Crack Chicken Penne
This Crack Chicken Penne is super creamy, cheesy, loaded with bacon and all done in one pot! We're talking chicken, pasta, cheese and bacon, you can't go wrong!
Servings: 6
Calories: 512kcal
Ingredients
- 4 slices bacon thick cut
- 1 pound chicken breast boneless and skinless, cut into small bite size pieces
- 1 ounce ranch seasoning (1 packet or 2 tbsp)
- 8 ounces penne uncooked, or pasta of your choice
- 3½ cups chicken broth low sodium or no salt added
- 4 ounces cream cheese I used Philadelphia
- 2 cups cheddar cheese shredded
- 1 tablespoon parsley chopped
Instructions
- Cook the bacon in a large Dutch oven until crispy. Remove the bacon from the pot and drain some of the bacon fat, leaving about 1 tbsp of fat. Chop the bacon into bits.
- In the same pot add the chicken and cook for about 3 minutes over medium-high heat, until it starts to brown. It will still be pink inside and uncooked. Add the ranch seasoning mix to the chicken and stir, making sure each chicken pieces is coated in the seasoning mix.
- Add the penne, chicken broth and stir, then bring to a boil. Reduce to a low heat, cover and cook for abut 15 to 20 minutes or until the pasta is cooked al dente or to your preference. Make sure to stir occasionally to prevent the pasta from sticking to the bottom of the pot. There should still be some liquid in the pot when the pasta is done cooking. Add more broth if needed, though I found that 3 1/2 cups was perfect.
- Add the cream cheese to the pot and stir it in, until the sauce is creamy and most of the cream cheese has melted. Add the bacon back to the pot then add about 1 1/2 cups of the shredded cheddar cheese. Stir everything until well combined. The cheese should melt nicely.
- Sprinkle the remaining half cup of cheddar cheese over the top and cover the pot with the lid. Cook for about 30 seconds then turn off the heat and remove the lid. The cheese should have melted. Alternatively you can place the Dutch oven in the oven under the broiler for about 5 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly and starts to brown on top.
- Garnish with parsley and serve.
Video
Notes
Instant Pot Crack Chicken Penne Instructions.
- Chop the bacon first into small pieces then set your Instant Pot to the sauté mode. It will default to 30 minutes. Add the bacon and fry until it starts to brown. Transfer the bacon to a plate and drain some of the fat if necessary. Add the chicken and sauté for 3 minutes until the chicken starts to brown. Add the ranch seasoning and stir to make sure the chicken is covered in the seasoning mix.
- Add the penne, chicken broth and stir.Please note you will only need about 2 to 2 1/2 cups of broth. Close the lid (follow the manufacturer's guide for instructions on how to close the instant pot lid). Set the Instant Pot to the Poultry setting and set the timer to 5 minutes.
- Once the Instant Pot cycle is complete, wait until the natural release cycle is complete, should take about 10 minutes. Follow the manufacturer's guide for quick release, if in a rush. Carefully unlock and remove the lid from the instant pot.
- Stir in the cream cheese until it melts. Add the bacon and all of the cheese to the IP and stir everything together. Serve.
Slow Cooker Crack Chicken Penne Instructions
- Fry the bacon as instructed in step 1 above. Add the chicken, ranch seasoning mix, cream cheese and chicken broth to your slow cooker. Please note you will only need about 2 to 2 1/2 cups of broth.
- Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours, or high for 4 hours. Stir in the bacon and cheese and serve. Add the penne 30 minutes before the time is up.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 512kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 36g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 107mg | Sodium: 905mg | Potassium: 595mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 560IU | Vitamin C: 1.7mg | Calcium: 317mg | Iron: 1.4mg