Wash the lettuce and chop it into 1-inch ribbons, then place in a large bowl. Dice the roma tomatoes into 1/2-inch pieces, removing seeds as you go to prevent excess moisture in the final salad. Finely dice the red onion. Set all prepared vegetables aside—the lettuce can sit in the bowl while you work on the proteins.

While you're prepping vegetables, cook the turkey bacon slices in a skillet over medium-high heat until crispy, about 5-7 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and crumble once cooled. If your chicken isn't already cooked, cook it now (poached, grilled, or rotisserie); once cooked, chop it into bite-sized pieces. I find that keeping the chicken pieces relatively uniform helps distribute them evenly throughout the salad.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the chickpea pasta according to package directions until al dente—usually around 7-9 minutes. Drain the pasta in a colander and rinse briefly with cool water to stop the cooking and remove excess starch. Spread it on a baking sheet to cool completely, which prevents the salad from becoming warm and wilted.

Add the cooled pasta from Step 3, crumbled bacon from Step 2, diced chicken from Step 2, and diced red onion to the bowl with the lettuce and tomatoes. Sprinkle the garlic powder, salt, and black pepper over everything, then drizzle the ranch dressing across the top. Toss gently but thoroughly until all ingredients are evenly coated and combined—I like to use two large spoons to toss, which helps prevent breaking up the lettuce.