This chicken bacon ranch casserole is one of our family’s favorite dinners. If you need an easy dinner idea you simply cannot go wrong with this one!
And, with flavors like chicken, bacon, ranch and pasta – how can you argue that?
Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole Recipe
It’s baseball season – ahhh! This means I always try to make big easy dinners that will leave leftovers. Our son has practice two nights a week and then tournaments almost every weekend through the end of June. I have a love/hate relationship with baseball to say the least. 😉
With that being said, when I make dinner I try and make a casserole that will have plenty of leftovers so that on practice nights I can heat something up and be out the door.
This chicken bacon ranch casserole is one of my go to dinners during baseball months for this reason. It’s a cheesy chicken bacon concoction that the entire family loves. And, it’s so simple too.
Is this kind of like a crack chicken spaghetti?
Yes, yes it is! If you’re familiar with the (terrible) term “crack chicken” then you know that it’s a “made up” recipe name for the flavor combination of chicken, bacon, ranch and cheese.
It’s meant to be funny because the combination of flavors is so addicting. And, althoguh it is, I decided to name this recipe chicken bacon ranch casserole because crack chicken spaghetti seemed a little harsh – either way – this is worth making. 🙂
More popular crack chicken recipes:
Crack Chicken Crockpot Chicken Sandwiches
Crack Chicken Instant Pot Recipe
Crescent Roll Crack Chicken Recipe
What is in this Chicken Bacon Ranch Recipe?
1 (16 oz.) package spaghetti, cooked and drained
2 (10.75 oz.) cans cream of chicken soup
16 oz. Velveeta cheese, cubed
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth (warmed up)
1/2 cup milk
1 (1.5 oz.) package dry ranch mix
3 cups cooked chicken, shredded or cubed (I make shredded chicken in the Instant Pot)
5-7 slices of bacon, cooked and diced
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated
How do I put together this Cheesy Chicken Bacon Deliciousness?
I’m not even going to lie. This chicken bacon recipe just won’t get any easier for you.
It’s literally a set and forget kind of dinner. And, what’s super nice about it too is that you can make this casserole ahead of time, put it in the fridge and bake it when you’re ready.
Or, you could double the batch while you’re making it and freeze it so that you can thaw and bake the second casserole later, too. The possibilities are endless. 🙂
To get this casserole whipped up, take a big bowl (like this big) and combine all of the ingredients minus the bacon and cheese. Once you’ve combined the cream of chicken soup, chicken, Velveeta, pasta, dry ranch mix, milk and chicken broth, stir it well and pour into a casserole dish.
Top with cheese and bacon and bake uncovered 30 minutes in a 350 degree preheated oven.
Enjoy!
Kitchen tools I use when making my cheesy chicken bacon casserole:
Instant Pot (for making shredded chicken)
Boiling Pot (for making spaghetti noodles)
Jelly Roll Pan (for baking bacon)
Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 16 oz. package spaghetti, cooked and drained
- 2 10.75 oz. cans cream of chicken soup
- 16 oz. Velveeta cheese cubed
- 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth warmed up
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 1.5 oz. package dry ranch mix
- 3 cups cooked chicken shredded or cubed (I make shredded chicken in the Instant Pot)
- 5-7 slices of bacon cooked and diced
- 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese grated
Instructions
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Combine all of the ingredients minus the bacon and cheese.
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Pour into a casserole dish.
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Top casserole with cheese and bacon.
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Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 30 minutes
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Enjoy!
What size pan should I use?
Hi Dianne,
I used a 10×8, but you could use a larger dish. Just keep an eye on it while baking.
Kate
Mine was full to the top using a 9×13 pan.
Do you cook the chicken and bacon before putting it in the oven?
I believe it does say cooked chicken and bacon. I plan on using a Sams club rotisserie chicken to make it easier.????
I really do not like Velveeta cheese. Can I substitute some other type of cheese and the casserole still come out good?
Hi Sandra, You certainly can, but it might not be quite as creamy.
I hope you enjoy it!
Kate
I’m going to do this recipe
A good substitute for velveeta is havarti cheese just as creamy 😋
I made this according to the recipe and it was wayyyyy too cheesy! If I make it again I’ll use half as much velveeta!!
My husbands comment was, “more chicken, less cheese”!!
OK, help, do you melt the velvetta with the soup and the broth before combining? I would like to make this today