This easy pasta 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.
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❤️ Why you'll love it
- Takes less than 30 minutes
- Make ahead and/or freeze
- Use up leftover chicken
Easy chicken bacon ranch pasta casserole is full of tender chunks of chicken, crispy bacon, and penne pasta - 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
This is an overview of the ingredients. You'll find the full measurements and instructions in the green recipe card (printable) at the bottom of the page.
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
This is an overview of the instructions. Full instructions are in the green recipe card at the bottom of the page.
- Cook pasta according to package directions or until tender. Drain and add it to a large bowl with the cooked chicken, part of the bacon, and chiles.
- Mix sauce ingredients in a medium mixing bowl and whisk smooth.
- Stir sauce into pasta.
- Layer pasta mixture and cheese in a casserole 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.
This easy recipe is a great freezer meal!
Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to five days or freeze for up to three months.
📖 Variations
- 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.
- 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 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.
💭 Things to know
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.
- Use an aluminum casserole dish for freezing if you are making this ahead of time.
- Any kind of pasta will work.
- Double up on the cream cheese to make it extra rich and creamy.
👩🍳 FAQs
Yes! Since this recipe uses cream of chicken soup it can be frozen without worrying about the sauce separating.
Yes! You can use cooked, boneless chicken thighs in this recipe if you prefer.
📚 Related recipes
And even more easy meals the whole family will love...
Try these delicious pasta dishes!
🍽️ Serve with...
If you're looking for an easy meal that won't get turned down this simple pasta is just the thing.
- These garlic breadsticks are delicious with this easy pasta dish. Garlic bread would work, too.
- Cucumber salad adds a tangy, crispy texture that's perfect!
- You can never go wrong with an old fashioned apple pie.
📞 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 and pasta is the ultimate comfort food, don't you think?
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 cheesy chicken bacon ranch pasta! It went in the "family favorite recipes" file pretty quick!
Love this? Next time try this creamy Frito chicken casserole or chicken spaghetti!
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 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta
Equipment Needed
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cooked
- 16 ounces penne pasta
- 6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
- 1 cup chiles
- 2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1 cup Mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 21 ounces cream of chicken soup, don't dilute
- 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 ounce Ranch seasoning mix
- ¼ cup green onions
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°
- Oil a 13x9-inch baking dish and set aside.
- Cook and dice the chicken.
- Cook the pasta until tender; drain.
- Cook the bacon until crisp; crumble.
- Mix the chicken, pasta, ¾ths of the bacon, and chiles together in a large bowl.
- Shred the Mozzarella and Cheddar and mix together.
- Whisk the cream of chicken soup, cream cheese, and Ranch seasoning together.
- Stir into the pasta mixture.
- Add a layer of the pasta mixture to the baking dish.
- Cover with ½ of the cheese.
- Add another layer of the pasta mixture.
- Bake for 15 minutes.
- Remove from oven and cover with the remaining cheese.
- Sprinkle with the remaining bacon.
- Bake for 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and casserole is heated all the way through.
Notes
- Shred the cheese from a block. The pre-shredded 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 this quick and easy with precooked chicken from the store. Either pick up rotisserie chicken or grilled chicken strips.
- Use an aluminum casserole dish for freezing if you are making this ahead of time.
- Any kind of pasta will work.
- Double up on the cream cheese to make it extra rich and creamy.
Nutrition Facts
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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
First published April 26, 2021. Last updated August 24, 2022 for minor tweaks in the instructions and readability.
Lynne
It took me more than two hours to make this. Don’t be deceived by the timing on this. I thought it would be a quick easy meal. Wrong!
Marye
mmm.... It takes 10 minutes for chicken breast to cook on one burner, the pasta cooks on another, and the bacon on a third. After that you just need to dice the chicken, drain the pasta and follow the rest of the instructions. It may take 5 or 10 minutes more than stated, depending on several things...but this recipe cannot take two hours unless you get super sidetracked... or you're cooking over a candle.