Pasta is infinitely better packed with cheese and baked into a creamy casserole—this chicken, bacon, ranch combo proves it. File this under the definition of comfort food!
Ranch chicken. Rotini pasta. Homemade alfredo sauce. And bacon. All baked to cheesy ooey gooey perfection. One bite of this and you will be hooked – I promise.
Now there are a few steps to this recipe but if you’re short of time, there’s a few shortcuts that can be taken here.
For starters, leftover rotisserie chicken would be a great way to repurpose leftovers. Store-bought alfredo sauce can also be substituted. And if you are counting your calories for the new year, you can make this sans bacon.
Ingredients:
1/2 lb. bacon, cooked and chopped
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, diced
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 packet dry Ranch dressing mix
8 oz. pasta (I used Shells)
1 cup Mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/2 cup Cheddar cheese, shredded
Salt/Pepper to taste
1 jar Alfredo sauce (14.5 oz)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 and grease a 9 x 9 baking dish.
Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Cook bacon until brown and crispy, about 7 minutes.
Drain fat and place bacon on a paper towel to absorb the grease.
In a gallon size Ziploc bag, add in the olive oil, diced chicken (raw at this point), and Ranch mix.
Shake around in a bag until chicken is evenly coated.
Add chicken to skillet and cook until no longer pink. Set aside.
In a pot of boiling water, cook pasta until al dente.
Drain water and add pasta to greased baking dish.
Add cooked chicken and Alfredo sauce to the pasta.
Sprinkle both kinds of cheese, bacon, and salt/pepper to the top of the Alfredo and place the pan in the oven.
Bake until bubbly and cheese is melted, about 15 minutes.
Remove from oven and serve!!