Chicken Bacon Ranch Mac & Cheese

missravenskitchen

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!

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Prep Time 10

Cook Time 30

Total Time 40

Course Main Dishes, Pasta

Cuisine American

Servings 6

Calories 1064 kcal

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 ½ cups shredded mild cheddar divided
1 cup shredded mozzarella divided
½ cup grated parmesan cheese
½ 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 9x13 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 before 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 it in advance if you bought the cheese blocks. Cook the bacon and cool it, then store it in a Ziploc bag 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 anti-caking 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.

Keyword Bacon, Chicken, Mac & Cheese, Pasta, Ranch