Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole

This recipe generously serves 6-8. It’s a favorite because it’s super easy to make and tastes like comfort food.

It also leaves plenty of leftovers which re-heat really well.

The Cozy Dinner Story

From April to June our family is consumed with baseball season. With two practices a week and tournaments on most weekends, weeknights can be hectic.

This recipe checks both of my busy night meal planning boxes. Either:

• Takes no more than 30 minutes to cook and prep
• Reheats well from the fridge

With this casserole you can use a rotisserie chicken which makes this dish ready in about 15 minutes of actual cooking/prep time. We make a double recipe on Sunday.

One casserole goes in the freezer for hectic weeks and we enjoy the other. My family loves this casserole and asks for it to be made again a couple times a month.

It’s a popular choice for birthday lunches at school.

What Goes In and Why Each Thing Matters

• 16 oz. spaghetti*
• bacon, cooked, crumbled and divided
• shredded cooked chicken
• one 1.5 oz. package of ranch dressing mix**
• two 10.75-oz. cans of condensed cream of chicken soup***
• one 16 oz. box of cubed Velveeta cheese****
• one cup of low sodium chicken broth*****

*I recommend using spaghetti, however, penne, rotini or ziti will work here as well. Cook according to directions but take off 1-2 minutes so it will finish cooking in the oven and not get mushy.

Drain.

**Use ALL of the ranch. Trust me, you’ll be glad you did.

***Do not dilute these soups with water. We like the thickness of these soups for the casserole.

It’s already seasoned and will be the basis of our casserole’s “sauce”.

****Real cheddar will separate and get grainy. Velveeta will melt together nicely.

*****The heat from the chicken broth will help the cheese melt quickly. Low sodium because the rest of this recipe has plenty of salt.

• Be sure to use a whole packet of ranch mix – I’ve seen recipes that call for less than a whole packet, but I like this casserole to have a very pronounced and definite ranch flavor, not just a hint.
• For the chicken you’ll need about 3 cups of cooked and shredded chicken. If you’d like an easy solution, use a rotisserie chicken which should give you about 3 cups shredded. Of course, use whatever kind of chicken you’d like. Maybe you’ve got some cooked and shredded chicken leftover – perfect. Just use that.
• Cook your bacon beforehand. Adding raw bacon into a casserole and expecting it to cook in the 30 minutes you’ll be baking it at 350°F isn’t going to happen. Your bacon will end up more rubbery than deliciously fatty and well-cooked. Bake about 5-7 slices of bacon, depending on thickness, on a sheet pan at 400°F for 15 minutes or until cooked through and crispy. Remove from oven, allow to cool, then chop up.
• Sharp cheddar tastes better than mild. Use about 1 cup shredded/grated sharp cheddar.

How to Make Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole

Bring spaghetti to a boil according to package directions until al dente, drain, and set aside. Preheat oven to 350°F.

In a large bowl combine spaghetti, 2 cans cream of chicken soup, cubed Velveeta, warmed chicken broth, ranch seasoning, and shredded chicken. Stir to combine, as at this point it’ll be pretty unappealing with the large Velveeta cubes that haven’t melted.

Stir, wait a couple minutes, and stir again, since the warm chicken broth will help the cheese to melt. It will be perfectly creamy after a few minutes.

Pour the spaghetti and chicken mixture evenly into a 9×13 baking dish. Top with grated sharp cheddar cheese and sprinkle with chopped up bacon.

Bake, uncovered, for about 30 minutes or until bubbling around the edges, not just the center. The cheese should be melted with some browned spots.

Pull the pan out of the oven and let it rest for 5-10 minutes so the sauce will thicken a bit and it’s easier to serve up nice scoops. Serve it with garlic bread and a simple leafy green salad and dinner’s done.

How It Keeps and the Freezer Strategy

Leftovers will last about four days, covered, in the fridge. To reheat an individual serving, cover and microwave for about 90 seconds.

To reheat the entire pan, cover it tightly with foil and bake at 325° for 15-20 minutes.

This is a great casserole to make ahead and freeze. Prepare the casserole but don’t bake it.

Cover it tightly with foil and refrigerate up to 24 hours ahead of time or freeze it. Bake directly from the freezer at 350°F for 60-75 minutes.

Cover with foil for the first 45 minutes. If making from the fridge, just add an additional 10-15 minutes of cooking time.

This comes in SO HANDY on hectic practice nights.

Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole FAQ

Can I Use Real Cheddar Cheese Instead of Velveeta?

In my experience, real cheddar cheese doesn’t melt as well in casserole dishes. It can get a little oily and grainy instead of melting smoothly to form a nice, creamy, cheesy sauce.

If you want to make this recipe with real shredded cheddar cheese, I would use it on top of the casserole for melting, not mixed into the casserole ingredients.

Can I Substitute the Velveeta Cheese with Something else?

My most fail-proof Velveeta sub is shredded deli white American cheese.

Can I Use Rotisserie Chicken?

Absolutely. That’s how I usually make it.

It makes the recipe super-easy to pull together. Use about 3 cups shredded rotisserie chicken.

Can I Use Raw Chicken?

Absolutely. Instead of adding in the cooked chicken with the rest of the ingredients, bake two chicken breasts in a 375 degree oven for about 25 minutes or cook them for 15 minutes on high pressure in the Instant Pot.

Let cool, shred, then mix with the rest of the ingredients. Cover and bake as directed.

Can I Use a Different Kind of Pasta?

Any kind of short pasta would be good in this dish, such as rotini, elbow macaroni, penne or ziti. Just make sure you have a full pound.

If this casserole doesn’t disappear from your table, I’m shocked.

Other Casseroles That Disappear Just as Fast

• Slow Cooker Crack Chicken Pasta – Same chicken-bacon-ranch goodness but made in your slow cooker instead of the oven.
• Spaghetti Casserole – Spaghetti and meat sauce with a sneaky cottage cheese layer.
• Crockpot Lasagna – Use regular old dried lasagna noodles and leave them in the Crockpot for 4 hands-off hours.
• Pork Chop and Hashbrown Casserole – Seasoned pork chops baked on top of creamy hashbrowns.