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This chicken bacon ranch casserole is the kind of dinner you make when you want something quick and easy that is cozy, filling, and guaranteed to be a hit. It’s creamy, cheesy, and packed with shredded chicken, crispy bacon, pasta, and just the right amount of ranch flavor.
It’s easy enough for a weeknight, comforting enough for a Sunday dinner, and flexible enough to make ahead which is exactly what we want from a good casserole.
Ingredients You’ll Need
This chicken bacon ranch pasta bake is a hearty dinner recipe everyone will love! Here is everything you’ll need:
- Butter: Forms the base of the sauce and adds richness while helping create a smooth, creamy texture.
- Garlic: Adds savory depth and aromatic flavor that enhances the cream sauce without overpowering it.
- Flour: Thickens the sauce, creating a creamy, cohesive base that coats the pasta and chicken evenly.
- Heavy Cream: Provides richness and body, giving the casserole its signature creamy, comforting texture.
- Chipotle Lime Ranch: Adds tangy ranch flavor with a subtle smoky kick, balancing the richness of the cheese and cream.
- Salt and Pepper: Enhance and balance all the flavors, ensuring the dish doesn’t taste flat.
- Chicken: Adds hearty protein and makes the casserole filling and satisfying.
- Small Shells Pasta: Holds onto the creamy sauce thanks to its shape, delivering flavor in every bite.
- Mozzarella Cheese: Melts smoothly and creates that stretchy, gooey texture everyone loves.
- Cheddar Cheese: Adds sharp, bold flavor that balances the creaminess of the sauce.
- Bacon: Brings smoky, salty crunch that contrasts perfectly with the creamy casserole.
- Parsley: Adds a fresh pop of color and a light herbal finish to balance the richness.
How to Make Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole
This is a layered casserole with four main components: the ranch cream sauce, the shredded cheese, the chicken, and the pasta. Here’s how to make this easy chicken casserole:
- Make the Sauce: Prepare the ranch cream sauce (detailed instructions on how to make a cream sauce in the section below).
- Cook the Pasta: Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to package instructions.
- Assemble the Casserole: Butter a 9×13-inch casserole dish and assemble the chicken ranch casserole.
- Bake: Bake the ranch chicken casserole until the cheese is melted and bubbling around the edges.
read more: Looking for easy casserole recipes? Try our Baked Pork Chops and Rice Casserole next!
How to Make a Cream Sauce
We get a lot of readers writing in saying that they feel overwhelmed with the idea of making a cream sauce. But don’t worry, we’ll help you out! Cream sauce is one of the easiest things you can learn to make. Once you know the basics, you can create anything you want.
Start off with a little butter (olive oil is ok if you absolutely must, but butter is best), then add in your flavorings. Garlic is a must for this chicken ranch casserole, and you can go as light or as heavy as you want. Onions are another great addition and if you’re keeping it a white sauce, throw in a dash or two of nutmeg. Sounds crazy, but it really enriches the sauce.
Alright, whisk everything together and add in an equal amount of flour. So, if you used 2 tablespoons of butter go ahead and start with 1 ½-2 tablespoons of flour and whisk for 30-60 seconds. This will cook out the flour taste.
Immediately add your liquid while continuously whisking. This is a great chance to bust out your ranch dressing — we used chili lime flavor and it is awesome, but there’s also classic and cucumber basil if you want to try something less spicy.
My Secret for Quick Chicken Dinners
This is such a quick and easy dinner, and I’ll tell you a secret: I didn’t even cook the chicken. I used the chicken I had leftover in my freezer.
I cook up my own Tender Slow Cooker Whole Chicken, let everything cool, shred it and then use a Food Saver so I can store it in the freezer. It’s the only way to keep it super fresh so I can pull out cooked meat at any time.
Just watch for a sale on whole chickens at the grocery store and grab a few. It’s seriously such a time saver!
Chicken Casserole FAQs
Our absolute favorite ranch is the Hidden Valley Simply Ranch Chili Lime flavor. We love the extra flavor the ranch adds, but any type of ranch works just fine.
In place of the heavy cream, you can use any milk, cream, or half and half (or a combination of them). Heavy cream will make a thicker, more flavorful sauce, but we use milk all the time to be a little healthier.
Whisk everything while you season with salt and pepper and the mixture should start to come to a boil. Turn it down as we don’t want to scorch it and let it simmer until it’s to a desired thickness.
Of course! Any short, sturdy pasta will work. I don’t recommend using a long, thin pasta for this chicken ranch casserole since it won’t hold up to the thick cream sauce or the shredded chicken. But something like penne or farfalle pasta will work instead of pasta shells.
If you can’t find ranch dressing where you live or you’ve run out, you can make your own homemade ranch dressing instead. But besides making your own dressing, I’m not aware of a ranch substitute you can use in this cheesy chicken casserole. The ranch is a key ingredient!
Variations and Add-Ins
This is a fairly flexible recipe. You can use any shredded cheese you have on hand, substitute shredded turkey for the chicken, use turkey bacon instead of regular bacon, and so forth. This is one of those awesome clean out the fridge recipes!
Tips for Making Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole
- When cooking the pasta shells, make sure to salt the water before adding the dry pasta to it. You want the pasta itself to have some flavor, otherwise this chicken ranch casserole will taste a bit flat.
- You also need to make sure to drain the pasta very well before adding it to the casserole. If there’s too much water left on the pasta, it’ll thin out the ranch cream sauce, which isn’t what you want.
- Just before serving this chicken pasta casserole, we like to sprinkle some fresh parsley on top for a pop of flavor. You can use other herbs as well (pretty much any fresh herb will complement the ranch flavor).
Can I Make This Ahead of Time?
This is a great make ahead recipe! Make and assemble everything as instructed, then cover with aluminum foil or plastic wrap and store it in the fridge. It will keep for up to 2 days. Then bake it as written in the instruction.
Storing and Reheating
Leftovers should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They will keep for 4-5 days.
Reheat individual portions in the microwave or multiple servings in the oven preheated to 300 degrees F for 15-20 minutes.
This cheesy chicken bacon ranch casserole is rich, comforting, and always disappears fast. Whether you’re feeding a family, bringing dinner to a friend, or stocking the freezer, this is one of those dependable recipes you’ll come back to again and again.
More Cozy Casserole Recipes to Try:
Watch How This Recipe is Made…
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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
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Heat a small pot over medium heat. Add the butter and whisk in the garlic. Cook for about 30 seconds, or until fragrant and whisk in the flour. Continue whisking the mixture for 30-60 seconds to cook out the flour.
2 Tablespoons Butter, 1 Clove Garlic, 2 Tablespoons Flour
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While continuing to whisk, pour in the heavy cream.
1 Cup Heavy Cream
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Add the ranch and season with salt, about 1/2 teaspoon, or to taste.
¼ Cup Chipotle Lime Ranch, Salt and Pepper
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Cook until the sauce begins to simmer and thicken, about 2-5 minutes. If it’s not simmering and thickening just turn up the heat a little until it does. Do not boil or scorch.
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Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to package directions.
8 Ounces Small Shells Pasta
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Remove sauce from the heat.
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Drain the pasta.
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Mix the two cheeses together.
1 Cup Mozzarella, 1 Cup Cheddar Cheese
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In a casserole dish or 9×13″ pan, rub the butter and clove of garlic everywhere. Add half the pasta and top with half of the chicken. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper.
Salt and Pepper, 2 Cups Chicken, 1 Tablespoon Butter, 1 Clove Garlic
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Pour half of the sauce over the top and sprinkle with half of the cheeses.
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Repeat with the last half of the ingredients and top with bacon at the end.
3 Sliced Bacon
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Bake for 20 minutes or until hot and the cheeses are melted.
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Remove from the oven, sprinkle with parsley and serve!
Parsley
Should be stored covered in the refrigerator.
Serving: 1g, Calories: 504kcal, Carbohydrates: 19g, Protein: 25g, Fat: 37g, Saturated Fat: 20g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 14g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 129mg, Sodium: 474mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 2g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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