This dish was completely inspired by my husband.
One of my hubby’s favorite sandwiches consists of chicken, bacon and ranch. So I thought to myself how fun it would be to surprise him and put those things into a dinner dish. I made a Ranch-Alfredo Sauce and the end result was super yummy! This will definitely be going into our dinner rotation!
Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta
By September 10, 2012
Super easy to make and ridiculously delicious!
Ingredients
Print This Recipe
- 10-12 oz penne pasta
- 2 cups cooked and chopped chicken
- 3/4 cup cooked and crumbled bacon
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/4 cup flour
- 2 cups heavy cream (milk would be fine, too)
- 1 tsp. onion powder
- 1 tsp. garlic salt
- 1/3 cup ranch dressing I used Lite House
- 3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to its package's directions. Drain. I always add a little olive oil after I drain it and stir in around so the pasta noodles don't stick together or the pot.
- Toss in cooked and chopped chicken as well as cooked and crumbled bacon into the pasta.
- TO MAKE RANCH ALFREDO SAUCE: Melt butter in saucepan, add flour and stir to combine. Once you have your roux, add heavy cream (or milk) stir constantly until sauce thickens. Remove from heat and stir in Garlic salt, onion powder and ranch dressing until well combined.
- Pour ranch alfredo over pasta, chicken and bacon. Stir to evenly combine.
- Add in shredded cheddar cheese and stir to combine.
- Pour into a casserole pan and bake at 350 degrees F for 15 minutes.
Enjoy!
Add some peas or broccoli and it would be perfect for us. This is a must try recipe. Thanks !
This looks simple yet fabulous. I’m pinning it and will be trying it when I return from vacation in a few weeks. Thanks!
Going to try this one tonight, it looks delish! But then all of the recipes I have tried from your site are awesome!! Thanks.
Hi Chef in Training. This looks delicious! I have a couple quick questions…how many chicken breasts would equal approximately 2 cups? Also, how do you prepare your chicken before you (freeze?) it for using it in dishes that require cooled chicken? Thank you!!
I used 3 chicken breasts and got about 2 cups worth. It depends on the size of your chicken breasts. I do sometimes make up my chicken before hand and freeze it if I have recipes on the weekly menu that use them and then thaw them out as needed. Sometimes I just make it the day of and refrigerate it until I need it. Alternatively, if you want an even easier route, you can get a rotisserie chicken and shred it up, too.
This looks yummy. will definitely be making this for the family.
I just have to tell you I’ve made several items from your website and have never been dissappointed. Thank you so much for posting recipes that are enjoyable for the whole family with ingredients I can easily purchase or have in the pantry. Your recipes make it easy to cook at home.
My mouth is watering! I love chicken, bacon and ranch sandwiches! The combo of flavors are so delish together, and that was super smart to make your own homemade ranch alfredo–yummy!
I cook for church suppers each Wednesday and think this would be a definite hit! Could you please tell me is the ranch dressing you use the bottled type or are you referring to the powder mix? Thank you and I enjoy your recipes.
I used my favorite bottled ranch dressing. Let me know how you like it :)
Yup pretty sure my bf would go bat crazy if I made this. Has all of his favorites! What a comforting and EASSSSSSY meal to impress :)
This looks so good! Love your blog. Especially liked your hubby’s recent post. Thanks for sharing all your wonderful recipes.
This looks so good! One of my favorite pasta salads is a BBQ ranch pasta salad with chicken & bacon! I would be honored to have you share this recipe at Mom’s Test Meal Mondays!
http://momstestkitchen.blogspot.com/2012/09/moms-test-meal-mondays-7.html
Hope you are having a great week!
Jaime @ Mom’s Test Kitchen
Pinned this, less than am hour ago, to make for my son (I think I might bake it with cheese on top!) And just thought I would stop back by amd tell you that 7 other people have already repinned or liked it!
A picture says a million words…!!!!
I tried this for supper this evening, and it was yummy! The only problem was that my chicken was a little tough, but the rest was delicious!
If you want really nicely moist chicken. Sear in a pan with a little oil, then bake it the rest of the way in the oven. Searing seals in the juices.
this recipe was amazing!!! my boyfriend loved it def a keeper thanks for posting!
This was SO delicious!! My entire family of 5 inhaled this. Thanks Nikki!
How Do I Fix The Chicken. Boil,Bake Or Fry
I am very excited to be making this for the first time tonight. I’ll blog the outcome and will link back here!
I cooked my chicken last night in my slow cooker using my go-to basic chicken recipe. It is so easy, frugal, and the chicken shreds incredibly easily when it is done. http://sureisgood.wordpress.com/2009/11/01/easiest-chicken-ever/
Anytime I make a casserole, chicken salad, or anything requiring pre-cooked chicken I use this recipe because it is just foolproof and so flavorful.
Love your site! I’ve enjoyed several of your recipes, this one being the most recent. The whole family enjoyed it. I posted it on my blog… http://pintheredidthat.blogspot.com/2012/09/chicken-bacon-ranch-pasta.html. Looking forward to trying more of your recipes!
I was wondering how many people this will feed.
I doubled the recipe and almost had an overflowing 9 x 13 pan. I would say at least 5-6 people but I have all boys so you know ; ).
I made this for dinner tonight, it was sooo goood!
seems yummy! before i try it… how many does it serve?
This was SO good… thank you for sharing your recipe! I’ll be making this again and again :)
I made this and it was soooooooooo good! I will make it again and again!
Instead of ranch dressing, could a packet of dry ranch mix work as well?
This looks so good…. I will try w Greek yogurt and dry ranch mix! Adds a lot of protein and no fat!
this looks awesome an ill be making it for dinner tomorrow… i have a couple questions what size dish like a 9×13? an about how much does this make
Omg I made this last night! It’s awesome!!! I made a couple of adjustments … I used a pound of turkey bacon and added more ranch dressing! My husband it not a one pot kind of man but he loved it! Thanks for sharing!
Just looking at the recipe I knew the sauce was going to be very bland – and sure enough, it was! My husband and I tried it before coating the pasta and neither of us liked it – we both made the “yuck!” face. I trashed it and went with my gut – use some of the pan drippings. You get a MUCH more flavorful sauce just by using half butter and half drippings (from cooking the chicken & bacon) in your roux. Any roux that starts out with butter and flour when you have perfectly good pan drippings is a waste of beautiful flavor. I ended up adding some chicken broth, more garlic, sauteed onion, and other flavors as well. The end result was a wonderfully smooth sauce just bursting with flavor. Now I know some people with chime in with “omg that makes it SO unhealthy” and that’s fine – but that’s why you don’t make this dish every single week! Everything in moderation, I say. (I also seasoned the chicken very well before cooking, yet still managed to add NO salt.) I don’t believe in sacrificing flavor for a few grams of fat. Oh and also, DO NOT add olive oil to your pasta! The pasta is SUPPOSED to be sticky (from the starches) – that is what grabs on to the sauce. Never ever ever rinse pasta or coat it in olive oil when you plan on covering it in sauce.
All in all, the idea of this recipe is creative but the recipe itself is very bland and full of errors.
I thought this was very rude. I know we have freedom of speech, but I was raised to be respectful, with Christian values, and you are doing nothing but degrade her. If you were trying to help her, you failed…..it was just rude.
I made this tonight for my family and my Mom, Dad and sister. ALL of us LOVED it! My 4 and 5 year olds even loved it! I used half heavy cream and half milk but I think next time I’ll use all milk and maybe half the bacon just so it’s a little healthier. It’s delicious with all of it but we’re just trying to cut stuff where we can. It’s nice that this recipe can be flexible and will still be delicious. I had no doubt that we’d love this since every recipe of yours that we’ve tried has been a hit. Thanks! :)
I made this last night and it was yummy. Will make this again. Thank you.
This was so good!!! I just made it, me and my husband are in love with it :)
I made this for the first time the other night – AMAZING! I’m so glad I found this website. My husband is a picky eater and literally every recipe I’ve made on here has been so simple and SO good! Kudos to you guys for creating a great list of recipes!
I made this last night finally, I’ve been dying to do it for ages but finally got around to it. I cooked the chicken in the bacon grease and added a bit more ranch and it was PERFECT! Just to die for, my husband approved so it’s going on our dinnertime rotation. I featured it on my blog as well and linked the original recipe back to you:
http://www.cupcakesandcombatboots.com/2013/03/chicken-bacon-ranch-pasta.html
Thanks so much for a wonderful dinner, it was heavenly!
I am making this tonight, I tasted it already and its delicious. I cant wait for my family to try it! Thanks for the recipe, I found it on pinterest
Making this right now! We had your chicken cordon bleu pasta dish last week and LOVED it, so I am excited to taste this one when it’s finished! Thanks!
Did you use ranch powder or liquid ranch dressing?
About how many people will this serve? My family loves chicken bacon ranch pizza so I figure this will be a definite hit at our house!!
My son is a very picky eater, and he loved this dish. I didn’t add olive oil, just personal preference. Thanks for posting it.