Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta

This quick pasta dish hits the spot - pasta, chicken, and bacon are paired with a ranch-flavored cheese sauce.

• Preparation Time: 10 mins
• Cooking Time: 20 mins
• Total Time: 30 mins
• Calories: 606 Calories

Ingredients

• 1 pinch salt
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 tablespoon dry ranch dressing mix
• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1.5 cups 2% milk
• 3.75 cups uncooked rotini pasta
• 4 thick-cut bacon slices
• 0.5 cup reserved pasta water
• 5 teaspoons dry ranch dressing mix

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil; cook rotini at a boil until tender yet firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Drain rotini, saving 1/2 cup of pasta water.

Step 2

Meanwhile, place bacon in a large skillet and cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until evenly browned and crispy, about 10 minutes. Remove bacon and drain on paper towels. Leave rendered bacon grease in the skillet.

Step 3

Sprinkle chicken pieces with 1 tablespoon ranch seasoning. Add to the skillet with the bacon grease and cook until golden brown, 5 to 8 minutes. Remove cooked chicken from skillet and set aside.

Step 4

Rinse out skillet. Melt down 2 tablespoon butter in the skillet over medium heat. Whisk in flour until smooth and thickened, about 2 minutes. Slowly add in milk, whisking until sauce is smooth. Add pasta water ,1 tablespoon at a time, if the sauce is too thick.

Step 5

Stir softened cream cheese into sauce until well combined. Mix in remaining 5 teaspoons of ranch seasoning and season with salt. Mix until well combined. Add cooked pasta and chicken back into the skillet and mix until well coated with sauce.

Step 6

Finely chop cooked bacon. Mix into pasta dish. Serve garnished with chopped parsley if desired.