One Pot BBQ Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta is ready in 30 minutes and perfect for busy weeknights. It's a quick and easy dinner the whole family will love!
Howdy, friends! I’ve got a super quick and easy one pot chicken dinner for y'all today. One pot, one pan, one dish -- it’s doesn’t really matter what you call them, but these are some of my favorite easy dinner recipes. Not only are they usually ready in less than 30 minutes, but they’re also super quick to clean up. Because really, who wants to spend extra time doing dishes? Not me! And since school this week,-- say it isn’t so -- I know we will definitely be living on one dish meals!
The other day, I made a quick and easy One Pot Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta, and the family devoured it in no time. My family loves anything with ranch dressing, so I figured they’d like it, but wow -- They loved it! Since that dinner was so popular, I created a slightly different version -- this easy one pot BBQ Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta, which I first shared over at The Weary Chef .
My middle child is the real barbecue sauce lover in the family -- she pours the stuff over just about everything, especially if she's not that fond of what we're having. So, I definitely had her in mind when I was making this dinner.
If you like barbecue sauce as much as she does, I have some other BBQ flavored dishes for you:
- Sheet Pan Honey BBQ Chicken Dinner
- One Pot Cheddar BBQ Chicken Pasta
- Sheet Pan BBQ Smoked Sausage Dinner
- BBQ Ham and Provolone Cheese Quesadillas
Anyway, both of these easy chicken dinners have bacon, pasta and ranch dressing, but this one has tangy barbecue sauce mixed in with the ranch. And instead of using Monterey jack cheese, I used sharp cheddar, instead. And friends, my kiddos actually like this version better! You get the creamy coolness from the ranch and a little spice from the barbecue sauce, and it’s just an amazing flavor combo!
I used my favorite homemade ranch dressing, but you can use your favorite brand or even your own version of ranch. I used store bought barbecue sauce since you don’t need much for this recipe. But if you have some homemade bbq sauce on hand, definitely use that.
I ended up serving this chicken bacon ranch pasta with extra dressing and sauce on the side so the kids could add as much flavor as they wanted. This dinner is definitely both kid and picky-eater approved! And if you want to sneak in some veggies, try throwing in a cup of cooked corn or peas at the end.
How to Make One Pot BBQ Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta
Recipe
One Pot BBQ Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast cubed
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon dried minced onions
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 2 cups mini penne pasta
- 2 cups water
- ½ cup ranch dressing
- ½ cup barbecue sauce
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 4 slices cooked bacon crumbled
Instructions
- In a large skillet, brown the chicken in the olive oil over medium high heat
- Add the sea salt, pepper, garlic powder, onions and Italian seasoning, and stir until chicken is coated
- Add the pasta and water, and cook over high heat until water is mostly absorbed and pasta is done
- Stir in the ranch dressing, barbecue sauce, cheese and bacon, and cook until hot and bubbling
- Top with additional cheese and bacon, if desired
Nutrition information is estimated. Please do your own calculation to fit special diets.
Nutrition
I hope your family enjoys this easy one pot BBQ chicken bacon ranch pasta dinner as much as mine does!
Happy Cooking,
Sharing at Weekend Potluck
Melanie Buchanan says
Looks and sounds amazing!
I’m curious as to if I will have to modify the water to be used if I don’t have the type of pasta called for, but aye a larger noodle or thicker noodle being substituted. Hmmm 🤔😉😊
Dee says
Thanks! It depends on the type of pasta -- you can add more water if needed as the pasta cooks.
Maddy says
I like the idea of this recipe. I love barbecue and ranch, but for some reason this didn’t turn out as good as I was expecting. I used Hidden Valley ranch and Sweet Baby Ray’s bbq sauce.
Karen says
This turned out delicious! And made entirely from stuff I had on hand. 🙂
Dee says
That's awesome news, Karen! So glad you liked it! 🙂
Miz Helen says
Congratulations!
Your post is one of The Top Ten on Full Plate Thursday! Thanks so much for sharing with us and enjoy your new Red Plate! Come Back to see us real soon!
Miz Helen
Carole from Carole's Chatter says
Hi Dee, this would fit perfectly in Food on Friday: August under the chicken theme. Hope you bring it on over to share with everybody. Cheers from Carole's Chatter
Miz Helen says
What a great Pasta dish our bunch will love it! Thanks so much for sharing with us at Full Plate Thursday and have a fantastic week!
Come Back Soon!
Miz Helen
Cathy @ Lemon Tree Dwelling says
I love the flavors in this pasta!
Catalina @ Peas & Peonies says
This pasta looks fabulous! Can't wait to try it!
Dee says
Thanks so much. I hope you guys enjoy it!
Abeer says
All that cheesy goodness... my family would go nutts for this!
Dee says
That's exactly what my family does! 🙂
Anna @ Crunchy Creamy Sweet says
Exactly what I need for dinner tonight! Looks so creamy and delicious!
Dee says
Thank you! My family absolutely loves it. 🙂
Patricia @ Grab a Plate says
Ooo! I love the idea to throw in a few of those goodies at the end! This looks so cheesy and delicious! Perfect on a busy night.
Dee says
Thanks, Patricia. I like to sneak in veggies whenever I can. 🙂
Jen says
We are a ranch loving household too, haha! Add in that this is a pasta dish....I know my family will devour this!