Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta is a delicious and cheesy pasta that is packed with creamy ranch flavor. Chicken, penne pasta and bacon pieces are baked with an incredible homemade Alfredo sauce and ranch dressing. It is easy to make and the whole family will love this hearty and comfort food!
If you have some Alfredo sauce in the fridge and don’t know what to cook for a dinner today, try this pasta dish. It is seriously very good!
Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta recipe
Chicken always pairs really great with ranch and Alfredo sauce. And I was 100 % sure it would be a hit to make it all into a delicious pasta dish. I was right!! Even my picky kids loved it.
The recipe is very easy and customizable. And the best part is that this pasta dish comes together really quickly.
Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta Ingredients
- Pasta: penne, rotini, rigatoni will work well for this recipe.
- Chicken breasts: Cut chicken breasts into bite sized pieces and fry. Alternatively you can shred the cooked chicken, but the shredded meat is usually much drier. If you plan to use the shredded chicken, you might need to increase the amount of Alfredo sauce and add 4 cups instead of 3 because shredded chicken tends to absorb liquid.
- Bacon strips: Use high quality bacon. Beef and turkey bacon will work also great for halal version.
- Garlic and onion powders add the flavor.
- Italian seasoning: Use any seasoning you like. But this one boosts the flavor.
- Alfredo sauce: Store-bought Alfredo sauce is quite expensive, that is why I always make it myself. It takes only 10 minutes to make this creamy sauce. And it goes incredibly well with so many pasta dishes. Both my Olive garden Alfredo sauce and classic Alfredo sauce (without flour) will work well.
- Ranch dressing: I used dressing instead of ranch seasoning. This guarantees that pasta won’t be dry.
- Cheddar cheese: Use any hard cheese you like, but please shred it yourself to get the creamiest pasta.
Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta Bake
It is a baked pasta dish. The method at glance looks like this:
1. First, fry bacon and transfer to a plate.
2. Cook chicken in the same skillet. If you plan to use the cooked shredded chicken, skip this step.
3. In a large pot cook pasta according to package instructions.
4. Transfer all the ingredients (cooked pasta, chicken, bacon, homemade Alfredo sauce, ranch dressing) into the prepared baking dish and mix.
5. Top with shredded cheese and bacon strips.
6. Bake 20 min at 350°F/ 175 C.
You will need a 13×9-inch baking dish for this pasta dish.
Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad
Do you know what I like most about this dish? The simplicity and versatility. The recipe can be used to make a delicious chicken bacon ranch pasta salad with a few changes.
Ingredients for the salad
- Cooked rotini pasta – 0.5 pound
- Shredded chicken- 1 pound
- Ranch dressing 2 cups
- Fried bacon- 1 cup
- Italian seasoning- 1 tsp.
- Fresh parsley ( chopped)- ½ cup
- Salt and pepper to taste
Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl and enjoy!
How to store Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta?
- Refrigerator: You can store this pasta dish in an airtight container up to 3-4 days in the fridge.
- Freezer: This pasta freezes well. However, keep in mind that if you will use Alfredo sauce without flour, the consistency of the sauce will change slightly. I do recommend to use a flour-based Alfredo sauce if you plan to freeze it.
Other Pasta dishes you may like:
If you make this chicken ranch pasta be sure to leave a comment or give this recipe a rating! I will be happy to hear from you!
CHICKEN BACON RANCH PASTA
Ingredients
- Penne pasta uncooked- 1 lb or 450 gm
- Chicken breasts cut into small bite sized pieces- 2 lbs/ 1 kg
- Bacon strips- 0.5 lb / 250 gm plus 5 strips for topping
- Onion powder- 1 tsp.
- Garlic powder- 1 tsp.
- Italian seasoning- 1 tsp.
- Homemade Alfredo sauce- 3 cups
- Ranch dressing- 1 ½ cup
- Cheddar cheese shredded- 2 cups
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F/ 175 C with the rack in the middle.
- Cut each bacon strip into 3 pieces or small squares, using a sharp knife. Heat one tbsp of vegetable oil in a large pan, add the bacon and fry until it is done. Transfer to a plate.
- In the same pan cook chicken seasoned with garlic powder, Italian seasoning, salt and onion powder over medium-high heat until it is cooked, about 10-15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, fill a large saucepan ( 4-6 quarts) with water and bring to a boil. Add salt to taste.
- Cook penne pasta according to package instructions until "al dente", stirring occasionally. Then, remove from the heat and drain. Keep aside.
- Add the cooked pasta, chicken, fried bacon, homemade Alfredo sauce and ranch dressing to a 13x9-inch baking dish and mix well. Sprinkle with 2 cups of shredded Cheddar cheese and top with bacon strips. Bake for 15-20 minutes at 350°F/ 175 C, uncovered.
- Serve immediately.
Video
Nutrition
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