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Creamy, 3-cheese cheesy, ranch-seasoned mac and cheese loaded with chicken, crispy bacon, and more ranch dressing! This comforting twist on mac & cheese will have your picky kids wanting second servings. You’ll get ranch flavor in every bite of this dish, I promise you that!
With inspiration taken from the chicken bacon ranch pizza that’s ever so popular at a local pizzeria in my old hometown, I decided to create a recipe with this combination. Usually, this combination is called “crack chicken”, which I totally understand why. Crack chicken contains cream cheese, and while my recipe doesn’t have that, you can totally add it!
I’ve been craving something with chicken, bacon, and ranch, so I figured why not mac & cheese? You can’t go wrong with that! Let me tell you, creating this recipe was a genius idea. It’s really hard to not love pasta, a 3 cheese sauce, ranch, crispy bacon, and juicy chicken. It’s also a good way to use up any leftover chicken and that ranch dressing bottle that’s been sitting in your pantry/fridge.
I also used a ranch seasoning packet for the chicken. Yes, I know I’m the one that says “make your own seasoning!”, however, it was needed for this recipe. When heating the chicken in the Dutch oven after frying the bacon, I added the ranch seasoning packet. It turned into a sauce-like consistency and coated the chicken beautifully. The ranch dressing is used in the cheese sauce itself, so you get the best of both worlds, in terms of that delicious ranch! (I love ranch dressing so much).
How to make Chicken Bacon Ranch Mac & Cheese
Don’t be fooled by how many ingredients and cheese go into this dish. My recipe is simple and easy to follow. It can take a little while to make if you do it all at once (like I did.) You can easily prep this recipe ahead of time so it’s less work. (Full ingredient amounts and complete instructions are available in the recipe card down below).
- Cooked Chicken: Leftover chicken or store-bought rotisserie will cut some time. If you don’t have leftover chicken, you can easily sauté 2-3 chicken breasts or 4-5 thighs with the ranch seasoning, then shred or dice.
- Bacon Slices: I personally prefer thick-cut bacon because regularly sliced bacon gets lost in dishes if it’s not a garnish. If you’re looking to budget, you can use precooked bacon and chop it up. Just use some veggie oil when heating the chicken since the bacon fat won’t be there.
- Mild Cheddar, Mozzarella, Parmesan: The addition of the mozzarella gives the sauce that cheesy pull you want when you go for a bite of this mac & cheese. I prefer shredding my own cheese, which in some cases, the block of cheese is actually cheaper than the pre-shredded cheese! Shredding your own cheese is better because it melts so much better. Pre-shredded cheese is coated with an anti-caking powder that prevents it from melting to its gooiest potential. If you’re on a budget, then by all means you can use the shredded cheese over the blocks if it’s cheaper.
- Elbow Pasta: I used small elbows, but you can use medium or small shells, or larger elbow pasta.
- Garlic
- Ranch Seasoning and Ranch Dressing: The ranch seasoning is sprinkled onto the chicken. The dressing is used in the cheese sauce to pack in more ranch flavors! Plus, some dressing gets drizzled on top for the perfect touch.
- Butter, Flour, Milk, Heavy Cream: The base for the sauce. The butter and flour make a roux (a paste) that thickens up the cream and milk as it simmers.
Boil the pasta 1 minute from al dente. Drain and set aside. Preheat the oven to 375F and grease a 3 qt or 9×13 baking dish and set aside. In a large skillet or Dutch oven, cook the bacon over medium-low heat until crisp. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon. Reserve 1 tbsp of the bacon grease and drain the rest. Turn the heat to medium heat. Add the chicken to the skillet with the ranch seasoning packet, stirring to coat, with the reserved bacon fat until heated through, and the ranch seasoning turns into a sauce-like consistency. Remove the chicken and set it aside. Add in the butter and garlic and cook for a few seconds, stirring to coat. Sprinkle in the flour then whisk to form a paste (roux). Slowly add in the heavy cream & milk, whisking as you pour. Continue whisking until it starts to thicken up. Add in some of the cheddar, half of the mozzarella, and the parmesan. Whisk until melted completely. Stir in the ranch dressing. Toss in the cooked pasta, chicken, and half of the bacon. Top with the remaining cheddar and mozzarella. Bake uncovered until the cheese is melted and the mac & cheese is bubbling. Top with the remaining bacon and drizzle with extra ranch dressing.
Tips & FAQs
- Storage: Keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Make Ahead: You can boil the pasta 1 minute away from al dente, drain it then toss with a bit of olive oil to prevent from sticking. Cool and refrigerate. As for the cheese, you can shred them in advance if you bought the cheese blocks. Cook the bacon and cool, then store in a ziploc or container in the fridge. If you need to cook the chicken, cook it then cool and refrigerate. I would not recommend assembling the mac & cheese a day in advance. The pasta will soak up some of the sauce, and it also won’t be as creamy. When it’s time to cook dinner, all you’ll need to do is heat the chicken and ranch seasoning, make the sauce, assemble, then bake!
- Substitute cream cheese for mozzarella for a “crack chicken” type of mac & cheese. Replace 1/2 cup of mozzarella with 4 oz of cream cheese and stir all of the cream cheese into the cheese sauce. Keep the remaining 1/2 cup of mozzarella to top the mac & cheese with. You may need to add a little more milk if the sauce gets too thick.
- Switch the pasta for a different shape. This mac & cheese works best with shorter types such as elbows or shells, but feel free to switch the type. You can use bowtie, rotini, or cavatappi! I recommend those over other cuts of pasta.
- Grating your own cheeses: To get the truly creamy cheese sauce, grating your own cheese will do the trick (minus the parmesan. You can get that already grated!). Pre-shredded cheeses in the bags contain an anticaking agent that prevents the cheese from clumping in the package, which prevents it from melting to its gooiest potential. It also leaves behind a grainy texture when used in a cheese sauce.
Want the recipe? Click print below! Let me know how it came out for you by tagging me on Instagram (@missravenskitchen) and using #missravenskitchen! Follow my Facebook page for updates as well! Let me know if I need to tweak anything.
Chicken Bacon Ranch Mac & Cheese
Ingredients
- 16 oz elbow pasta
- 3 cups shredded or diced cooked chicken
- 10 slices bacon, chopped
- 1 oz ranch seasoning packet
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter
- 3 tbsp flour
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 cup milk
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 1/2 cups shredded mild cheddar, divided
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella, divided
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup ranch dressing, plus more for drizzle
Instructions
- Boil the pasta 1 minute away from al dente. Drain and set aside. Drizzle with a bit of olive oil to prevent it from sticking together while you make the mac & cheese.
- Preheat the oven to 375F. Grease a 3 qt or 9×13 baking dish and set aside.
- In a large skillet or Dutch oven, cook the bacon over medium-low heat until crisp, about 8 minutes. Remove the bacon onto a plate lined with a paper towel. Reserve 1 tbsp of the bacon grease and drain the rest.
- Turn the heat to medium heat. Return the 1 tbsp of bacon grease to the skillet, then add in the chicken and ranch seasoning packet. Cook until heated through, stirring to coat the chicken in the seasoning. Remove the chicken and set aside in a bowl.
- Add the butter and garlic to the skillet and cook for 30 seconds. Sprinkle in the flour, whisking to form a paste. Cook for 1-2 minutes, then slowly pour in the heavy cream and milk, whisking continuously as you pour. Continue whisking until it starts to thicken up.
- Add in 1 cup of cheddar, 1/2 cup of mozzarella, and all of the parmesan cheese. Stir until the cheese has fully melted. Stir in the ranch dressing. Season with salt and pepper to your liking.
- Toss in the pasta, chicken, and half of the bacon. Pour it into the greased baking dish then top with the remaining cheese.
- Bake, uncovered, for 25-30 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the mac & cheese is bubbling. Top with the remaining bacon and drizzle with ranch dressing.
Notes
Storage: Keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Make Ahead: You can boil the pasta 1 minute away from al dente, drain it then toss it with a bit of olive oil to prevent it from sticking. Cool and refrigerate. As for the cheese, you can shred them in advance if you bought the cheese blocks. Cook the bacon and cool it, then store it in a Ziploc or container in the fridge. If you need to cook the chicken, cook it then cool and refrigerate. I would not recommend assembling the mac & cheese a day in advance. The pasta will soak up some of the sauce, and it also won’t be as creamy. When it’s time to cook dinner, all you’ll need to do is heat the chicken and ranch seasoning, make the sauce, assemble, then bake!
Cooked Chicken: Leftover chicken or store-bought rotisserie will cut some time. If you don’t have leftover chicken, you can easily sauté 2-3 chicken breasts or 4-5 thighs with the ranch seasoning, then shred or dice.
Bacon Slices: I personally prefer thick-cut bacon because regularly sliced bacon gets lost in dishes if it’s not a garnish. If you’re looking to budget, you can use precooked bacon and chop it up. Just use some veggie oil when heating the chicken since the bacon fat won’t be there.
Mild Cheddar, Mozzarella, Parmesan: The addition of the mozzarella gives the sauce that cheesy pull you want when you go for a bite of this mac & cheese. I prefer shredding my own cheese, which in some cases, the block of cheese is actually cheaper than the pre-shredded cheese! Shredding your own cheese is better because it melts so much better. Pre-shredded cheese is coated with an anti-caking powder that prevents it from melting to its gooiest potential. If you’re on a budget, then by all means you can use the shredded cheese over the blocks if it’s cheaper.
Substitute cream cheese for mozzarella for a “crack chicken” type of mac & cheese. Replace 1/2 cup of mozzarella with 4 oz of cream cheese and stir all of the cream cheese into the cheese sauce. Keep the remaining 1/2 cup of mozzarella to top the mac & cheese with. You may need to add a little more milk if the sauce gets too thick.
Switch the pasta for a different shape. This mac & cheese works best with shorter types such as elbows or shells, but feel free to switch the type. You can use bowtie, rotini, or cavatappi! I recommend those over other cuts of pasta.
Grating your own cheeses: To get the truly creamy cheese sauce, grating your own cheese will do the trick (minus the parmesan. You can get that already grated!). Pre-shredded cheeses in the bags contain an anticaking agent that prevents the cheese from clumping in the package, which prevents it from melting to its gooiest potential. It also leaves behind a grainy texture when used in a cheese sauce.
Nutrition Facts
Calories
884Fat (grams)
81.29 gSat. Fat (grams)
39.66 gCarbs (grams)
71.17 gFiber (grams)
4.57 gSugar (grams)
7.75 gProtein (grams)
50.03 gSodium (milligrams)
999.14 mgCholesterol (grams)
241.95 mgThe nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and the brands of ingredients used.
Miss Raven's Kitchen 
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