Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta Bake With Rotisserie Chicken
Sometimes dinner starts with a recipe.
Sometimes it starts with a container of rotisserie chicken in the refrigerator and the question, “What are we going to do with this?”
That is how this Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta Bake happened.
We already had cooked rotisserie chicken that needed to be used, so the goal was simple: turn it into something filling enough for the whole family without making dinner complicated.
Pasta, bacon, ranch, Alfredo sauce, and cheese seemed like a pretty safe direction.
It turned out to be more than safe. Everyone loved it.
Several of the kids immediately said this needed to become a weekly meal, which is about as strong an endorsement as a dinner can get around here.
This one is definitely going into the rotation.
Why Rotisserie Chicken Works So Well Here
Rotisserie chicken is one of those ingredients that can make a weeknight dinner considerably easier.
The meat is already cooked, seasoned, and ready to use. Instead of starting dinner by cooking chicken, you can chop or shred what you need and move directly into putting the meal together.
For this pasta bake, we used about 2 to 2 1/2 cups of chopped chicken.
It is also a good way to use leftover chicken when there is not quite enough to serve everyone on its own.
Once it is mixed with pasta, bacon, sauce, and cheese, a few cups of chicken become a full family dinner.
Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta Bake
Ingredients
1 pound penne, rotini, or similar pasta
2 to 2 1/2 cups chopped rotisserie chicken
6 to 8 slices bacon, cooked and chopped
1 jar Alfredo sauce, about 15 ounces
2 packets ranch seasoning
1/2 cup milk, plus a little more if needed
2 cups shredded cheese, cheddar, mozzarella, or a combination
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Black pepper, to taste
Frozen broccoli or peas, optional
You will also need a greased 9 x 13-inch baking dish.
How to Make It
1. Cook the Pasta
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Cook the pasta according to the package directions, but stop about 1 to 2 minutes before it is completely done.
Drain the pasta.
This matters because the pasta will continue cooking while the casserole is in the oven. Starting with slightly undercooked pasta helps keep it from becoming too soft.
2. Make the Chicken Bacon Ranch Mixture
In a large mixing bowl, combine:
Alfredo sauce
1/2 cup milk
Ranch seasoning
Garlic powder
Chopped rotisserie chicken
Chopped bacon
1 cup of the shredded cheese
Black pepper
Stir everything together until the chicken and bacon are well coated.
If you are adding frozen broccoli or peas, stir them in here.
3. Add the Pasta
Add the drained pasta to the bowl and mix until everything is evenly combined.
Take a look at the consistency before transferring it to the baking dish.
If it seems really thick, add another splash of milk.
You want enough sauce to coat everything because the pasta will absorb some of the moisture while it bakes.
4. Assemble the Pasta Bake
Spread the mixture evenly into a greased 9 x 13-inch baking dish.
Top it with the remaining cup of shredded cheese.
Add a little extra chopped bacon over the top if you have some left.
5. Bake
Bake at 375°F for approximately 20 to 25 minutes.
It is ready when the sauce is bubbling around the edges and the cheese on top is completely melted.
Let it sit for a few minutes before serving.
The Ranch Flavor
We use two packets of ranch seasoning in this recipe because we wanted the ranch flavor to actually come through after mixing it with the Alfredo sauce, pasta, chicken, and cheese.
That makes this a fairly bold, savory pasta bake.
If your family prefers a lighter ranch flavor, this would also be an easy recipe to adjust the next time you make it.
That is one advantage of meals like this. Once you have the basic combination figured out, it is easy to tweak.
Adding Vegetables
Broccoli or peas both work well if you want to add a vegetable directly to the casserole.
Frozen vegetables make the most sense here because the whole point of this dinner is keeping it easy.
There is no need to create another pile of prep work just to add vegetables to a weeknight pasta bake.
You could also serve a simple salad, steamed vegetables, or fruit alongside it and leave the casserole alone.
What Made This One a Keeper
We try plenty of meals that are fine.
They feed everybody, nobody really complains, and then we move on.
Every once in a while, though, we make something and the reaction is immediate.
This was one of those dinners.
Everyone loved it, and several of the kids were already asking for it to become a weekly staple before dinner was over.
For a big family, that is useful information.
A meal does not need to be complicated or particularly creative to earn a permanent place in the rotation. It needs to be something people genuinely want to eat and something we can realistically make again on a busy night.
This one checks both boxes.
A Good Way to Use Leftover Rotisserie Chicken
This recipe is also a good reminder that leftovers do not necessarily need to come back to the table looking like leftovers.
A few cups of rotisserie chicken could easily become sandwiches or get reheated alongside a side dish.
Instead, combining it with ingredients we already know the kids like turned it into an entirely different meal.
That is the kind of cooking that works well for us.
Use what is already in the refrigerator, keep the process manageable, and turn it into enough food to feed everybody.
Sometimes those improvised meals end up being the ones everyone asks for again.
And based on the reaction to this one, we will definitely be making Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta Bake again.
Recipe at a Glance
Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta Bake
Cook 1 pound of pasta until 1 to 2 minutes shy of done. Combine 2 to 2 1/2 cups rotisserie chicken, 6 to 8 slices cooked bacon, one 15-ounce jar Alfredo sauce, 2 packets ranch seasoning, 1/2 cup milk, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, black pepper, and 1 cup shredded cheese.
Stir in the cooked pasta and add more milk if needed.
Transfer to a greased 9 x 13-inch baking dish, top with another cup of cheese and extra bacon, then bake at 375°F for 20 to 25 minutes.