Crack Chicken Pasta is a creamy, cheesy one-pot dinner built on the famous chicken, bacon and ranch combination: bite-sized chicken browned in bacon fat, tossed with ranch seasoning, then penne cooked right in chicken broth and stirred into a sauce of cream cheese, cheddar and mozzarella with crispy bacon. It serves 6 and is ready in about 40 minutes in a single skillet.
How to make it: Cook the bacon, brown the chicken in the bacon fat and coat it in ranch mix. Add the dry penne and broth, simmer covered until the pasta is tender, then stir in cream cheese, bacon, cheddar and mozzarella. Melt a little more cheddar on top and serve.
Why You’ll Love It
- One pan: the pasta cooks right in the skillet with everything else.
- Chicken, bacon and ranch: the crack chicken flavors everyone asks for.
- Creamy and cheesy: cream cheese, cheddar and mozzarella.
- About 40 minutes: 10 minutes of prep and 30 on the stove.
What Is Crack Chicken?
“Crack chicken” is the nickname for dishes that combine chicken, ranch seasoning, cream cheese, cheddar and bacon. The same flavors show up in casseroles, soups, chili and slow cooker shredded chicken. In this recipe the combination becomes a creamy pasta dinner made in one skillet.
Ingredient Notes
Bacon: Four strips, cooked crisp and crumbled. The fat stays in the pan to brown the chicken.
Chicken: One pound of boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into bite-sized pieces.
Ranch seasoning mix: One 1-ounce packet. Add a second packet if you want a stronger ranch flavor.
Penne: Eight ounces of dry penne, about half a box. Any short pasta shape works.
Chicken broth: Four cups of low-sodium broth, which the pasta cooks in.
Cheeses: Four ounces of room-temperature cream cheese for the sauce, a cup and a half of shredded cheddar (divided) and a cup of shredded mozzarella. Grated Parmesan and fresh parsley to finish.
Ingredients
- 4 strips bacon
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 ounce ranch seasoning mix (1 packet)
- 8 ounces dry penne pasta (half a box)
- 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- Grated Parmesan cheese, for serving
- Fresh parsley, for serving
How to Make Crack Chicken Pasta
1. Cook the bacon. Cook the bacon in a large sauté pan or cast iron skillet over medium heat until crispy. Move it to a paper towel-lined plate and crumble it.
2. Brown the chicken. Leave the bacon fat in the skillet, add the chicken and cook 2 to 3 minutes, until it begins to brown. It finishes cooking in the next steps.
3. Add the ranch. Sprinkle the ranch mix over the chicken and stir to coat.
4. Cook the pasta in the broth. Add the pasta and pour in the broth. Stir and bring to a boil, then lower the heat, cover and cook 15 to 20 minutes, stirring now and then, until the pasta is just past al dente and the chicken reaches 165°F.
5. Make it creamy. Uncover and stir in the cream cheese until it melts into a creamy sauce.
6. Add bacon and cheese. Stir in the bacon and 1 cup each of the cheddar and mozzarella until melted. Sprinkle the remaining cheddar on top, cover for about 1 minute to melt, and serve with Parmesan and parsley.
How to Get the Sauce Just Right
Cooking the pasta right in the broth means you have to watch the liquid. These tips keep it creamy.
Do not overcook the chicken at the start. Brown it for only about 3 minutes. It keeps cooking while the pasta simmers and reaches 165°F by the time the pasta is done.
Stir while it simmers. Give the pan a stir now and then during the covered simmer.
Too thin? Uncover it. If the sauce looks too loose after the cream cheese goes in, let it simmer for a few minutes with the lid off so some of the liquid cooks away.
Remember it thickens as it sits. Cream cheese sauces get thicker as they cool, so a sauce that looks a little loose in the pan will be just right on the plate.
Use a heavy pan. A cast iron skillet holds everything and spreads the heat evenly.
Tips for Success
Can I use cooked chicken?
Yes. Use leftover cubed or shredded chicken: skip browning, add the ranch mix with the pasta, and stir the chicken in once the pasta is cooked.
Can I cook the bacon ahead?
Yes. Cook and crumble it ahead, keep it in the refrigerator, and stir it in as directed. Use a little oil to brown the chicken if you do not have the bacon fat.
What pasta works best?
Penne, but any short pasta shape works.
How do I make it more ranch-flavored?
Add a second packet of ranch seasoning mix.
Variations
- Sour cream version: Add sour cream, a little minced onion and garlic to the sauce.
- With cream of chicken soup: Make it in one pot with a can of cream of chicken soup and a whole 8-ounce block of cream cheese.
- Instant Pot: Sauté the chicken, add ranch, uncooked pasta, cream cheese and water, cook 4 minutes on high pressure, quick-release, then stir in milk, cheddar and bacon.
- Broiled top: Move it to a baking dish, top with extra cheese and bacon, and broil 2 to 3 minutes until golden.
Storage & Reheating
Refrigerate: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator within 2 hours and eat them within 3 days.
Reheat: Reheat on the stove or individual servings in the microwave until hot (165°F). Stir in a splash of broth or milk if it has thickened.
Freezing: Cream cheese sauces do not freeze well, so enjoy it from the refrigerator.
What to Serve With It
Serve it with a green salad or a simple vegetable on the side.
Love these flavors? Try crack chicken casserole, crack chicken soup, crack chicken chili, slow cooker cream cheese crack chicken or chicken bacon ranch tater tot casserole. For another creamy chicken pasta, make chicken bacon spinach penne.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is in crack chicken pasta?
Chicken, bacon, ranch seasoning, penne, chicken broth, cream cheese, cheddar and mozzarella.
Can I cook the pasta right in the sauce?
Yes. In this recipe the dry penne simmers in the chicken broth in the same skillet, covered, for 15 to 20 minutes.
How do I keep the sauce from getting too thick?
Serve it right away and stir a splash of broth or milk into leftovers when you reheat them.
How long does it take?
About 40 minutes: 10 minutes of prep and 30 minutes of cooking.
Final Notes
Brown the chicken in the bacon fat, let the penne cook in the broth, and stir in the cheeses at the end. If you make this crack chicken pasta, tell me how it turned out in the comments.
Crack Chicken Pasta
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Ingredients
- 4 strips bacon
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 ounce ranch seasoning mix 1 packet
- 8 ounces dry penne pasta half a box
- 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 4 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese shredded, divided
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese shredded
- Parmesan cheese grated, for serving
- fresh parsley for serving
Instructions
- Cook the bacon in a large sauté pan or cast iron skillet over medium heat until crispy. Move it to a paper towel-lined plate and crumble it.
- Leave the bacon fat in the skillet, add the chicken and cook 2 to 3 minutes, until it begins to brown. It finishes cooking in the next steps.
- Sprinkle the ranch mix over the chicken and stir to coat.
- Add the pasta and pour in the broth. Stir and bring to a boil, then lower the heat, cover and cook 15 to 20 minutes, stirring now and then, until the pasta is just past al dente and the chicken reaches 165°F.
- Uncover and stir in the cream cheese until it melts into a creamy sauce.
- Stir in the bacon and 1 cup each of the cheddar and mozzarella until melted. Sprinkle the remaining cheddar on top, cover for about 1 minute to melt, and serve with Parmesan and parsley.
Notes
Nutrition
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