Crack Chicken Alfredo Bake Recipe – the ultimate chicken Alfredo casserole! Chicken alfredo loaded with cheddar, bacon, and ranch. One bite and you will be blown away! Chicken, cheddar, bacon, ranch, alfredo sauce, pasta, eggs, ricotta, sour cream, parsley, and mozzarella. This recipe makes a ton of food! It is great for a potluck. Can make in advance and refrigerate or freeze for later. Add this to your menu ASAP!
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Pin This RecipeChicken Alfredo Pasta Bake
Stop what you are doing and add this Crack Chicken Alfredo Bake to your menu. OMG! This pasta is so good. It should come with a warning label! Chicken, bacon, ranch, cheddar, ricotta, mozzarella, and pasta baked in alfredo sauce. Comfort food at its best! We ate this for dinner and fought over the leftovers! It is that good! You must give this a try ASAP!
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 Alfredo Bake
This casserole is super easy to make with only a few simple ingredients. Bring a large pot of water to boil over medium-high heat. Cook pasta according to package instructions for al dente. Drain and set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together Alfredo sauce, sour cream, ricotta cheese, ranch dressing mix, egg, and dried parsley. Stir in cooked chopped chicken, cooked bacon, cheddar cheese, mozzarella cheese, and cooked pasta. Season with salt and black pepper, if desired. Transfer pasta mixture to a casserole dish. Sprinkle the top of the casserole with more cheddar and mozzarella cheese. Bake uncovered until bubbly. Garnish the cooked casserole with fresh parsley.
Helpful Tips & Frequently Asked Questions
- I use rotisserie chicken in this recipe.
- You can use any cooked chopped chicken you have on hand.
- I use precooked bacon. You can cook your own bacon if you prefer. You will need about a pound of bacon for this recipe.
- Can substitute turkey bacon.
- If you are sensitive to ranch dressing mix, adjust the amount of Ranch seasoning mix to your personal preference.
- Here is our recipe for Homemade Ranch Dressing Mix: https://www.plainchicken.com/homemade-ranch-dressing-mix/
- My favorite jarred Alfredo sauce is Rao’s. I also like Trader Joe’s and Bertolli d’Italia Alfredo sauce.
- Can substitute an equivalent amount of homemade Alfredo sauce.
- You can use any pasta you prefer. I have made this casserole with penne pasta, farfalle, and rigatoni and they both work great.
- Feel free to add some sautéed mushrooms and/or broccoli to the pasta mixture.
- Can Chicken Alfredo Bake be made in advance? Yes! Assemble the casserole and cover the pan with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until ready to bake.
- Can Crack Chicken Alfredo Bake be frozen? Yes! Assemble the casserole and cool completely. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and aluminum foil. Place in the freezer for3 to 4 months.
- When ready to bake, thaw and bake as directed.
- This makes a lot of pasta. Feel free to cut the recipe in half. You can also split the recipe between two pans. Bake one now and freeze one for later.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge.
What to Serve with Cracked Out Chicken Alfredo
This casserole has definitely earned a spot in our dinner rotation. I also love to make this for potlucks since it serves so many people and is easy to make. We serve this with a caesar salad and some garlic bread. It is equally delicious with some green beans or roasted asparagus. Give this easy chicken casserole recipe a try. It is sure to become a family favorite too!
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Crack Chicken Alfredo Bake
Ingredients:
- 1 (16-oz) package elbow macaroni
- 1 (22-oz) jar Alfredo sauce
- 1 (8-oz) container sour cream
- 1 (15-oz) container ricotta cheese
- 1 (1-oz) package ranch dressing mix
- 1 cup cooked chopped bacon
- 3 cups cooked chicken chopped
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 2 Tbsp dried parsley
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese, divided
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350ºF. Lightly spray 9×13-inch pan with cooking spray.
- Prepare pasta according to package directions; drain and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together Alfredo sauce, sour cream, ricotta cheese, ranch dressing mix, egg, and dried parsley.
- Stir in cooked chopped chicken, cooked bacon, 1 cup of cheddar cheese, 1 cup of mozzarella cheese, and cooked pasta.
- Spread mixture into baking dish. Sprinkle evenly with remaining mozzarella and cheddar cheese.
- Bake uncovered for 30 minutes or until bubbly.
Notes:
- I use rotisserie chicken in this recipe.
- You can use any cooked chopped chicken you have on hand.
- I use precooked bacon. You can cook your own bacon if you prefer. You will need about a pound of bacon for this recipe.
- Can substitute turkey bacon.
- If you are sensitive to ranch dressing mix, adjust the amount of Ranch seasoning mix to your personal preference.
- Here is our recipe for Homemade Ranch Dressing Mix: https://www.plainchicken.com/homemade-ranch-dressing-mix/
- My favorite jarred Alfredo sauce is Rao’s. I also like Trader Joe’s and and Bertolli d’Italia Alfredo sauce.
- Can substitute an equivalent amount of homemade Alfredo sauce.
- You can use any pasta you prefer. I have made this casserole with penne pasta, farfalle, and rigatoni and they both work great.
- Feel free to add some sautéed mushrooms and/or broccoli to the pasta mixture.
- Can Chicken Alfredo Bake be made in advance? Yes! Assemble the casserole and cover the pan with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until ready to bake.
Can Crack Chicken Alfredo Bake be frozen? Yes! Assemble the casserole and cool completely. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and aluminum foil. Place in the freezer for3 to 4 months.- When ready to bake, thaw and bake as directed.
- This makes a lot of pasta. Feel free to cut the recipe in half. You can also split the recipe between two pans. Bake one now and freeze one for later.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge.
Steph
Remember this recipe.
Pin this recipe to your favorite board now to remember it later!
Pin This Recipe
I made it this past Friday night. It was so delicious! Shared it with our son and grandson–they loved it as well. Have enough for a supper for my husband and I after a chilly day of fall yard work! Will definitely make it again.
If you were to freeze it, would you freeze it before or after baking (and cooling) it? Thanks!
This is a very simple and quick casserole to put together. Perfect meal for a busy day. I almost always have cooked chopped chicken on hand in my freezer for casseroles like this one. If I don't, I usually grab the frozen fully cooked chicken strips in the freezer section of the grocery store and thaw it out, then chop them up. It was delicious and the kids just gobbled it up. Served it with a salad.
Made this for a small group at church…HUGE hit. I didn't read the directions closely enough and I mixed everything together in a large saucepan on medium heat while the pasta was cooking. Then I mixed it all together in the pasta pot and poured it into my casserole dish to bake. Wonderful and easy to throw together.
Can you make this ahead of time and keep refrigerated until ready to bake?
Absolutely! I think you could make it and refrigerate it for a couple of days.
Have you ever made this ahead of time and kept refrigerated until ready to bake?
Yes – it can be refrigerated and baked a day or two later.
Where do you find refrigerated Alfredo sauce? I've looked and can't seem to find it.
Looks sooooo yummy! Could I sub jarred alfredo sauce as long as the ounces add up? I'm a huge fan & I love your site/recipes….Thanks!
I think that should be fine. Enjoy!!
I could go for a big serving of that right now and it's only 6:50am here.