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Chicken Lunch Dinner One Pot Casseroles Pork
4.6 from 184 votes

Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole

Jump to RecipeVideoPrintRate
By: Joanna Cismaru •10/9/22 129 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

This Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole is all you need on a busy weeknight. We’re talking creamy, cheesy, rice casserole loaded with ranch, chicken, and bacon!

Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole in a white casserole dish
Table of Contents Open
  • Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole
  • Ingredient Notes
  • How To Make Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole
  • Leftovers
  • How To Make This Casserole Ahead
  • Tips For Making The Best Casserole
  • Craving More Casseroles? Try These:
  • Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole
    • Ingredients
    • Instructions
    • Video
    • Notes
    • Nutrition Information
  • Did You Make This?

Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole

Creamy, dreamy, oozing deliciousness with cheese pulls a mile long – these are the things that dance through my head in the last few hours of a long work day. The day I cooked up this casserole I knew I needed something quick and easy, a recipe that can be thrown into a pot and left to do its thing while I do mine.

I have to admit I use ranch seasoning as a secret flavor bomb, and this recipe is the best way to test it out if you’ve never played around with this ingredient before.

Ingredient Notes

  • Chicken breast – This recipe is best with boneless breast cut into bite sized pieces. Of course you can use chicken thighs instead if that’s what you have on hand.
  • Olive oil – We’ll be tossing this with the chicken and ranch to help the seasoning stick to the meat.
  • Ranch seasoning – Ranch seasoning offers more flavor concentration than its liquid counterpart.
  • White rice – Make sure your rice is uncooked as we want it to absorb all the flavors of this dish as it cooks. I used short grain for this recipe.
  • Onion – I used a small white onion for this dish, its flavor is mild and slightly sweet and cooks well.
  • Garlic – I used freshly minced garlic. Garlic from the bottle will work just fine, but be sure to remember that 1 1/2 teaspoon equals one fresh clove.
  • Bacon – Cook the bacon before hand and chop finely.
  • Chicken broth – This dish gets its salt from both the ranch and the bacon, so opt for low sodium or no sodium broth.
  • Half and half – The key to our creamy and dreamy end result. If you’re looking to cut calories milk will work as a substitute.
  • Cheddar cheese – Use a cheese that melts well. Mozzarella is another good option but I wanted a bit more color in my dish.
  • Parsley – Lots of parsley, freshly chopped and saved to sprinkle on right at the end.
process shots for making Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole

How To Make Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole

  • Prepare your oven: preheat oven to 350 F degrees.
  • Season the chicken: In a medium sized bowl, toss the bite sized chicken, olive oil, and 2 tbsp ranch seasoning till the chicken is well coated. Set aside.
  • Combine the casserole: In a 9 x 13 – inch casserole dish combine the rice, onion, garlic, half of the bacon, chicken broth, half and half, and the remainder of the ranch seasoning. Add the chicken and stir it all together.
  • Finish the casserole – Top with the remaining bacon and cheddar cheese before covering with aluminum foil and baking for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 30 minutes uncovered or until the rice is cooked through. Once finished, garnish with lots of parsley and serve!
process shots for making Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole

Leftovers

Store in an airtight container for 3 – 4 days in the fridge. If freezing ensure that your dish is wrapped in both plastic wrap and aluminum foil to prevent freezer burn. Be sure that your dish has fully cooled before it is placed in either the freezer or fridge.

How To Make This Casserole Ahead

Some special steps need to be taken for those who want to prepare this casserole ahead of time and freeze till later use. Since this dish uses uncooked rice, it must be taken out of the freezer a day before it’s cooked. Place it in the fridge and allow to thaw for a day. The dish must be thawed entirely before it is put in the oven.

Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole in a white dish

Tips For Making The Best Casserole

  1. If you’re looking to add some veggies to the dish frozen broccoli, green beans, peas, or corn are all delicious additions.
  2. Brown rice can be substituted for white rice in this recipe. To do so you’ll want to increase your liquids by a half a cup in total and increase the covered cooking time from 30 minutes to 45 minutes. Be sure to check the rice before pulling the dish from the oven to make sure it’s fully cooked.
  3. If you’d prefer to turn this recipe into a pasta bake, follow the guidelines in this recipe while still using the ingredients listed above.
Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole

Craving More Casseroles? Try These:

  • Chicken Enchilada Casserole
  • Deconstructed Stuffed Pepper Casserole
  • Chicken Enchilada Rice Casserole
  • Chicken Alfredo Bake
  • Mighty Moussaka
  • Chicken On The Ritz
  • One Pot Cheesy Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole
  • Crack Chicken Penne

Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.

side view shot of a serving spoon lifting up a scoop of chicken bacon ranch casserole from the baking dish
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4.60 from 184 votes

Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole

Prep 5 minutes
Cook 1 hour
Total 1 hour 5 minutes
Rate Recipe
This Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole is your answer to a busy weeknight dinner. We’re talking creamy, cheesy rice casserole loaded with Ranch chicken and bacon!
12

Ingredients

  • 1 pound chicken breasts (boneless and skinless, cut into bite size pieces)
  • 2 tablespoon olive oil
  • 3 tablespoon ranch dressing mix ((1 packet or 1 oz))
  • 1 ½ cups white rice (uncooked, I used a short grain rice)
  • 1 small onion (chopped)
  • 2 cloves garlic (minced)
  • 8 slices bacon (fried and chopped)
  • 2 ½ cups chicken broth (low sodium or no sodium added)
  • ½ cup half and half (*)
  • 2 cups cheddar cheese (shredded)
  • 2 tablespoon parsley (fresh, chopped)

Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.

Instructions 

  • Preheat your oven to 350 F degrees. 
  • In a medium size bowl toss the chicken together with the olive oil and 2 tbsp of the ranch seasoning mix; set aside.
  • In a 9×13-inch casserole dish combine the rice, onion, garlic, half of the bacon, chicken broth, half and half and the remaining tbsp of ranch seasoning mix. Add the chicken and stir everything together. 
  • Top with remaining bacon and cheddar cheese. Cover the casserole dish with aluminum foil and place in the oven. Bake for 30 minutes covered, then remove the foil and bake for an additional 30 minutes or until the rice is cooked through.
  • Garnish with parsley and serve.

Video

Notes

  1. Half and Half: Half and half has 12 percent fat content. Heavy cream can also be used. It is also called heavy whipping cream because it’s whipping cream with a milk fat content between 36 and 40 percent. 
  2. CHICKEN: I prefer chicken breast in this casserole dish, but boneless skinless thighs can be used as well. 
  3. RICE: I prefer a short grain rice in this casserole because I like a stickier rice for a casserole dish, but a longer grain rice would work as well. Also brown rice can be used as well, but the cooking time would be a bit longer.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1servingCalories: 319kcal (16%)Carbohydrates: 22g (7%)Protein: 17g (34%)Fat: 16g (25%)Saturated Fat: 7g (44%)Cholesterol: 57mg (19%)Sodium: 559mg (24%)Potassium: 277mg (8%)Vitamin A: 240IU (5%)Vitamin C: 1.2mg (1%)Calcium: 159mg (16%)Iron: 0.6mg (3%)

Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.

side view shot of a serving spoon lifting up a scoop of chicken bacon ranch casserole from the baking dish

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Joanna Cismaru

Joanna Cismaru

I’m Joanna (Jo for short) and this is my blog where I share with you my culinary adventures. Here you will find a variety of recipes using simple everyday ingredients and creating wonderful, delicious and comforting meals, including some decadent desserts.

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129 Comments
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Cindy
Cindy
Posted: 9 days ago

Would it be okay to make this a day in advance and store it in the fridge to cook the next day? Just wondering about the raw chicken touching all the other ingredients and if there is any fear with regards to food safety. Have you ever made it a day in advance?

0
Reply
Joanna Cismaru
Joanna Cismaru
Author
Reply to  Cindy
Posted: 8 days ago

Yes, you can. Assemble the casserole as instructed and cover it tightly with aluminum foil or plastic wrap and refrigerate it overnight. Remove it from the fridge about 20 minutes before baking for it to come to room temperature then bake it as instructed.

0
Reply
Tracey Neese
Tracey Neese
Posted: 1 month ago

How well does this recipe freeze? I plan to cook the dish and freeze individual portions for a later date.

0
Reply
Joanna Cismaru
Joanna Cismaru
Author
Reply to  Tracey Neese
Posted: 1 month ago

It freezes well, just like any other rice casserole, so you should be fine.

0
Reply
Dawn
Dawn
Posted: 2 months ago

Excellent recipe! Very easy to make and so good!!
Thank you for all the great recipes!

0
Reply
Joanna Cismaru
Joanna Cismaru
Author
Reply to  Dawn
Posted: 2 months ago

My pleasure, so glad you’re enjoying my recipes!

0
Reply
Emma Sampson
Emma Sampson
Posted: 5 months ago

5 stars
I made this tonight for dinner ❤️❤️
I used 4 green onions instead as I didn’t have a onion. I also added extra garlic and it was omg good.

0
Reply
Joanna Cismaru
Joanna Cismaru
Author
Reply to  Emma Sampson
Posted: 5 months ago

Glad you enjoyed it, Emma!

0
Reply
Lacy
Lacy
Posted: 6 months ago

5 stars
This is a great recipe! I added fresh broccoli because I didn’t have any frozen vegetables. I would love this with lots of different vegetables. The only change i made was 1/2 the bacon because it isn’t a favorite of ours. It still had plenty of bacon flavor in every bite. This is a keeper!

0
Reply
Joanna Cismaru
Joanna Cismaru
Author
Reply to  Lacy
Posted: 6 months ago

So glad you liked it!

0
Reply
Bobbie Smith
Bobbie Smith
Posted: 8 months ago

Is the chicken raw or cooked before I add it?

2
Reply
Joanna Cismaru
Joanna Cismaru
Author
Reply to  Bobbie Smith
Posted: 8 months ago

It’s raw, it will cook in the oven.

0
Reply
Bri
Bri
Posted: 1 year ago

5 stars
How long should I cook it if doubling the recipe? I also used southwest seasoned chicken from Aldies and spicy ranch instead. It turned out absolutely amazing the last few times! <3

0
Reply
Joanna Cismaru
Joanna Cismaru
Author
Reply to  Bri
Posted: 1 year ago

Same time should be enough.

0
Reply
Matthew Danley
Matthew Danley
Posted: 1 year ago

4 stars
Great recipe but I allways end up cooking for 1.5 hours at the recommended temp.

0
Reply
A’shanti
A’shanti
Posted: 1 year ago

Can I cut up chicken tenders or is it best to use chicken breast

0
Reply
Jo Cooks Team AMJ
Jo Cooks Team AMJ
Reply to  A’shanti
Posted: 1 year ago

You can definitely use chicken tenders as well. And another option would be boneless, skinless chicken thighs also. Let us know how it turns out!

0
Reply
A’shanti
A’shanti
Reply to  Jo Cooks Team AMJ
Posted: 1 year ago

5 stars
Thank you I just made it and it turned out to be delicious 👍

0
Reply
Jo Cooks Team AMJ
Jo Cooks Team AMJ
Reply to  A’shanti
Posted: 1 year ago

That’s wonderful A’shanti! We’re very happy to hear it!

0
Reply
Tricia
Tricia
Posted: 1 year ago

Could you please tell me how many servings are in the recipe. This looks wonderful and plan on making it soon.

0
Reply
Joanna Cismaru
Joanna Cismaru
Author
Reply to  Tricia
Posted: 1 year ago

Number of servings is in the recipe card in the blue section, 12 in this case, so the nutritional information is per serving assuming 12 servings.

0
Reply
Cathy
Cathy
Posted: 2 years ago

5 stars
If I sub in elbow macaroni how do you think the liquid proportions would change?

0
Reply
Jo Cooks Team
Jo Cooks Team
Reply to  Cathy
Posted: 2 years ago

Should be totally fine!

0
Reply
cass
cass
Reply to  Jo Cooks Team
Posted: 1 year ago

If I don’t have chicken broth and no way to get any, could I just use water?? Or what should I do?

0
Reply
Joanna Cismaru
Joanna Cismaru
Author
Reply to  cass
Posted: 1 year ago

You can use just water and if you want to add any additional flavor you can add a chicken bouillon.

0
Reply
Barbara Horrigan
Barbara Horrigan
Posted: 2 years ago

5 stars
we love this recipe. We are on Keto so I replaced the rice with riced cauliflower. It was delicious. Next time I will only use 1 cup of chicken broth because it was very soupy. I also added 1/2 white wine.

0
Reply
Je4nine
Je4nine
Reply to  Barbara Horrigan
Posted: 2 years ago

When using riced cauliflower, does it have to be cooked or raw??

0
Reply
Rebekah
Rebekah
Posted: 2 years ago

3 stars
This was super yummy!! And easy to make! The only issue is it was really greasy\liquid-y! What did i do wrong? Should I have done it longer?

0
Reply
Joanna Cismaru
Joanna Cismaru
Author
Reply to  Rebekah
Posted: 2 years ago

The rice should have absorbed most of the liquid, not sure why it would be greasy, perhaps the bacon wasn’t fried enough?

0
Reply
Janet Petrich
Janet Petrich
Posted: 2 years ago

My kids don’t like Ranch. Is there something else that I could use in place of the Ranch? Maybe Italian? Thanks

0
Reply
Joanna Cismaru
Joanna Cismaru
Author
Reply to  Janet Petrich
Posted: 2 years ago

Yeah you could use Italian seasoning, honestly you can use whatever seasoning you like.

0
Reply
Samantha Eddy
Samantha Eddy
Posted: 2 years ago

5 stars
Whole family loved this casserole! New favorite

0
Reply

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I’m Joanna (Jo for short) and this is my blog where I share with you my culinary adventures. Here you will find a variety of recipes using simple everyday ingredients and creating wonderful, delicious and comforting meals, including some decadent desserts.

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