I like to say that this stovetop recipe is a little bit “fancied up” mac and cheese meets a chicken bacon ranch sandwich. I developed it on a whim one day when I had some leftover bacon slices, chicken thighs, frozen peas, and a bottle of my favorite non-dairy ranch. Staring at all these things in my fridge and freezer gave me the idea for a creamy stovetop pasta dish that incorporates my daughters’ favorite flavors into a one-pot dinner.
This post was created in partnership with Primal Kitchen.
Recipe Highlights
Mostly hands-off: This recipe takes a bit of time to simmer on the stovetop, but most of the time is hands-free. Meaning that, after I saute the bacon and chicken, for the remainder of the cook time I’m free to tidy up the kitchen, set the table, and enjoy the delicious smells wafting from the skillet.
Nourishing: I especially love when a single recipe provides ingredients from many food groups, meaning the nutrient profile is even more well rounded. This recipe is cozy and satisfying, with plenty of energizing carbohydrates, protein, and monounsaturated fats. It’s also a rich source of important vitamins and minerals, including calcium, potassium, B vitamins, and iron.
Great for meal prep: This recipe is a great one for a few different types of meal prep. It can be prepped up to the point of cooking, meaning that I prep many of the ingredients (chop the bacon and chicken, stir together the spices, and shred the cheese) ahead of time. This makes it super quick to get everything cooking. It can also be made start-to-finish, and then simply reheated when it’s time for dinner.
Can use raw or pre-cooked chicken: The recipe, as written, calls for raw chicken that gets sauteed in the skillet after cooking the bacon. This is my preferred method because the chicken gets super flavorful and perfectly browned. However, if you have already cooked chicken to use, it can just be added to the recipe at the same time as adding the peas.
Some Main Ingredients To Gather
This isn’t the full list of ingredients needed, but just a few notes about my favorite ones to use in this creamy chicken bacon ranch dinner recipe.
- Bacon – the bacon is one of the stars here, so I like to use thick-cut uncured bacon so the pieces have a nice bit and hold their own with the other flavors
- Chicken thighs – use organic humanely raised boneless, skinless chicken thighs for this recipe. I don’t recommend using boneless skinless chicken breast because it is too lean and well be overcooked with the longer cooking time required
- Chicken broth – the pasta soaks up the chicken broth, taking on so much flavor. Use homemade chicken bone broth or a favorite store-bought brand. I tend to reach for low-sodium broth so I can control the saltiness by adding salt myself, if needed
- Pasta – I tested this recipe with four different pasta shapes and discovered that traditional fusilli pasta was my favorite. The spirals soak up the flavor of the creamy sauce the best while remaining al dente. But other pasta shapes will work, too, such as macaroni noodles, penne pasta, rotini, rigatoni, and even farfalle
- Cheddar cheese – I recommend shredded cheese right from the block, as it will melt the best. I always pick mild or medium cheddar and find that it melts better than sharp cheddar.
- Half and half – a little bit of half and half goes a long way in turning the broth into a creamy and delicious cheesy sauce that perfectly coats every bite of pasta and chicken. Whole milk, heavy cream, or 2 ounces of cream cheese also will work.
Find the ingredient list with exact measurements in the recipe card below.
Cooking Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta
If you’ve become accustomed to 30-minute dinners and this 50-minute dinner seems fussy at first glance, I can assure you it’s not. The extra cooking time on the skillet is beneficial to make a comfort food dish that is perfectly tender and creamy, with the flavor of bacon bits and ranch seasoning infused throughout the stovetop casserole. Here are the basic steps to get it on the table tonight.
- Saute the bacon and chicken: In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook the bacon until crisp, then remove it to a plate. In the same skillet, brown the chicken in some of the remaining bacon grease.
- Add the broth, pasta, and seasonings: To the chicken in the skillet, add chicken broth, the uncooked pasta, and the dried seasonings.
- Simmer until tender: Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover and cook for 12 minutes. Then stir in the peas, cover again, and cook until the liquid is absorbed, about another 15 minutes.
- Add the ranch: Stir in the ranch dressing, some half and half, and the shredded cheese into the cooked pasta mixture. At the same time, add the cooked bacon back to the skillet. Cover over low heat for 5 minutes more. Then garnish servings with an additional drizzle of ranch dressing and some of the reserved bacon.
For serving size and the complete directions and ingredient amounts, scroll down to the recipe card below. All of our recipes include the nutrition analysis, listing calories (kcals), protein, carbohydrates/carb, fiber, sugar, sodium, cholesterol, and more per serving.
Make It Gluten Free
The only swap needed to make this a gluten-free recipe, is to swap gluten-free pasta for the regular pasta. Use any small gluten-free pasta shape, though I like brown rice fusilli best.
Prep Ahead
To make this recipe come together even faster on weeknights, I’ll meal prep some of the ingredients ahead of time. Here are some of the ingredients that can be prepped in advance:
- Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces and store in an airtight container in the fridge for up 3 days
- Chop the uncooked bacon and store in an airtight container in the fridge for up 3 days
- Combine the spices (garlic powder, onion powder, dried parsley, dill, and black pepper) and store in a small tightly-covered container in the pantry until ready to use
- Shred the cheese and store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days
What To Pair With This Main
I served this dish a few weeks ago when my daughters had their friends over for a game night, and it was an instant hit with them. In fact, my girls tell me that their friends are still talking about the delicious pasta dish they all devoured together between rounds of Twister and Exploding Kittens.
This dish really has everything that’s needed for a well-rounded dinner, in terms of nutrients and food groups represented. But to fill up plates even more, I pair it with a green Italian salad or roasted green beans and some garlic bread, as well as these baked blondies for dessert.
How To Store And Reheat
Store the cooled leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. To reheat, gently heat the pasta in a skillet over medium-high heat, adding a little more broth as needed to help loosen it up.
This dish also can be frozen for up to 3 months. To reheat from frozen, thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then heat in a skillet on the stovetop until warmed through, adding a little more broth as needed to loosen up the pieces.
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One-Pot Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta Recipe
A creamy comfort food dinner the whole family will love, this creamy stovetop pasta casserole is satisfying, well-rounded, full of nutrients and cozy flavors, and cooks all in one dish.
Ingredients
- Cooking spray
- 4 slices thick-cut uncured bacon, chopped (about 4 ounces)
- 1 (8 ounce) block cheddar cheese, shredded (~2 ½ cups)
- 1 ¼ lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into ½-inch pieces
- 3 cups (24 ounces) low-sodium chicken broth
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon dried parsley (optional)
- ¼ teaspoon dried dill
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- 8 ounces uncooked fusilli pasta (use gluten-free if needed)
- 1 ½ cups frozen peas
- ⅓ cup half and half (may substitute whole milk)
- 2 tablespoons Primal Kitchen No-Dairy Ranch Dressing, plus more for serving
- Optional garnish: finely minced fresh parsley, more ranch dressing for drizzling
Instructions
- Place a large skillet (or Dutch oven) with a tight fitting lid over medium-high heat on the stovetop.
- Mist the skillet with cooking spray, then add the chopped bacon. Cook until the bacon is crisp, 7-8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- While the bacon cooks, shred the cheese and set it aside.
- When the bacon is crispy, remove it to a paper towel-lined plate with a slotted spoon and drain all but 2 teaspoons of grease from the skillet.
- Return the skillet to medium-high heat and add chicken pieces in a single layer.
- Cook for 2 minutes, then flip each piece over and cook until partially cooked through, about an additional 2 minutes.
- Increase the heat to high. Add the broth, garlic powder, onion powder, dried parsley, dill, black pepper, and uncooked pasta to the skillet along with the chicken. Stir and bring to a boil.
- When the liquid is boiling, stir the pasta mixture again then cover the skillet with the lid and reduce the heat to medium.
- Cook for 12 minutes, then remove the lid and stir in the peas.
- Replace the lid and cook until the pasta is tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed, an additional 15-17 minutes, stirring once to prevent sticking.
- Reduce the heat to low and add most of the cooked bacon (reserve some for garnish), the half and half, the ranch dressing, and the shredded cheese to the skillet. Stir well to combine, then cover and heat for 5 minutes to melt the cheese.
- Serve topped with fresh chopped parsley and an additional drizzle of ranch dressing, if desired.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
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Notes
Want to use other veggies? Sub finely chopped frozen broccoli or frozen mixed vegetables for the frozen peas.
Want to use pre-cooked chicken? Use 2 ½ cups of cooked and cubed leftover chicken or rotisserie chicken. Add it to the skillet in Step 9 at the same time the frozen peas are added.
For gluten-free, use gluten-free fusilli noodles and reduce the cooking time to accommodate.
Nutrition Information
- Serving Size: 1/6 of the recipe
- Calories: 545
- Fat: 25 g
- (Sat Fat: 13 g)
- Sodium: 665 mg
- Carbohydrate: 40 g
- (Fiber: 4 g
- Sugar: 4 g)
- Protein: 38 g
- Cholesterol: 90 mg
Dietary
The photos in this post were taken by Megan McKeehan.
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