Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole

Elevating your weeknight dinner has never been easier than with this chicken bacon ranch casserole. Out of the oven in 20 minutes, it’s creamy, cheesy, and comforting— everything a casserole should be.

Easy Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta

With lots of melty cheese and bacon on top, this chicken bacon ranch casserole is as good as it gets for easy weeknight dinners. Made with a bunch of ingredient hacks like leftover rotisserie chicken, canned soup, and ranch mix, this recipe is quick and convenient from start to finish.

Don’t worry if you don’t normally have lots of time to cook throughout the week. It’s prep-friendly and can be made ahead. You can keep it in the freezer and pop it into the oven when you need a comforting but effortless meal. To make it extra easy for yourself, don’t forget to line the baking dish with foil.

When it’s this simple to make dinner, there’s really no excuse not to. Especially when it’s out of the oven in 20 minutes, your take-out and frozen dinner days are counted for. Once it’s on the table, good luck with getting everyone to stop asking for this warm and bubbly casserole every other day.

What You’ll Need

Made with rotisserie chicken and canned soup, the ingredients get an A+ for simplicity. Check the recipe card at the bottom of the post for full ingredient amounts.

• Shredded chicken – I used leftover rotisserie chicken, but feel free to use cooked chicken breasts.
• Garlic – I prefer fresh garlic, but you can also use 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder for every clove.
• Ranch dressing seasoning mix – Don’t skip it.
• Cream of chicken soup – Alfredo sauce is a good alternative if you’re not a fan of canned soup.
• Sour cream – You can also use Mexican crema or half-and-half.
• Mozzarella – Any melty cheese or blend will work.
• Bacon – Cook and crumble your own or use bacon bits. For the bacon bits, add 2 tablespoons per slice of bacon in the recipe.
• Penne pasta – Feel free to substitute it for rigatoni or shells.

How to Make Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole

Making this chicken bacon ranch casserole is way easier than it seems. Even for a casserole!

• Prepare the baking dish. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Lightly grease a 9×13″ baking dish with cooking spray.
• Make the chicken mixture. Reserve 4 tablespoons of bacon bits. Add the rest to a large mixing bowl. Add the garlic, ranch seasoning mix, cream of chicken soup, sour cream, and one cup of cheese to the same bowl. Stir well to combine.
• Fold in the pasta. Gently stir in the pasta until it’s completely covered in sauce and evenly distributed in the mixture.
• Assemble it. Pour the mixture into the greased baking dish. Top it with the remaining cheese and reserved bacon bits.
• Bake. Pop it into the oven for 15-20 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Remove from the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes. Serve warm and enjoy.

Tips for Success

Follow these tips to make the best (and fail-proof) chicken bacon ranch casserole:

• Add broccoli. Throw some broccoli florets into a pot of boiling water and cook them to taste. Strain them and then add them to the chicken mixture.
• Use foil. Line the baking dish with foil for easy clean-up. That way when you’re done you only need to remove the foil and give the baking dish a good rinse.
• Make it al dente. Don’t overcook the pasta or it’ll soften too much during baking. Cook it according to its package instructions until it’s al dente, meaning it should still have a bit of a bite.
• Toss it in olive oil. If you’re not assembling the casserole right away, toss the pasta in 1 tablespoon of olive oil to keep it from sticking. No one likes clumps of pasta.
• Broil it. Place the baking dish under the broiler for 15-20 seconds or until the cheese on top is toasty for a crunchy cheese topping.

Serving Suggestions

This chicken bacon ranch casserole is a meal on its own. It doesn’t really need sides because of how creamy and filling it is, but that doesn’t mean you can’t pair it with my Cornbread Casserole, Tomato Avocado Salad, and Beer Bread.

For something a little more filling, try my Crockpot Grape Jelly Little Smokies, Ham and Cheese Sliders, and Buffalo Broccoli Salad. As long as they don’t have too much sour cream, heavy cream, or cheese, then you’re good.

Can Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta Bake Be Made in Advance?

Yes! Refrigerate the assembled, unbaked casserole up to 2 days in advance. Wrap it in foil or plastic wrap and then bake it as usual when ready to serve.

You can also make it and freeze it up to 3 months in advance. Baked or unbaked, wrap the casserole in plastic wrap twice and then in foil once. Pop it into a freezer-friendly bag or container. Freeze it for up to 3 months. Let it thaw overnight in the fridge for about a day before serving. Bake as usual.

How to Store & Reheat Leftovers

Refrigerate any cooled chicken bacon ranch casserole leftovers in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Since it’s got chicken, it’s important to keep it away from any heat and sunlight if it’s on the counter.

Reheat it by popping it into the microwave for up to a minute or until warm. You can also heat it in the oven at 350 F for 15-20 minutes or until nice and bubbly again.

More Easy Pasta Recipes

• Arizona Chicken Pasta Recipe
• Strawberry Feta Balsamic Pasta Salad
• Baked Feta Pasta
• Classic Italian Pasta Salad

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