This chicken bacon ranch pasta recipe is sauteed tender chicken breast tossed with pasta in a creamy and cheesy ranch sauce, all finished off with smoky bacon. A quick and easy dinner option!
Chicken bacon ranch pasta is the perfect easy meal that your whole family is sure to love. It’s kid friendly, full of savory flavor, and simple to make. This is one of my favorite chicken dinner recipes along with tropical coconut chicken and classic fried chicken wings.
At my house, you’ll almost always find chicken on the dinner menu. It’s inexpensive, convenient and my kids prefer it. Sometimes we get tired of the same old chicken which is why I decided to shake things up a bit with this bacon ranch chicken pasta.
My family also loves when we have bacon for dinner. Aside from this pasta, they always request bacon wrapped meatloaf, bacon wrapped scallops and green beans with bacon!
Table of Contents
Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta Ingredients
To make this recipe, you will need rotini pasta, bacon, butter, chicken breast, garlic, heavy cream, ranch seasoning, parmesan cheese, salt, pepper and chives.
How Do You Make Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta?
Start by cooking your pasta in salted boiling water. While the pasta is cooking, crisp up your bacon. Leave a little of the bacon grease in the pan, then brown the chicken. Stir in some garlic, then transfer the chicken mixture to a plate and cover to keep warm. Make the sauce by melting butter in the pan, then whisk in the heavy cream. Add ranch seasoning, parmesan cheese and black pepper. Stir until the cheese melts, then place the chicken, bacon and pasta into the pan of sauce. Toss everything together, then add a sprinkle of chives and serve.
Tips For The Perfect Bacon Ranch Chicken Pasta
- To save time, feel free to substitute leftover diced cooked chicken such as rotisserie chicken.
- Leftovers will stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. I do not recommend freezing this recipe, as the sauce may separate upon thawing.
- Feel free to use your favorite herbs as a garnish. While I typically go for chives, parsley or basil are also great choices.
- It’s very important to make sure the sauce does not come to a boil, as it can curdle if boiled.
- Be sure to grate your own parmesan cheese for this bacon ranch chicken pasta. Pre-shredded cheese often contains anti caking agents and may not melt in the sauce.
Quick Tip
This recipe uses ranch seasoning powder, which is found in packets or a shaker bottle in the salad dressing area. Both ranch dip seasoning and ranch dressing seasoning packets will work.
Recipe FAQs
Chicken and bacon are the perfect pairing! The rich, savory flavor of the bacon goes really well with the milder, tender chicken. You can add other seasonings to accentuate the flavor combination such as ranch powder, garlic, onion or paprika.
You can use milk instead of cream in pasta, but you will need to add a thickening agent such as a roux made of equal parts of flour and butter, or corn starch. Heavy cream will thicken on its own when simmered, but regular milk will not, which is why a thickener will be required for similar results.
The key to a delicious pasta dish is to make sure you heavily salt your pasta cooking water. This allows the pasta to retain the seasoning as it cooks, which adds to the overall flavor of the meal.
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Serving Suggestions
I like to serve this bacon ranch chicken pasta with a side of sauteed asparagus. Other great side dish options are green bean bundles, loaded mashed potato casserole, pomegranate brussels sprouts and roasted root vegetables.
Flavor Variations
This chicken ranch pasta is delicious as-is, but you can easily add other flavors to suit your tastes.
- Protein: Instead of chicken breast pieces, try using chicken thighs, smoked sausage or even white beans.
- Vegetables: Feel free to stir in some cooked veggies such as broccoli, mushrooms, kale, cherry tomatoes or red onion.
- Seasonings: Amp up the flavor with a dash of hot sauce, minced jalapeno or some zesty spices such as Cajun seasoning.
Once you try this bacon ranch chicken pasta, you’ll find yourself making it on a regular basis. It’s just that delicious!
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Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta
Ingredients
- 10 ounces rotini pasta uncooked
- 6 slices bacon coarsely chopped
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast cut into 1 inch pieces
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper divided use
- 1½ teaspoons garlic minced
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1¼ cups heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon ranch seasoning powder
- ½ cup parmesan cheese freshly grated
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives you can also use parsley
Instructions
- Cook the pasta in boiling salted water according to package directions.
- Cook the bacon in a large pan over medium heat until crispy.
- Remove the bacon from the pan and drain on a paper towel. Pour most of the bacon fat out of the pan, leaving about 1 tablespoon remaining in the pan.
- Add the chicken to the pan and season it with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
- Cook the chicken for 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until chicken is browned and cooked through.
- Add the garlic to the pan, and cook for an additional 30 seconds.
- Remove the chicken and garlic from the pan. Place on a plate and cover to keep warm.
- Wipe out the pan with a paper towel.
- Melt the butter in the pan. Add the cream and simmer for 4-5 minutes or until just thickened – do not boil.
- Whisk in the ranch seasoning and parmesan cheese, stirring continuously until the cheese has melted.
- Add the remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper to the sauce.
- Place the pasta, bacon and chicken in the pan with the sauce. Toss to coat.
- Sprinkle with chives or parsley, then serve immediately.
Notes
- You can use raw chicken tenders or chicken thighs instead of chicken breast if you prefer.
- Any short pasta will work – some other great options include penne, farfalle or cavatappi.
- Leftovers will stay fresh in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
My kids really loved it! So cheesy and delicious!
My kids are ranch obessesed so I knew this was going to be a hit! They cleaned their plates. Thank you for such a wonderful dinner option.
Bacon Ranch Chicken is the best ever! A perfect dinner anytime.
Bacon and ranch are one the best combos! This dinner was a crowd pleaser for the whole family. Can’t wait to make it again.
This chicken was a huge hit with my family! It’s absolutely amazing!
I am putting this on my dinner plans for the week ahead. Love that it can be crispy but still baked and not fried.
This looks so amazing! Who doesn’t love ranch and bacon?! Yum!
I’m a sucker for crispy baked chicken!! This looks amazing.
What an awesome way to jazz up chicken breasts! This looks super tasty!
What a flavorful and yummy chicken dish! My family would love it for sure.