Cracked Out Chicken Pasta - chicken, and bacon tossed in a quick homemade cheesy ranch sauce! Ready in under 15 minutes. Such an easy weeknight meal!! Everyone in the family loves this! Serve with a salad and some crusty garlic bread - so delicious! We make this all the time!
serves 4
(Printable Recipe)
- 8 ounces penne pasta
- 1 Tbsp butter
- 1 Tbsp flour
- 2 Tbsp dry ranch dressing seasoning mix
- 2 cups milk
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/3 cup cooked, chopped bacon
- 2 cups cooked chopped chicken
In a large pot, cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
In same pot melt butter. Add flour and stir. Cook flour for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in milk. Continue cooking until sauce thickens. Stir in ranch dressing mix and cheese. Stir until cheese melts. Add chicken, bacon and pasta. Stir to coat.
Pinned! Oh my son would love this dish! I will be making this soon. If you get a chance come visit my blog and follow back. Have a great week.
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~Rina
It does look delicious.
ReplyDeleteI love the ranch recipes! I can't wait to try this one!
ReplyDeleteWell, this looks delicious!!!
ReplyDeleteI have to admit that I've used leftover "Crack dip" on pasta before -- just cooked and drained the past and stirred in the dip. It's not so bad!
ReplyDeleteMade this lastnight using bowtie pasta (WackyMac brand) and LOVED IT!!!
ReplyDeleteNext time I'll add a little mustard to the sauce to kick up the flavor just a tad.
Thank you for sharing this recipe. A keeper for sure.
Made this last night and OMG GOOD! Husband loved it too. Only thing I may change WHEN I make it again, is cut back on the ranch seasoning. Maybe it was the brand I used but it seemed a bit too salty. Having said that, we both cleaned our plates - delicious!
ReplyDeleteMy husband made this for us the other night - it was delicious!
ReplyDeletePinned it, gonna make it!
ReplyDeleteHave this on the menu for this week! Can't wait to try it. TFS
ReplyDeleteAnna @ Bean Bug Crafts
So good made for dinner. I agree a little mustard would be good!!
ReplyDeleteSo good made for dinner. I agree a little mustard would be good!!
ReplyDeleteI tried this recipe last night. The flavor was great, but the sauce was really soupy. Any suggestions?
ReplyDeleteAmberly - I think you might just need to cook it a little longer - it takes a few minutes to feel it thicken up. you could also add a little more flour.
ReplyDeleteI am looking to make sympathy meals. The widow likes pasta. Do you think this would freeze well? If so, how would you cook it afterwards? I need to make these meals tomorrow (Sunday 10/1).
ReplyDeleteThank you in advance for your help.
Denise - if you want to freeze it, I would make it and then put it in a 9x13 pan. Reheat it in the oven at about 350.
ReplyDeleteThank you Stephanie!!
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ReplyDeleteTry marinating the chicken in fajita seasoning. Someone suggested this to me in version that puts these ingredients on a pizza using ranch as the sauce and I though it sounded nasty but I took her at her word and there just are no tasty adjectives I could use to describe how even more over the top delicious I thought chicken, ranch and bacon could be.
Another great dish!!!
ReplyDeleteI took a shortcut and used "Real Bacon" bits. I've fixed this twice and shared it also.
Thanks for sharing it.
About how many does this recipe feed? I'm making dinner for 6 and was wondering if I should double the recipe or not. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteMiss Hensley - it will serve 4. You can stretch it to 6 if you serve bread and salad.
ReplyDeleteOmg I am all over this recipe! It's going on my menu for this week, thank you!
ReplyDeleteDo you think this would be ok with canned chicken? I have some in the pantry and need to use it in something. Want to use chicken breast with other recipes on your blog.
ReplyDeleteDebbie, I think canned chicken would be fine. Hope you enjoy it!
ReplyDeleteDoubled this and fixed it tonight for my Grown Daughters and their Boyfriends, A HUGE HIT, no leftovers.
ReplyDeleteMade this last night and everyone loved it! Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteHow wuld you make this recipe if you had the packit off ranch all redy make. I want to make it but I dont have the dri ranch.
ReplyDeleteThe addition of sautéed onions and fresh diced tomatoes would be awesome!
ReplyDeleteI just made this for dinner and it was delicious!!!! I used elbow macaroni and it turned out great! Thank you for a great recipe!!!!!
ReplyDeleteI used this as the starting point for our dinner tonight. Followed the recipe, but used egg noodles cuz that's all I had. I added a bunch of spinach, upped the sauce amount slightly, and mixed it all together in a 9x13 pan. Popped it in the oven because I like crispy food, and holy smokes, this was so tasty!
ReplyDeleteOne thing I've noticed, sauces like these only thicken if you use something other than skim milk. I cheated and added some half-and-half to my skim to simulate whole milk...
I want to try this tonight.... this looks delicious.
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ReplyDeleteHow many people does it serve ?
ReplyDeleteHow many people does it ?
ReplyDeleteI thought it was a chicken and macaroni and cheese pasta. Turned out the recipe was different. I would like to add those seasoning ingredients to my seasoning database.
ReplyDeleteI made this tonight, substituting Chicken Chipotle Ranch brats from my local (awesome) meat market and bowtie pasta - YUM. Going on the repeat list! :)
ReplyDeleteI just made this tonight, I added some button mushrooms to the mix and mixed mild and sharp cheddar cheese. It was delicious!
ReplyDeleteThe only thing I noticed, however, was that the sauce was a little clumpy, even after letting the flour cook a little bit and whisking everything pretty well... Wonder how to fix that?
Great recipe, thanks so much!
I suppose it will also taste good with ham, or better yet, the finest ham and bacon in melbourne will do just right.
ReplyDeleteI have a huge thing for pastas and I cook a lot of different sorts. I put a lot of oregano every time I make one to keep the Italian feel of it
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ReplyDeleteThis wasn't bad. I did have to add a squirt of liquid ranch to add a little more flavor & creaminess. My husband & 2 children LOVED it and said they would want me to make it again. So it's a keeper! Thanks!**I used a generic dry ranch seasoning packet (Surefine)- Anyone try the Hidden Valley packet, and have great success with this recipe?**
ReplyDeleteVery yummy. Used homemade ranch seasoning and there is plenty of flavor.
ReplyDeletePasta always tastes better with wine, just as long as you have the finest choice. I get the best liquor online.
ReplyDeleteHow did you all cook the chicken first? Boil it?
ReplyDeleterotisserie chicken works fabulous with this!
DeleteI almost don't want to believe that this can be put together that quickly. Usually, you'd expect food that looks and tastes that good to take a little longer to prepare, even by the best catering bristol company.
ReplyDeleteMade this tonight. It was amazing! Added the mustard (very little) and poured the whole packet of organic ranch dressing seasoning, and used about 3/4 block of mild cheddar cheese (8oz). Delicious! Salad and bread made it a perfect full meal. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteThat would make a nice option for Friday pasta dinners around here. I'd add a few more greens like spring onion, celery, and diced or shredded carrots so it would at least help teach my son about children nutrition.
ReplyDeleteLooks mouth-watering and appetizing! I've eaten some pasta that seems like this one into some catering services in Suffolk. I really fancy pasta these days, perhaps I'll be doing this one when my mom visited me.
ReplyDeleteGracie Ray
The pasta looks so yummy! I think this will match up best to the hibiscus flavored tea I'm currently addicted in drinking. Perhaps I should try eating this ranch pasta together with it.
ReplyDeleteLuisa Williams
I made this for dinner tonight for my family and they loved it. I added mustard to it for taste and it came out awesome.
ReplyDeleteMade this recipe last night and it was delicious! I doubled the recipe and I didn't have enough cheese so I added cream cheese and sour cream. I also added spicy mustard. Certainly a new favorite!
ReplyDeleteThis was a no go with my bunch. Too bad it looked very promising.It was eaten but will not be requested again.
ReplyDeleteWill this work with ranch dressing not dry seasoning?
ReplyDeleteAfter clubbing, my friends and I usually grab a bite somewhere or go straight home and whip up a quick dish. Since this recipe contains milk, do you think it will go well with the beer that's already inside us?
ReplyDelete-Gwyn Stiles
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThank you for this delicious recipe! My wife and our kids really enjoyed eating chicken ranch pasta.
ReplyDeleteG. Spencer
Thanks for the wonderful recipes, time and time again. I've been cooking some dishes for my date lately and it's going on pretty well. You're a life-saver!
ReplyDeleteBest,
Mischna Ong
I just love pasta! Always tastes best with wine, specially if you chose the best quality! I'll try this soon. Thank you!
ReplyDelete- Lilly Rason
I've made this before and my fiancée and I really enjoyed it. I'm making it again tonight for friends but instead of chicken I plan on using chorizo. I'm crossing my fingers that all turns out well.
ReplyDeleteMade this for dinner and ended up doing a double batch for me, my boyfriend and his family. He had 4 HUGE bowls and then the left overs the next day. I must say this was a very good dish and with bee one to put in the books :)
ReplyDeleteCould you do this in a crock pot? I don't currently have a stove!!!
ReplyDeleteI followed the recipe exactly the way it was written, and it turned out perfect. It was very good and we well definately make this again. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteOh my! Made this tonight for supper and it was delicious!!! I added white onion and sautéed with the melted butter and used the 'Fiesta' ranch mix. We can't wait to make it again!!! So creamy and yummy!
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ReplyDeleteMade this twice now and it's become one of our favorites! It's so yummy.
ReplyDeleteMade this tonight and it was a hit! I used spiral noodles instead of penne, and my kids loved it. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteHey we made this tonight and the flavor was awesome, but the sauce came out gritty. Can't figure out what went wrong. Thoughts?
ReplyDeleteI made this for lunch today. It was good, creamy and flavorful. We did not think it too salty. The only change I had to make was using less chicken. I didn't have as much leftover chicken as I thought I had. It turned out more like a jazzed up mac & cheese, but very good non the less.
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