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This Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole is a simple dinner that is delicious homemade comfort food. Even better, this meal makes incredible leftovers.
Casseroles 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! And casserole fanatics will love our buffalo chicken casserole and chicken fajita casserole.
Chicken Bacon Casserole Ingredients
This recipe is rocking:
- Boneless skinless chicken breasts
- Bacon, because you’re worth it
- Butter and cream cheese
- Rotini pasta – penne would also work
- Ranch seasoning – storebought or make your own
- Delicious cheese – shredded Parmesan and mozzarella
Here’s How to Make Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole
*I’ll walk you through it here with some photos and tips, and you’ll also find a printable recipe card at the bottom of the post with exact measurements, etc.
Start by bringing a saucepan of salted water to a boil and cooking your pasta to al dente. Drain and set aside.
While the pasta is cooking, you’re going to start cooking the protein, because you’re efficient and awesome and don’t have time to sit around twiddling your thumbs while dinner cooks.
Start by cooking up the chopped bacon in a skillet until it’s nice and crispy. Transfer it to a plate lined with paper towels and then add the salted and peppered chicken to the skillet. Cook until almost cooked through and transfer it to a plate.
Next up, we’re melting the butter and mixing in the garlic powder and ranch seasoning. Cook that down a bit, and then slowly whisk in the warmed milk.
Now it’s time to add in the cream cheese and Parmesan. At this point, you’ll start to get really excited for the awesomeness that is to come.
As soon as the cheese has melted, add in the cooked pasta and chicken and stir until all the cream sauce has worked its way into the nooks and crannies of the pasta.
Top all this deliciousness with the crispy bacon and shredded mozzarella and toss the whole thing in the oven.
EQUIPMENT
Don’t worry, you don’t need anything fancy to make this delicious chicken bacon ranch pasta bake.
You’ll want a 3-4 quart saucepan for cooking the noodles, and a large frying pan or braiser for making the sauce.
Nice to have items: a silicone spatula, whisk, tongs, and a strainer.
What’s a Good Side for Chicken Casserole?
A side dish of veggies like Chopped Cabbage Salad, Roasted Frozen Broccoli, Air Fryer Asparagus, or Green Pea Salad are all great.
Can You Freeze Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole?
You can, but when reheated, the sauce will look a bit curdled when it thaws. But, you know, it will still taste delicious!
I like to freeze it in 2-cup Souper Cubes. Once frozen, remove from the trays and store in freezer-proof bags for up to 3 months.
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.
MORE SIMPLE DINNER RECIPES YOU’LL LOVE
- Ham Pasta
- Boursin Pasta
- Creamy Chicken Pasta
- Lemon Garlic Pasta
- Asparagus Casserole
- Chicken and Pasta Broccoli Bake
- Instant Pot Lasagna Soup
- Broccoli Mac and Cheese
- Smoked Salmon Pasta
- Air Fryer Popcorn Shrimp
- Puff Pastry Turkey Pot Pie
- Instant Pot Aspargus Risotto
- Gluten-Free Scalloped Potatoes
- Air Fryer French Onion Pork Chops
- Easy Ravioli Bake
- Instant Pot Chicken Pot Pie
- Air Fryer Chicken Fajitas
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 350F.
- 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 for at 350F 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.
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.