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This chicken bacon ranch casserole is a simple dinner that is delicious, homemade comfort food. Ready from start to finish in about 45 minutes, you’re going to love this flavorful chicken bake. Even better, this one-pot meal makes incredible leftovers.
Casserole recipes are easy and comforting, and home cooks love how simple they are to make. This chicken bacon ranch casserole is cheesy, creamy, and oh-so delicious.
If you are a fan of our super-tasty chicken bacon ranch pizza, you’ll LOVE it in casserole form!
Reader Review
“Absolutely delicious and super easy to make! I already had most of the ingredients in the house so I didn’t have to add any new / rarely used items to my pantry.
We’ll definitely be making this again as the only words out of my husband’s mouth were “mmmm” every time he took a bite.”
Jen
Since this is super carb-heavy, I love to serve ours with a side of air fryer Brussels sprouts or our rainbow cabbage salad.
Pro Tips/Recipe Notes
- Make sure you warm the milk before adding it to the butter sauce. Cold milk will curdle when it interacts with the hot pan.
- To reheat: microwave for 1-2 minutes, stirring halfway. You can also reheat it over low heat in a saucepan.
Skillet-Baked Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole
Equipment
- Strainer
Ingredients
- 3 cups dry rotini noodles
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts {cubed, cut into ~1-inch pieces}
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1/8 tsp ground black pepper
- 6 strips bacon {chopped}
- 1/4 cup salted butter
- 2 tbsp powdered ranch seasoning
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 1/4 cup whole milk
- 8 oz cream cheese {cubed}
- 1 1/3 cup shredded parmesan
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350˚F.
- In a large saucepan bring 3 quarts of salted water to a boil.
- Add rotini and cook until al dente, ~7 minutes. Drain pasta. Set aside. Make the rest while the pasta cooks.3 cups dry rotini noodles
- Salt and pepper the cubed chicken.1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, 1/4 tsp kosher salt, 1/8 tsp ground black pepper
- In a large deep frying oven-safe skillet, cook chopped bacon over medium heat until it is crispy (~5-7 minutes). Using a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to a plate lined with paper towels.6 strips bacon
- Drain all but 2 tbsp of bacon grease from the skillet.
- Cook chicken breast in the bacon grease until almost cooked through (~5 minutes). Transfer to a plate. Drain any juices from the pan.
- Melt butter in the skillet, stir in garlic powder and ranch seasoning.1/4 cup salted butter, 2 tbsp powdered ranch seasoning, 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- Slowly whisk in warmed milk, and bring to a low boil for 1 minute.1 1/4 cup whole milk
- Add in cubed cream cheese, shredded parmesan, and black pepper. Stir until the cream cheese has melted. Whisk until smooth.8 oz cream cheese, 1 1/3 cup shredded parmesan, 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- Add in the pasta and chicken and stir to combine.
- Top with shredded mozzarella and chopped bacon.1 cup shredded mozzarella
- Bake, uncovered, at 350˚F for 15 minutes or until the cheese has melted.
Notes
- Make sure you warm the milk before adding it to the butter sauce. Cold milk will curdle when it interacts with the hot pan.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hello, thank you for your wonderful recipes.
I was wanting to try your chicken bacon ranch chicken , but was wondering if I could substitute the cream cheese for something else.
Thank you ksren
Hi Karen, yes you can! It adds creaminess, depth, and “bulk” to the sauce, but you could replace it with a bit of extra shredded cheese.
Delicious!! Didn’t have mozzarella, so used mexican blend shredded cheese. Other than that as per recipe. Will most definitely make again and again! Another winner from Sarah!
Shelley, thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review! I’m so happy that you loved it.
I used a 12oz box or rice pasta to make this gluten free and it turned out perfect! It was a hit with the whole family and something I will definitely make again.
So glad to hear you enjoyed it, Megan!
Absolutely delicious and super easy to make! I already had most of the ingredients in the house so I didn’t have to add any new / rarely used items to my pantry.
We’ll definitely be making this again as the only words out of my husband’s mouth were “mmmm” every time he took a bite.
Aww, I love hearing that, Jen! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review.
If the family enjoyed this one, check out our buffalo chicken casserole and chicken fajita casserole. The process is very very similar in terms of prep.
Ohmygosh is this goooood! I messed up when I made it and added things out of order but that didn’t take away from the flavor. This is a meal that is going into rotation at my house!
Hurray for a new back pocket meal. So glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for leaving a review!
This was a winner-winner chicken dinner! How can you go wrong with bacon and cheesy sauce though? It was a perfect meal on a day when the afternoon was free but I was running around during the “normal” prep time. I got it all made, came home and did this + the air fryer cabbage. 6 out of 6 people approved, and that is very rare. 🙂
To answer your question, you absolutely cannot go wrong with bacon and cheesy sauce. 🙂
So glad all 6 of you enjoyed it!
Family loved this! I ended up using some Primal Kitchen ranch in place of the ranch seasoning and it turned out great. Adding it to my rotation of meals I can make ahead of time and heat up later.
Oh, love the swap! Can you clarify if you used the liquid ranch? And if so, how much? I’d love to update the post with a note that it’s an option. I’m sure others would be curious.
I didn’t measure but I’m thinking it was about 1/3 cup. Yes, the liquid version!
Thank you, Karen!
This recipe slaps, and I love that you have the measurements in each step so I dont have to scroll up and down. I added dill Serrano hot sauce and 😍😍😍
Love the Gen Z language! 🙂
The hot sauce addition sounds like perfection.