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Penne pasta, creamy Alfredo and crispy bacon come together to create this Chicken Bacon Ranch Baked Penne. It’s filled with so many palate-pleasers that are sure to leave you wanting more!
I would be lying if I said this Chicken Bacon Ranch Baked Penne recipe wasn’t one of my favorites on my blog. It’s just so creamy, cheesy and basically a pan full of comfort! What’s not to love?
If things weren’t already amazing, there’s also tender chicken and ranch flavoring to accompany all the other delicious ingredients. It’s a dish that combines all the things we love about comfort foods, and I’m totally here for it!
While this pasta dish is perfect to make year round, I especially love to make it around the colder months. There’s nothing better than sitting around the dinner table with your family on a cold night enjoying a warm bowl of this heavenly Chicken Bacon Ranch Baked Penne.
It’s a dish the whole family will adore, and that’s coming from a mother who has a few picky eaters in her house. 😉
This baked penne also makes for the perfect take-in meal for that neighbor, friend, or family member who could use a helping hand. It’s so simple to make, comes together easily, and is always a crowd-pleaser!
To really create the ultimate comforting meal, you could serve this pasta dish with a side of Garlic Parmesan Breadsticks, Gorgonzola Garlic Bread, or a simple salad!
This dish is so delicious and filled with hearty ingredients that it’s perfect to serve as is. But for those of you who like a little more to their meals, those would be some tasty options! 🙂
MORE DELICIOUS PASTA DISHES YOU MAY ALSO LIKE:
Red and White Pasta
Creamy Pasta Primavera
Chicken Ranch Pasta Bake
Chicken Alfredo Pasta Bake
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5 from 11 votes
Chicken Bacon Ranch Baked Penne
Prep Time 25 minutes minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes minutes
Servings 6
Ingredients
Alfredo Sauce
- 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup heaving whipping cream
- 1/2 cup milk (2% or whole milk)
- 3/4 cup salted butter
- 1 block (8 ounces) cream cheese
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Chicken Bacon Ranch Penne
- 1 pound penne pasta
- 1/2 pound cooked chicken breast, chopped (A rotisserie chicken works great in this recipe. I also like to add a little ranch seasoning to my chicken for added flavor. This is optional.)
- 1/2 cup prepared ranch dressing
- 6 slices cooked bacon, chopped
- 1 cup freshly grated Mozzarella cheese
- freshly chopped parsley (optional)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Set aside.
Start on Alfredo Sauce: In a small bowl combine flour, heavy whipping cream and milk. Whisk until smooth and combined. Set aside.
In a medium saucepan, over medium-low heat, add butter and cream cheese. Stir with a whisk until both are melted. (When they start to melt it will look curdled at first, but it will gradually smooth out.)
Slowly add in flour/milk mixture to saucepan. Continue to whisk until mixture starts to thicken. This takes a few minutes. Once thickened and hot, remove from heat. Stir in Parmesan cheese and garlic powder until sauce is smooth and creamy. Set aside.
For Baked Penne: Cook penne pasta in a large pot of water until al dente. Drain water and return pasta to pot. Add the cooked chicken, Alfredo sauce and ranch dressing. Carefully stir to combine. Pour mixture into prepared baking dish; spreading out evenly.
Sprinkle chopped bacon and Mozzarella cheese evenly all over the top. (You can lightly season with pepper, if desired.) Place dish in oven and bake, uncovered, for 25 minutes or until hot, bubbly and cheese is melted. Carefully remove from oven. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Serve with fresh chopped Parsley, if desired. Enjoy!
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Made this tonight for the family- everyone loved it! I used a rotisserie chicken – so easy!
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For the chicken bacon penne, my husband loathes ranch dressing. What else could I substitute for it?
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You can leave out the ranch dressing and add more Alfredo sauce.
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I made a double recipe of this and I also used to the bacon grease to grease the inside of the casserole dish everybody loves it and it’s such an easy recipe to adapt to any family.
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Happy to hear it was a winner for your family 🙂
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Thank you
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Wondering…can this be made up the night beFore?
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Yes, it can. Make it up until the baking point. Don’t bake. Cover tightly and keep in fridge until ready to bake. It will need to bake longer though since it’ll be cold from sitting in the fridge overnight.
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Making this for my son’s wedding!!
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Sooo good, my family loved it! I am going to add broccoli the next time and not so many noodles.Reply
See AlsoChicken Parmesan Casserole
This meal is amazing ! ABSOLUTELY love it. I instant pot my chicken so it made the meal Quicker To make . And i added onions to my dish ! It was great !Reply
Absolutely good. First time I accidentally forgot the ranch lol. it was still good, the next 3 times I’ve made it it was the bomb.Reply
My daughter and I loved it. We wanted to try something new and this was perfect. Thank you.Reply
Can i make this with rotini instead of penne? Im fresh out of penNe; i used it last night to make this recipe. Absolutely delicious.
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Yes absolutely! Just use the same amount of rotini you would as the penne 🙂
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Recipe sounds great! Can’t wait to make it. Just to clarify…..the 1/2 cup of prepared ranch dressing. This is not just the powder mix in the packer, it’s actually prepared dressing???
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Yes, liquid ranch dressing in the bottle 🙂
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Can I use store bought Alfredo for this dish?
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Yes 🙂
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If I use store bought Alfredo, about how many ounces do you recommend? Not sure the volume the homemade version makes. Making for Mother’s day and need a quick version. Thanks
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Hi Janice, about 2 cups (16 ounces) of prepared Alfredo should work great!
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So good! I cant stay away from this, i make it about 3 times a month Thank You!Reply
My son loves this dish , now we eat it at least twice a week. It’s delicious.Reply
How much does this recipe serve?
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This recipe makes 6 to 8 servings 🙂
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When I combined the butter and the cream cheese, it stayed curdled and separated, but never did smooth out. How long does it usually take for the cream cheese and butter to smooth out? I think maybe my pan was too hot.
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Sorry about that Tabitha. Your pan may have been too hot, like you said. Make sure to heat it over low heat, and use a whisk and stir a lot. It does combine eventually. 🙂
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Love this dish, always a got to. Can this be frozen before the final bake?Reply
My son loves this recipe and ask for it twice a month.Reply
We made this monday night so we are going to have the left overs today. What would be the best way of warming it up? Putting it in a pot and adding more sauce and ranch or jusy putting it back in. The oven?Reply
Brittny, I like to warm it up on the stove top in a pot. I add a splash or two of milk to bring back some moisture to it as well. 🙂
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Delicious! I’ve made it at least 10 times now and it’s perfect every time!Reply
this recipe is delicious! I made it tonight and everyone loved it! went right by recipe.Reply
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