Ready in just 30 minutes, this super easy Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta recipe is the perfect dinner. Made with tender rotini pasta, crispy bacon pieces, juicy chicken, and a creamy ranch-flavored cheese sauce.
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Quick dinner recipes like this pasta dinner are perfect for busy weeknights. If you enjoy this Chicken Pasta dinner recipe and love how fast you can get it on the table, you're going to love my Creamy Garlic Shrimp Pasta.
Why this chicken bacon Ranch pasta works
Using rotisserie chicken or other leftover chicken from my Slow Cooker Garlic Whole Chicken is a cheap way to make this easy dinner, plus it helps cut down on food waste. That's always a winner in my kitchen! You can't go wrong with anything that is chicken, bacon, and ranch-flavored. Add in some comforting pasta and cream sauce and you have the ultimate comfort food like this Chicken Cobbler Casserole.
Ingredients needed
- Bacon: Regular-cut or thick-cut bacon can be used. Leftover cooked bacon or precooked bacon bits will work.
- Pasta: I used Rotini, but this could be swapped out for other similar pasta like penne pasta or rigatoni.
- Onion: I used a sweet onion.
- Herbs and spices: Minced garlic cloves, salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes (optional), and dry ranch seasoning.
- Dairy: Butter, half n half, cream cheese,
- Cheese: Shred your own cheddar cheese (either mild or sharp cheddar cheese would work nicely)
- Flour: All-purpose flour
- Chicken: Diced rotisserie chicken or leftover chicken would work as well.
How to make chicken bacon ranch pasta
- Step 1: In a large skillet, add the diced bacon and cook until crispy. Remove cooked bacon and set aside to let drain on paper towels.
- Step 2: Remove all but a few Tablespoons of bacon grease from the skillet. Melt the butter and add in diced onion and garlic. Cook until onion is soft and garlic is fragrant. Whisk in flour. Carefully pour in the milk and whisk to create a smooth sauce.
- Step 3: Bring to a simmer and then reduce the heat before adding in the cubed cream cheese. Stir often to prevent sticking or burning.
- Step 4: Stir in dry ranch dressing mix, salt, and pepper.
- Step 5: Add half the shredded cheese and whisk until sauce is smooth. Cook pasta al dente according to package instructions, if you haven't already.
- Step 6: Add rest of the cheese, cooked pasta, bacon, and cooked chicken to the skillet. Toss to combine everything and finish melting the cheese. Garnish with optional red pepper flakes. Serve and enjoy.
Recipe Tips
- Next time you make this easy recipe, serve it with some homemade Ciabatta Garlic Bread and your favorite side salad to round it out.
- Whole milk helps give the creaminess to the creamy cheese sauce along with the cream cheese, but if you need to use a different milk option you can. Although, I would avoid skim milk as it's too watery.
- If your sauce is too thick, add a small cup of pasta water to the sauce to thin it a bit if you don't want to use more milk.
- Instead of cheddar cheese, try mozzarella cheese.
Recipe Faq's
Any short pasta shapes can be used. Instead of rotini, try penne, macaroni, shells, or bow tie pasta.
This is a dry mix that can be found wherever your grocery store
sells dressings. You can use a premade seasoning packet, or make your own.
Bulk this Chicken Ranch Pasta out by adding bell peppers, diced cherry tomatoes, peas, mushrooms, or garnish with fresh parsley.
More Pasta Recipes
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Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta
Ingredients
- 6 strips of bacon cut into small pieces
- 3 cups dry pasta I use Rotini
- 2 tablespoon butter
- 1 cup onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 3 cups whole milk
- 4 ounces cream cheese cut into cubes
- 2 tablespoon dry ranch seasoning
- 2 cups rotisserie chicken diced
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/2 teaspoon Red pepper flakes optional
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat a large pot of water until boiling add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain and set aside.
- Heat large skillet on medium high heat and add the diced bacon cook until crispy about 10 minutes. Remove to a paper towel to drain.
- Reduce the heat to medium and remove all but 2 tablespoon of bacon grease and add the butter to melt. Add in the diced onion and cook 2-3 minutes just until soft. Add in the garlic and cook another minute.
- Whisk in the flour and cook for a couple minutes. Add in the milk and whisk until smooth.
- Bring to a low simmer, then reduce the heat to medium low and add in the cream cheese simmer until thickened.
- Whisk in the ranch seasoning and whisk in ½ of the shredded cheese until smooth.
- Add in the cooked pasta, diced chicken, bacon and the remaining shredded cheese. Let simmer 2-3 minutes to heat through and finish melting.
- Garnish with fresh chopped parsley and red pepper flakes is desired.
Happy you enjoyed it 🙂
Glad it was a hit Meredith!
Yay!
So happy you enjoyed it!
The cream sauce really made this dish pop! I loved how creamy and flavorful it was, especially with the addition of cream cheese and cheddar cheese. Plus, pairing it with garlic bread took it to comfort food heaven. I couldn't help but lick my plate clean!
Absolute new fave! It's creamy, cheesy and so delicious. This was also very easy to make and pairs well with garlic bread! Thanks a bunch for the recipe!
This recipe was fantastic! It was a hit at dinner last night, definitely one to keep! I followed the instructions exactly as written, just doubled the ingredients for our big family. Will be making this again.
I had some leftover chicken and I gave this recipe a try. The creamy ranch-flavored cheese sauce was so delicious and the crispy bacon added the perfect crunch. Can't wait to make it again for my friends!
So glad it was a hit Heather 🙂
This was a perfect weeknight dinner! My kids love ranch and bacon so I knew it would be a hit and it was. We barely had any leftovers!