooled enough to handle and mix into the room-temperature pasta.

In a large bowl, combine the cooled pasta from Step 2 with the cubed chicken and bacon pieces from Step 4. Pour the creamy avocado dressing over the pasta mixture and gently fold everything together until evenly coated—I find using a rubber spatula and folding from the bottom up prevents breaking the pasta and ensures even distribution without over-mixing. Gently fold in the halved cherry tomatoes, sliced red onion, and minced celery. Finally, carefully fold in the quartered eggs, being gentle to avoid breaking them apart.

Divide the creamy avocado pasta salad into serving bowls or plates. The salad can be served immediately at room temperature or chilled for 30 minutes if you prefer it colder. This dish is best enjoyed within a few hours of assembly while the avocado dressing is at its creamiest and brightest.