Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole

This easy recipe is a great option for any busy weeknight and potlucks, too! It's the perfect comfort food and one of our favorite dinner recipes.

Next time try this creamy Frito chicken casserole or chicken spaghetti!

Jump to:

• ❤️ Why you'll love it
• 🧾 Ingredients
• 🔪 Instructions
• 🥄 Equipment
• 🎥 Video
• 🥫 Storage
• 💭 Tips
• 👩‍🍳 FAQs
• Related recipes
• 📞 The last word
• 📖 Recipe

❤️ Why you'll love it

• Takes less than 30 minutes
• Make ahead and/or freeze
• Use up leftover chicken

Easy chicken bacon ranch casserole is full of tender chunks of chicken, crispy bacon, and penne - all stirred together in a creamy, cheesy sauce that's flavored with Ranch dressing mix.

It's a hearty comfort food that will have the family licking their plates! Perfect for that ultra busy weeknight dinner.

🧾 Ingredients

Any pasta will work in this easy casserole - farfalle (bowtie pasta), penne, rotini, shells, etc. I like to use a pasta shape that will hold the sauce!

Also, although I use boneless skinless chicken breast you could use boneless thighs.

Make sure it's cooked ahead of time - I like to use a rotisserie chicken when I'm in a hurry.

🔪 Instructions

Note: This is an overview of the instructions. The full instructions are in the green recipe card below.

Step one

1. Cook pasta until tender.
2. Drain and add it to a large bowl with the cooked chicken, part of the bacon, and chiles.

Step two

3. Warm the cream cheese over medium heat or in the microwave until it is soft.
4. Add the Ranch seasoning packet and other sauce ingredients together in a medium mixing bowl and whisk smooth.
5. Whisk the cream cheese, cream of chicken soup, and Ranch seasoning together until smooth.

Step three

6. Stir the sauce into the pasta mixture.
7. Layer the pasta and shredded Cheddar cheese in a 13x9-inch baking dish that's been greased or sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.
8. Top with cheese and bacon.
9. Bake for 20 minutes or until hot all the way through and cheese is melted.
10. Sprinkle with chopped green onion and serve.

Make this keto

If you're on a low carb diet you can easily make this chicken bacon ranch recipe low carb. Just substitute the pasta with either lightly cooked zucchini "noodles" or cauliflowerettes.

The carbs will drop to about 3 or 4 net carbs per serving.

🥄 Equipment

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You'll need the following items to make this recipe successfully.

• Large mixing bowl
• Medium bowl
• Whisk
• 13x9-inch baking dish

🎥 Video

Click on the image to watch me make this recipe from start to finish with extra tips! (Video opens in a new tab).

🥫 Storage

You can assemble cheesy chicken bacon Ranch casserole up to three days ahead of time, cover with plastic wrap or aluminum foil, and keep in the refrigerator until ready to bake.

You can also freeze this before or after baking. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator and then bake as directed. It's a great freezer meal!

Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to five days or freeze for up to three months.

💭 Tips

Expert Tip: Shred the cheese from a block. The pre-shredded Cheddar cheese in bags has a cellulose powder mixed with it to keep it from sticking together - and it will keep it from melting properly.

• Make chicken bacon ranch pasta quick and easy with precooked chicken from the store. Pick up rotisserie chicken or grilled chicken strips.
• Cooked and diced pork roast works well, too.
• Use chicken thighs instead of breast.
• A rotisserie chicken will make this a super quick weeknight dinner.
• Use a aluminum casserole dish for freezing if you are making this ahead of time.
• Use leftover turkey or ham.
• Add cooked broccoli or peas - it's a great way to sneak in veggies for extra nutrition.
• Substitute Monterey Jack or Pepper Jack for the Cheddar cheese.

👩‍🍳 FAQs

Here are the questions I am most frequently asked about this easy dinner recipe.

Related recipes

And even more easy meals the whole family will love...

• Crockpot Ranch Chicken is a delicious family meal with chicken and vegetables slow cooked in a creamy gravy.
• King Ranch Chicken Casserole is a budget friendly, cheesy comfort food classic.
• Broccoli Casserole with Ritz Crackers is a delicious side dish or add cooked chicken to make it a main dish casserole.
• Philly Cheesesteak Pasta has all the flavor of the iconic sandwich in a cheesy pasta recipe that's done in 30 minutes.

📞 The last word

• I honestly liked this better the next day!
• You may need to add a little milk or evaporated milk if it doesn't seem like there's enough liquid in the sauce.

I love easy weeknight dinners!

There's nothing like knowing your day has been out of control but you've got dinnertime covered with a yummy dish the entire family will love.

My family loved this hearty casserole! It went in the "family favorite recipes" file pretty quick!

If you click on the number of servings in the recipe card you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need. Don't forget that you can click on "add to collection" to save it to your own, private recipe box!

If you love this recipe please give it a 5 star rating. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

📖 Recipe

First published April 26, 2021. Last updated August 26, 2021 for minor tweaks in the instructions and readability.