Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta
If you love creamy, cheesy pasta and big, bold flavors, you’re going to flip for this easy chicken bacon ranch pasta recipe!
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 686kcal
Ingredients
For the homemade ranch seasoning mix:
- ¼ cup buttermilk powder
- 2 tablespoons dried parsley
- 1 tablespoon dried dill
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon dried chives
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
For the chicken and pasta:
- 4 strips bacon
- A splash of olive oil
- 2 small chicken breasts skinless and boneless
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 ¼ cup uncooked pasta like fusilli or penne
- 1 ½ tablespoon butter
- 1 ½ tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 ¼ cup sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 ¼ cup heavy cream
- 1 ½ tablespoon homemade ranch seasoning mix (from above)
Instructions
- Make the ranch seasoning: In a small bowl, mix all the ingredients for the homemade ranch seasoning. Set aside.
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add your bacon slices and cook until crispy. Remove the bacon and place it onto the paper towels to drain. Once cooled enough the handle, chop the bacon and set aside.
- Wipe the skillet from the bacon grease. Add a splash of olive oil and heat it over medium-high heat. Cut the chicken into thin slices. Season the chicken to taste with salt and pepper.
- Add the chicken to a heated skillet and cook for 3-4 minutes per side. Set the chicken aside and once the chicken is cold enough, cut it into desired-size pieces.
- Cook the pasta in a pot of salted boiling water until al dente. Drain the pasta and set aside. Reserve ¼ cup of the pasta water and set aside.
- Prepare the sauce: In the same skillet you used for the chicken, melt butter. Once the butter is melted, add flour. Cook the flour until fragrant and smells like popcorn.
- Carefully whisk in the cream and pasta water. Bring to a gentle boil.
- Stir in the prepared ranch seasoning mix. Gradually stir in the cheese.
- Once your cheese is incorporated and melted, add the cooked chicken and pasta. Stir gently to combine all.
- Serve pasta topped with crumbled bacon.
Notes
- You can use your bacon fat to cook the chicken in it. This will intensify the bacon flavor.
- I used sharp white cheddar for this recipe. You can use the mild one which has less tangy flavor. Besides white, you can use classic orange cheddar.
- For this recipe you can use chicken breast fillets or skinless and boneless chicken thighs.
- Always use freshly shredded cheese. Do not go with the pre-shredded version.
- Instead of plain bacon, you can use smoked bacon for a unique twist on this recipe.
Nutrition
Calories: 686kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 54g | Saturated Fat: 30g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 181mg | Sodium: 919mg | Potassium: 397mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 1603IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 308mg | Iron: 1mg