Crack Chicken Pasta – chicken and bacon tossed in a quick homemade cheesy ranch sauce! Ready to eat in under 15 minutes. Such an easy weeknight meal!! Cooked chicken, bacon, butter, flour, milk, cheddar cheese, ranch dressing mix, and pasta. Everyone in the family loves this! Serve with a salad and some crusty garlic bread – so delicious! We make this all the time!
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Pin This RecipeChicken Pasta with Cheddar, Bacon & Ranch
This Crack Chicken Pasta is a weeknight favorite. Chicken and bacon tossed in a quick cheddar ranch sauce. OMG! SO good. The best part about this recipe is that it is super easy to make. I boiled the pasta and then used the same pot to make the cheese sauce and toss everything together. I took a shortcut and used half of a rotisserie chicken and this was done in minutes. We both loved it. How could we not since it has all the flavors of our beloved “Crack” Dip in it! Serve this with a salad and some bread for a delicious weeknight meal!
What does CRACK mean?
If a recipe has “crack” in the title it means that the recipe has cheddar, bacon, and ranch in the ingredients. It all started with my Crack Dip way back in 2007. I made the dip for a Titans football game. Everyone went crazy over it. We couldn’t stop eating it and said it was like crack. The name stuck.
According to the dictionary, the definition of crack is “of superior excellence or ability”. We think the flavor combination of cheddar, bacon, and ranch fits this definition! This recipe is most definitely of superior excellence!
How to Make Crack Chicken Pasta
As I said, this dish is super simple to make. In a large pot, cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside. In the same pot melt butter. Add flour and stir. Cook for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in milk. Continue cooking until the sauce thickens. Stir in ranch dressing mix and cheese. Stir until cheese melts. Add chicken, bacon, and pasta. Stir to coat and enjoy!
- I used rotisserie chicken for the cooked chicken in this pasta dish.
- Here is our recipe for Slow Cooker Rotisserie Chicken: https://www.plainchicken.com/slow-cooker-rotisserie-chicken/
- Can substitute turkey bacon for pork bacon in this pasta.
- Can use any shape of pasta that you prefer. I like penne or bowtie pasta.
- Feel free to toss in some steamed broccoli for a full meal!
- Adjust the ranch dressing mix to your personal preference.
- Here is our recipe for Homemade Ranch Dressing Mix: https://www.plainchicken.com/homemade-ranch-dressing-mix/
What to Serve with Chicken Mac & Cheese with Bacon
This quick pasta is one of our all-time favorite recipes. I always have the ingredients on hand to whip up a batch at a moment’s notice. We usually serve the pasta with some broccoli or a salad and some rolls. Give this a try the next time you need a quick and easy meal to please the whole family!
Need more side dish ideas? Here are a few of our favorite recipes from the blog that go great with this stovetop mac & cheese:
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Crack Chicken Pasta – Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta
Equipment:
Ingredients:
- 8- ounces penne pasta
- 1 Tbsp butter
- 1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- 2 Tbsp ranch dressing mix
- 2 cups milk
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- ⅓ cup cooked chopped bacon
- 2 cups cooked chopped chicken
Instructions:
- In a large pot, cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
- In the same pot melt butter. Add flour and stir. Cook flour for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in milk. Continue cooking until the sauce thickens.
- Stir in ranch dressing mix and cheese. Stir until cheese melts. Add chicken, bacon, and cooked pasta. Stir to coat.
Notes:
- I used rotisserie chicken for the cooked chicken in this pasta dish.
- Here is our recipe for Slow Cooker Rotisserie Chicken: https://www.plainchicken.com/slow-cooker-rotisserie-chicken/
- Can substitute turkey bacon for pork bacon in this pasta.
- Can use any shape of pasta that you prefer. I like penne or bowtie pasta.
- Adjust the ranch dressing mix to your personal preference.
- Here is our recipe for Homemade Ranch Dressing Mix: https://www.plainchicken.com/homemade-ranch-dressing-mix/
Steph
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Pin This Recipe
Made this tonight. Very good! I added garlic, smoked paprika and pepper. I also increased the roux. We like sauce!
Do you bake it?
No
Do you bake it?
I 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.
Hey we made this tonight and the flavor was awesome, but the sauce came out gritty. Can't figure out what went wrong. Thoughts?
Made this tonight and it was a hit! I used spiral noodles instead of penne, and my kids loved it. Thanks!
Made this twice now and it's become one of our favorites! It's so yummy.
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Oh 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!
I 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.
Could you do this in a crock pot? I don't currently have a stove!!!
Made 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 🙂
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.