Name: Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta Skillet Dinner
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 (10 oz.) box rotini pasta; 4 cups cooked, shredded chicken; 6-8 slices of cooked bacon; 3 tbsp. salted butter; 4 cloves garlic, minced; 2 tbsp. flour; 1 cup milk; 1 cup Ranch dressing; 1 tsp. salt; Pepper, to taste; 2 cups shredded cheese, divided

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Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta features cooked chicken, crispy bacon and rotini pasta tossed together in a creamy, cheesy, garlic and ranch pasta sauce. Make this easy pasta dish for dinner tonight in about 30 minutes!

Chicken, bacon, ranch is such a classic combo.

In this recipe we combine that with pasta, creating a delightful melty mash-up, dinner edition.

We usually keep our freezer stocked with beef sourced from my parents’ farm. However, we’re almost completely out of beef, so we’ve been cooking with more budget-friendly options like chicken and pork lately.

This delicious pasta dish is certainly a family favorite.

Cool thing is, you can take the easy route and use chicken from one of those rotisserie chickens or cook your own. Home cooked bacon, pre-cooked bacon or even bacon bits from the local grocery store. Rotini pasta, or macaroni or penne pasta. You do you.

This easy recipe is simple and quick for busy weeknights, perfect for the whole family.

On this particular day, I made Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta and took half of it to a friend. (So if it makes more than the photos show, that’s why!)

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Simple Ingredients (you may already have on hand!)

Pasta – rotini pasta is what we used; however, any shape of macaroni or penne works as well. Choose you favorite pasta!

Chicken – cooked chicken, shredded or diced. (We used leftover grilled chicken this particular time and it was amazing!) Leftover chicken cut off of a roast chicken is also delicious.

Bacon – you can cook your own bacon slices very easily in a microwaveable bacon tray or use bought pre-cooked bacon or bacon bits.

Butter – salted butter

Garlic – minced garlic adds lovely flavor

Flour – all purpose flour to thicken the pasta sauce slightly

Milk – whole milk

Ranch dressing – from the bottle, (not the dry powder Ranch seasoning mix stuff!)

Salt – regular iodized table salt is what we used, though you can use whatever you have!

Pepper – ground black pepper; add as little or as much as you prefer.

Cheese – can’t forget the cheese! Shredded cheddar cheese is our favorite, although you can use Colby Jack, Parmesan cheese, Pepperjack, or a combination of cheeses.

Find the recipe (along with the full instructions!) on a handy dandy little printable recipe card at the bottom of this post!

Supplies

Large skillet or cast iron pan
Saucepan – to cook the pasta
Microwave bacon tray – this is one of the faster ways to cook bacon
Cutting board & kitchen knife – to chop the chicken and bacon into small pieces
Garlic press – makes mincing garlic cloves super easy
Strainer or colander – dump the pasta, water and all, into a colander for easy straining
Kitchen utensils
Measuring cups and spoons
Grater – shredding your own cheese is the best, in my opinion

How to make Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta

First of all, cook and shred the chicken if you’ve got raw chicken.

Cook the bacon (we used a microwave bacon tray to cook the bacon in the microwave!) and chop or crush the cooked bacon into bits.

In a large saucepan, cook pasta according to the package instructions. Then drain off the pasta water by dumping the cooked pasta into a strainer or colander. (Toss pasta with a drizzle of olive oil if you wish to keep it from sticking together!)

While the pasta is cooking, melt butter in a large non-stick skillet (or cast iron pan) on medium heat. Add in the minced garlic and saute for a minute or two.

Add the flour to the butter and garlic and whisk until smooth, then pour in the milk, whisking all the while.

Turn the burner to medium-low and add the Ranch dressing, salt, pepper, to taste, and half the shredded cheese. Whisk to thoroughly combine into a lovely, creamy sauce.

Place the cooked and shredded chicken, cooked bacon bits, and rotini pasta into the creamy pasta sauce in the skillet and gently mix everything together.

Sprinkle the rest of the shredded cheese on top and place a lid (or aluminum foil if your skillet has no lid) on the skillet and let the chicken bacon ranch pasta simmer on low heat until it’s completely heated through and the cheese is melted, (about 5 minutes).

Serve and enjoy.

How to store Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta

Store leftover pasta in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.

Notes

Leftover cooked chicken from a roast chicken or rotisserie style chicken is delicious in Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta.

Make it a complete meal by serving it with a side of steamed broccoli or side salad and Pumpkin Torte for dessert.

Sliced green onions or parsley make a great garnish but that’s totally optional! (We didn’t have any on hand this day.)

4-6 servings

Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta Skillet Dinner

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Melty, creamy, cheesy, ranch flavored rotini pasta with shredded chicken and crispy bacon. Dinner's ready in about 30 minutes!

Ingredients

1 (10 oz.) box rotini pasta
4 cups cooked, shredded chicken
6-8 slices of cooked bacon
3 tbsp. salted butter
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp. flour
1 cup milk
1 cup Ranch dressing
1 tsp. salt
Pepper, to taste
2 cups shredded cheese, divided

Instructions

First of all, cook and shred the chicken if you've got raw chicken.
Cook the bacon (we used the microwave!) and chop or crush it into bits.
In a large saucepan, cook the rotini pasta according to the package instructions. Then drain off the pasta water by dumping the cooked pasta into a strainer or colander. (Toss pasta with a drizzle of olive oil if you wish to keep it from sticking together!)
While the pasta is cooking, melt the butter in a large non-stick skillet (or cast iron pan) on medium heat. Add in the minced garlic and saute for a minute or two.
Add the flour to the butter and garlic and whisk until smooth, then pour in the milk, whisking all the while.
Turn the burner to medium-low and add the Ranch dressing, salt, pepper, to taste, and half the shredded cheese. Whisk to thoroughly combine.
Place the cooked and shredded chicken, cooked bacon bits, and rotini pasta into the creamy pasta sauce in the skillet and gently mix everything together.
Sprinkle the rest of the shredded cheese on top and place a lid (or aluminum foil if your skillet has no lid) on the skillet and let the chicken bacon ranch pasta simmer on low heat until it's completely heated through and the cheese is melted, (about 5 minutes).
Serve and enjoy.

Notes

Chicken leftover from a roast chicken or rotisserie style chicken is delicious in Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 791Total Fat: 58gSaturated Fat: 21gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 32gCholesterol: 179mgSodium: 1662mgCarbohydrates: 17gFiber: 1gSugar: 5gProtein: 48g

Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.