Chicken Bacon Ranch Penne
This creamy, cheesy easy to make pasta casserole is the perfect comfort food for a cold winter night!
Servings: 12
Calories: 745kcal
Ingredients
- 12 slices bacon cooked and chopped, divided
- 6 cups penne pasta (about 4 cups dry) cooked and drained
- 2 pounds (3 or 4) boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into bite size pieces
- 1½ tsp salt divided
- ½ tsp pepper
- 3 tbsp Ranch dressing mix divided
- 8 tbsp (1 stick) butter divided
- 2 tbsp olive oil divided
- ⅔ cup yellow onion chopped
- 2 tsp minced garlic
- ½ cup flour
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 can cream of chicken soup
- ½ cup shaved parmesan cheese
- ½ cup sun dried tomatoes patted dry (if oil packed) and chopped
- 3 cups Italian style cheese
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley or 2 teaspoons dried parsley, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350º. Grease 9x13 in pan.
- In a medium bowl, combine chicken with ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper, and 2 tablespoons of Ranch dressing mix.
- Cook bacon and penne and set aside.
- In a large skillet over medium high heat, melt 4 tablespoons butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Chop raw chicken into bite sized pieces also trimming off any unwanted pieces of fat. Add chicken to pan and put the lid on. Cook for about 3 min then check the inside of a chicken bite. Once finished, remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
- Reduce heat to medium. Saute onion in pan drippings until soft and translucent. Add garlic and saute for 1 more minute.
- To the same pan (with the onion and garlic), add 4 tablespoons butter. When butter is melted, add flour, Italian seasoning, basil, remaining 1 teaspoon salt, and remaining 1 tablespoon Ranch dressing mix. Stir.
- Using a whisk, gradually add chicken broth (½ cup at a time), stirring to combine well with the flour mixture. Add heavy cream. Add cream of chicken soup. Continue to stir, heating until bubbly. Add parmesan and stir until cheese is melted. Remove from heat.
- To the sauce, add 8 slices chopped bacon, sun-dried tomatoes, chicken, and pasta. Combine.
- Pour pasta mixture into a greased 9x13 pan. Sprinkle with the remaining 4 pieces of chopped bacon. Top with Italian cheese. Sprinkle with dried or fresh chopped parsley, if desired.
- Bake uncovered at 350º for 30 minutes or until cheese is melted and edges are bubbly.
Video
Nutrition
Calories: 745kcal | Carbohydrates: 55g | Protein: 37g | Fat: 41g | Saturated Fat: 20g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 14g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 145mg | Sodium: 1531mg | Potassium: 747mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 1068IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 308mg | Iron: 3mg