Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta
Updated
Updated
This Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta is creamy and cheesy with pieces of shredded rotisserie chicken and salty, thick-cut bacon. It’s my go-to for a quick and easy flavor-packed, one-pot dinner the whole family will love!
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Easy Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta Recipe
If you love chicken bacon ranch anything, you’ll love this easy pasta dish. It’s quick, it’s easy, and it’s made in one pot—basically a dream recipe for those busy weeknights when I’m on the go and have little time to cook.
Ranch seasoning adds flavor to the creamy sauce, along with Monterey Jack cheese and cream cheese, and rotisserie chicken, which helps keep the prep work down. Plus lots of thick-cut bacon for added flavor.
Helpful Tips & Variations
- Use the reserved pasta water. It will help thin the sauce if needed once you combine all of the ingredients. It will continue to thicken as it stands.
- Choose thick-cut bacon for best flavor. I like to use thick-cut bacon as it provides more flavor to the dish overall.
- Cook chicken in bacon grease. If using chicken breasts instead of rotisserie chicken, cook them in the bacon grease for more flavor.
- Wait to salt until the end. Ranch seasoning can be pretty salty, as can bacon, so wait until the end to taste test and add salt and pepper as desired.
Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 lb. dry short pasta, (Campanelle is pictured)
- 3 tsp olive oil
- 6 strips thick-cut bacon, diced small
- 3 tbsp reserved bacon grease
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 tbsp flour
- 3 cups whole milk
- 1 packet ranch seasoning, or homemade
- 2 oz. cream cheese, cubed
- 1 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese
- 2 cups heaping cups shredded rotisserie chicken breast, or any cooked chicken
- salt and pepper, to taste
- additional cheese and crumbled bacon, for serving
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions. Reserve ½ cup of pasta water before draining pasta, then drizzle with the olive oil and toss to coat, to prevent sticking. Set aside.
- In the same pot, cook the bacon over medium heat until crispy, about 6 minutes. Drain bacon on a paper towel-lined plate.
- Reserve 3 tbsp of the bacon grease in the pot. Over medium heat, add garlic and sauté for 20 seconds until fragrant. Add flour and stir 1-2 minutes until no white patches remain, reducing the heat if it begins to brown. Slowly whisk in the milk a little at a time to incorporate and then bring to a boil. Boil for 2-3 minutes until thick.
- Remove pot from the heat. Whisk in Monterey Jack cheese, ranch seasoning, and the cream cheese until melted and smooth.
- Add cooked pasta, shredded chicken, and most of the cooked bacon (reserving some for garnish), stir to incorporate. Place back on low heat for a couple minutes to re-warm pasta, adding a splash of the reserved pasta water to thin it out, if needed.
- Taste for seasoning, adding salt and pepper if needed. Serve immediately with more cheese and crumbled bacon. The sauce will thicken pretty fast as it stands.
Video
Nutrition
Nutritional information given is an automatic calculation and can vary based on the exact products you use and any changes you make to the recipe. If these numbers are very important to you, I would recommend calculating them yourself.
Did you make this? Leave a rating below!How to Make Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta Step by Step
Cook the pasta: Cook 1 lb. of pasta in generously salted water according to package instructions. Reserve half a cup of pasta water, then drain and toss with olive oil to prevent sticking. Set aside.
Cook the bacon: Cook 6 strips of bacon in the same pot until crispy. Drain.
Make the sauce: Leave 3 tbsp of bacon grease in the pot. Cook 2 cloves of garlic for 20 seconds, then add 3 tbsp flour and stir for 1-2 minutes until no white patches remain. Slowly whisk in 3 cups of milk and boil for 2-3 minutes until thick. Remove from heat and whisk in 1 cup cheese, ranch seasoning, and 2 oz. cream cheese.
Combine the ingredients: Add the pasta, 2 cups of chicken, and most of the cooked bacon to the pot. Stir to combine and heat on low to re-warm the pasta.
Enjoy. Taste test and add salt and pepper if desired. Serve with more cheese and crumbled bacon.
What to Serve With Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta
All you need to turn this chicken bacon ranch pasta into a complete meal is a veggie side—I love roasted veggies, so I’ll often make roasted broccoli or roasted carrots. A simple side salad is also a quick and easy option, as is my classic Caesar salad.
How to Store
Store leftover chicken bacon ranch pasta in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. I don’t recommend freezing this dish due to the high amount of dairy.
Reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave. You may want to add a splash of broth to thin the sauce, as it will thicken quite a bit.
Teaching my college son how to cook by Facetime. He didn’t “have time” over the summer to learn so here we are, doing it virtually… but cooking together. He picked this recipe! Easy to follow, clear directions and what a delicious treat!! We added a little extra garlic (because we love it!) and it was heaven. We talked about wilting some spinach or kale to serve with it for rounded out meal, and he was good to go! I cook in my home, while he cooks in his apartment. We all had a wonderful meal!!
Easy and delicious! I added a small onion to use of produce and I was lazy and used pre-cooked bacon bits but I had saved bacon grease from some high and bacon so it worked out nicely!
Wonderful recipe. I’m going to add a Cajun seasoning with some shrimp will be a great idea during lent