This Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta is the ultimate comfort food. Creamy, rich, and savory, it makes a delicious dinner that the whole family will enjoy.
For some more pasta inspiration, try our creamy Tuscan chicken pasta with this scrumptious garlic cheese bread.
Table Of Contents
Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta Recipe Details
Pasta is such a crowd-pleaser and this Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta is the ultimate. Your whole family is going to love the savory flavors and rich sauce of this dish.
- TASTE: With savory bacon, cheesy sauce, and al dente noodles, you’ll love the tasty flavors of this dish.
- TEXTURE: The creamy texture of this Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta makes it a satisfying comfort food.
- TIME: This recipe is so quick to put together. You’ll be ready to serve it in less than half an hour.
- EASE: Not only is this Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta nice and easy, it can also be prepared ahead of time to make weeknight dinners simple.
What You’ll Need
- Main ingredients- Rotini pasta, Bacon, Rotisserie chicken, and Garlic
- Sauce ingredients- Heavy cream, Parmesan cheese, mozzarella cheese, medium cheddar cheese, Ranch seasoning mix, and Salt
How to Make Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta
- Cook the bacon. Chop the bacon into small pieces and cook them in a skillet over medium-high heat until crisp.
- Add the chicken and garlic. To the skillet, add the cooked chicken and minced garlic, and stir for about 1 minute.
- Add the heavy cream. Pour the heavy cream in and bring it to a simmer.
- Mix in the cheeses and seasoning. Add the ranch seasoning, salt, Parmesan, mozzarella, and cheddar cheese to the skillet and stir.
- Cook the pasta. Cook the pasta and add it to the sauce. Mix everything together with a wooden spoon. Serve.
Pro Tip: Depending on how tender you like your pasta, slightly undercook it as it will continue to cook once you mix it into the cream sauce.
Recipe Tips
- Make your own ranch seasoning- If you like simple all-natural seasonings, go ahead and make your own. For a recipe, check out this one here.
- Partially freeze the bacon- Freeze the bacon part-way so that it is stiff enough to cut easily. This will also keep the pieces a uniform size for more even cooking.
- Prep the bacon- Cut the bacon in advance so you have it ready to go instead of needing to cut it when you’re ready to cook.
- Use a rotisserie chicken- Instead of cooking your own chicken, use a rotisserie chicken. It not only has a great flavor, but will save you lots of time.
Add-ins and Substitutions
- Substitute the chicken with turkey- With similar flavor profiles, you can sub with turkey if you have no chicken on hand.
- Make it lighter with Half & Half- If you want to cut down on some of the calories and fat for a lighter version, use Half & Half in place of the heavy cream. Even with this substitution, your chicken bacon pasta will still be creamy.
- Add in vegetables- Make this a well-rounded meal by adding in some of your favorite vegetables, like broccoli, spinach, or asparagus.
- Make it spicy- Adding some spicy buffalo sauce to the chicken or a dash of cayenne pepper can make this delicious meal even better with some heat.
FAQs
Yes, just place it in a casserole dish and add some more mozzarella on top. Broil it in the oven for a few minutes until it’s melted and slightly browned.
Creamy pasta sauces can break when left out or refrigerated as the ingredients separate. The best thing to do is reheat it slowly on the stovetop, stirring in some heavy cream to bring everything together again.
Serving Suggestions
This Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta is versatile and goes well with everything. Here are a few ideas for how to serve it.
- Salad: A Spinach Pomegranate Salad or Easy Antipasto Salad (low carb) would be a delicious start to this pasta meal.
- Sides: This Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta can be served with Crispy Air Fryer Broccoli, Bacon Wrapped Asparagus, and Roasted Air Fryer Vegetables.
- Bread: Serve some Rustic Bread Recipe with Herbed Dipping Oil or Copycat Pizza Hut Breadsticks along with this pasta.
- Dessert: Finish the meal with some delicious Tiramisu Cake (VIDEO) or Chocolate Cheesecake Bars.
Make This Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta in Advance
Make ahead: You can prepare the pasta in advance and cut the bacon to save time. Store them in the fridge until you are ready to cook and serve.
Storing: You can store this Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta in the refrigerator for about 3-5 days in an airtight container. To reheat it, just place it in the microwave for a few minutes, or in a skillet with a touch of cream to reincorporate the sauce.
Freeze: While this dish is best fresh, you can freeze it in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Just allow it to thaw before heating.
More Tasty Pasta Dishes!
- Cajun Chicken Pasta
- Creamy Lobster Ravioli
- Blackened Chicken Alfredo
- Shrimp Scampi Pasta
- Pesto Gnocchi Recipe
Watch How to Make it HERE
Full Recipe Instructions
Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta
Ingredients
- 8 slices bacon
- 1 lb rotini pasta (or any other bite size pasta)
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 3 cups cooked rotisserie chicken
- 4 cups heavy cream
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 cup shredded medium cheddar
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 Tbsp ranch seasoning mix
- 1/4 tsp salt
Instructions
- Cook the bacon bits and chicken. Chop the bacon into small pieces. Then cook them in a skillet over medium-high heat. Once they’re cooked to a crisp, add in cooked shredded chicken and minced garlic. Stir for about 1 minute.
- Make the sauce. Now pour in the heavy cream and let it come to a simmer.
- Then add the ranch seasoning, salt, Parmesan, mozzarella, and cheddar cheese.
- Add the cooked pasta. Cook the pasta according to the package and add it to the sauce. Using a wooden spoon combine everything together.
- You can serve it as is or add some extra mozzarella cheese on top. Then broil it in the oven for a few minutes. Just make sure that your skillet is oven-safe.
Notes
- Partially freeze the bacon- To save time, freeze the bacon part-way so that it is stiff enough to cut easily. This will also keep the pieces a uniform size for more even cooking.
- Prep the bacon- Cut the bacon in advance so you have it ready to go instead of needing to freeze and cut it when you’re ready to cook.
- Use a rotisserie chicken- Instead of cooking your own chicken, use a rotisserie chicken. It not only has a great flavor, but will save you lots of time.
Nutrition
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Sami says
Recipe looks amazing! Going to make this tonight! What grated Parmesan cheese are you suppose to use? Like the container you buy from the store that’s already grated that people buy or do you use more of a freshly grated Parmesan cheese? Not sure if it matters just an over thinker..
Dina says
Hi Sami 🙂 Thank you and I hope you love this chicken bacon ranch pasta! You can use freshly grated parmesan cheese but most people don’t want to do that. I use the grated parmesan cheese that is refrigerated. Not the one on the shelf. I hope that helps. Let me know how this recipe turns out! 🙂
Kristina says
We have made this before and loved it! This time, I don’t have any heavy cream available. Do you think I can sub with half and half?
Dina says
Hi Kristina, you can use equal amounts of half and half, the sauce will just be a little lighter and not as rich. It will definitely cut down the calories too 🙂
Anna z says
This is a go to in our house ! The kids love it and it’s quick/easy to make. Thank you for such a delicious recipe .
simplyhomecooked says
Thank you so much for taking the time to write your kind recipe review! It means a lot to me, Anna! 🙂
Gabby says
Absolutely delicious!!
simplyhomecooked says
So happy to hear that Gabby! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave your feedback 🙂 I hope you find many more delicious recipes on my blog 🙂
Leo says
I made this and absolutely loved it! It really tasted like a chicken bacon ranch pizza in the form of pasta! Thank you!
simplyhomecooked says
Yay! That’s exactly what I was going for! So glad you loved the easy flatbread pizza recipe.