Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta (One Pot)
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Quick and easy chicken bacon ranch pasta recipe, made with simple ingredients in one pot on stovetop. This 30 minute meal is creamy, cheesy, loaded with crispy bacon.
This one pot chicken bacon ranch pasta is an easy weeknight meal that kids and adults can both enjoy.
It’s comfort food that’s packed with juicy chicken, crispy bacon and cheesy, creamy ranch sauce.
You are going to love it, just as much as this One Pot Bacon Pasta and this One Pot Fried Cabbage with Bacon
Cheddar bacon chicken ranch pasta
I used a combination of cheddar and parmesan cheese but you can use only cheddar as well. However, that is a strong cheese and can probably overpower the ranch flavor in this recipe.
This is not a chicken bacon ranch pasta salad!
That is made by mixing together boiled pasta (rigatoni, shells or spirals) with ranch dressing, shredded chicken and topped off with crispy cooked bacon and typically served cold.
Tips for cheesy chicken bacon ranch pasta recipe
-You must use a large nonstick pot to prevent sticking and burning.
-Use low sodium broth to prevent the meal from becoming too salty.
-I used parmesan and cheddar cheese but use you can use any of your favorite cheeses. Just don’t replace the cream cheese with anything else.
-The pasta will continue to absorb the cheesy mixture as it cools. So, it’s a good idea to remove pot from heat when pasta is al dente and prevent it from becoming over-cooked and mushy.
-Use full fat cheeses and milk for maximum creaminess.
-Any type of bacon can be used in this recipe.
-Leftover baked or grilled chicken can also be used instead of rotisserie chicken.
-Adjust the amount of bacon, chicken and cheese, based on your preference.
-If your pasta looks dry, add more water or milk and cook for a few more minutes until you reach the desired consistency and texture.
-If your pasta looks too wet, cook for a few more minutes until liquid is reduced.
-You can either use homemade cooked bacon or buy cooked bacon bits.
-Don’t use the recipe below in the crockpot or instant because it won’t yield good results.
How do you make chicken bacon ranch pasta? How do you make chicken bacon pasta?
- Mix together broth, milk, ranch, cream cheese, cheddar cheese until partially combined.
- Add shredded chicken, salt, pepper, pasta and mix.
- Cover and cook until pasta is al dente.
- Mix in more cheese.
- Top it all off with bacon and parsley.
How do you make chicken and bacon pasta bake?
- Boil pasta and drain the water.
- Spread it in an oven-safe casserole dish.
- In a separate bowl, mix together cream cheese, salt, pepper, dry ranch mix, 1/2 cup milk.
- Spread this mixture on top of the boiled pasta.
- Sprinkle shredded chicken.
- Sprinkle parmesan cheese, cheddar cheese and bacon on top.
- Bake at 350 degrees until cheese is fully melted and bubbly.
- Garnish with fresh parsley and you are done.
Ranch dressing vs. Dry ranch packet
You must use the dry ranch powder instead of the dressing because the dry mix tastes better. Also, the salad dressing would add more liquid to the meal, which means other liquid quantities would have to be adjusted.
You can also make this creamy bacon ranch chicken pasta with:
Alfredo sauce– Use this instead of milk.
Peas– Stir in 1/2 cup frozen peas near the end so that they don’t become too soft/
Tomatoes– Stir in 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes near the end.
Spinach– Mix in 1/2 cup freshly chopped spinach during cooking.
Heavy cream– Use this instead of milk.
Sour cream– Stir in 1/4 cup at the end to make the meal super creamy.
Other One Pot Meals
One Pot Bacon Ranch Chicken Pasta
Ingredients
- 2 cups Chicken broth , Low sodium
- 1 1/4 cup Milk, Whole or 2%
- 1 packet Dry ranch packet, 1 oz. packet
- 1 cup Cream cheese, Full fat
- 1 cup Cheddar cheese, Full fat
- 1 cup Shredded rotisserie chicken
- Salt , To taste
- Pepper, To taste
- 8 oz. Spaghetti
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, Full fat
- 1/4 cup Cheddar cheese, Full fat
- 1/3 cup Bacon , Cooked, Crumbled or roughly chopped
- 1 tbsp Parsley, Fresh, Roughly chopped
Instructions
- In a large nonstick pot, mix together broth, milk, ranch powder and cook on medium heat until partially combined.
- Add cream cheese, cheddar cheese and mix until cheese is half melted.
- Add chicken, salt, pepper, pasta and mix until pasta is fully covered in the liquid.
- Cover and cook cook for about 15 minutes or until pasta is fully cooked.
- Mix in parmesan cheese and cheddar cheese.
- Sprinkle bacon and parsley on top and enjoy.
Notes
- Read all my tips above.
- Tastes best and creamy when served fresh but leftovers can be stored in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 2 days.
Video
Nutrition
Happy cooking everyone!
Why not like this recipe, it has got all my favourite ingredients, cheese, bacon and chicken! and real bonus is this past can be cooked under half an hour. Thank you for sharing the great recipe 😀
Our new favorite dinner recipe! 5 stars from the whole family!
Made this doubled, and added cooked broccoli at the end. My family ate it all up, and the best part for me, fewer dishes to clean up! Win! I will make again. thanks!
Awesome! I really don’t like doing dishes either…lol. That’s why all my recipes here use one pot or instant pot or crockpot.
Pinning this for later because this is like all of my favorite things in one dish lol!
What can I use in stead of the packet of dried ranch dressing? I don’t like using packets of food and don’t think I’ve ever seen this in shops before?
You can make your own homemade ranch seasoning. The packets are found in the salad dressing aisle in almost all grocery stores.
Haven’t tried it yet, is there anything I can substitute for the cream cheese? Maybe sour cream? Wanted to stay out of the grocery store if possible.
I haven’t tried sour cream… I am worried that it might make the dish very tangy. If you try it, plz let me know how it goes.
I subbed out the pork for beef “bacon” and added a little extra cheese and it is too delicious. This may be the best chicken bacon ranch pasta I have ever had (and CBR pasta is basically a food group for me)! This is absolutely getting added to the regular rotation!
How much garlic powder would you use to give it a taste of garlic?
About 1.5 tsp.