Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole
This chicken bacon ranch casserole is creamy, cheesy, and filling. It’s loaded with tender bites of chicken and pasta tossed in a cream cheese ranch base, topped with crispy bacon, and finished with melty cheese. It’s an easy dinner that will quickly become a family favorite!
You may also love my chicken mushroom broccoli casserole, cheesy bacon and hashbrown casserole, and chicken broccoli stuffing casserole.
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Easy Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta Bake with Cream Cheese
Is chicken bacon ranch one of your favorite flavor combos? Because it definitely is one of mine. Just take a look my Chicken Bacon Ranch Pizza, Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad, and Instant Pot Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta.
I’d have a different variation of chicken bacon and ranch every night of the week if I could!
This chicken bacon ranch casserole is one of my favorite easy dinners to make. It’s packed with tender tender breasts, pasta shells, cream cheese, sour cream, and ranch seasoning mix. Oh, and don’t forget the bacon and cheese!
This casserole is ready to eat in under an hour, can easily be prepped ahead of time for a busy weeknight meal.
Kim’s Casserole Making Tips
- You can really use any kind of pasta you have on hand, although I don’t recommend longer noodles like spaghetti, fettuccine, or linguini. Smaller pasta shapes are better!
- Looking for a way to make this casserole prep even quicker? Skip cooking the chicken and use pre-cooked rotisserie chicken or seasoned leftover chicken.
- If you want to give your casserole a bit of a boost, try adding in some chopped broccoli florets, diced bell pepper, spinach, onion, mushrooms, you name it. Be sure to cook the veggies first!
- Give your casserole a spicy kick by adding a drizzle of hot sauce, cayenne pepper, or red pepper flakes.
How to Make Creamy Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole
- Preheat the oven to 375°F, and lightly grease a 9×13-inch casserole dish.
- Heat some cooking oil in a large skillet over low-medium heat. Add your diced chicken, paprika, salt and pepper. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is cooked through.
- While the chicken cooks, go ahead and start your pasta. The pasta needs to be fully cooked before stirring it into the other ingredients. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, then add the noodles. Cook until they’re al dente, drain, and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the softened cream cheese, sour cream, and ranch seasoning mix until everything is really smooth.
- Stir in the cooked chicken, chopped bacon (save some for the top!), and half of the Colby Jack cheese. Next, gently mix in the cooked pasta noodles.
- Scoop the chicken mixture into the baking dish and spread in an even layer, and top with the remaining shredded cheese and leftover crumbled bacon.
- Bake, uncovered, for 15 to 20 minutes until the cheese is melted and gooey and the filling it hot all the way through.
Storage
Make-Ahead: To prep this casserole in advance, you can assemble it, but don’t bake. Instead, wrap the entire casserole tightly with plastic wrap followed by aluminum foil and store it in the freezer for up to 2 months. When you’re ready to serve, thaw it overnight in the fridge and bake as instructed.
Refrigerator: Baked chicken and bacon casserole can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
More Chicken Casserole Recipes to Try
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil
- 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 8 ounces small pasta shells
- 8 ounces block-style cream cheese, softened
- 8 ounces sour cream
- 1 ounce packet ranch seasoning mix
- 6 slices cooked bacon, chopped and divided
- 8 ounces Colby jack cheese, shredded off the block and divided
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Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F, and lightly grease a 9×13-inch casserole dish.
- Heat the cooking oil in a large skillet over low-medium heat. Add the chicken, paprika, salt and pepper. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until the chicken is no longer pink and is cooked through.1 tablespoon cooking oil1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts½ teaspoon paprika½ teaspoon salt½ teaspoon pepper
- In the meantime, boil the pasta according to the instructions on the package. Drain and set aside.8 ounces small pasta shells
- In a large bowl, combine the cream cheese, sour cream and ranch seasoning.8 ounces block-style cream cheese8 ounces sour cream1 ounce packet ranch seasoning mix
- Stir in the cooked chicken, chopped bacon (except for 1 to 2 tablespoons for sprinkling on top) and half of the cheese. Then, gently stir in the pasta.6 slices cooked bacon8 ounces Colby jack cheese
- Transfer the mixture into the prepared baking dish, and spread it into an even layer. Sprinkle the remaining bacon and cheese on top.
- Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until the cheese melts and the filling is hot. Serve with freshly chopped green onions for garnish if desired.
Notes
- The calories listed are an approximation based on the ingredients in the recipe card and a serving size of 1 cup of casserole. Actual calories will vary.
- Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Such great flavors, and so delicious!! I want to make this with additional veggies in the future, either included in the dish, or just on the side, as it was a pretty heavy meal, but mouth-wateringly good!