A delicious trifecta of bacon, cheese, and ranch seasoning, this Bacon Ranch Chicken is guaranteed to be a family favorite for years to come!
Easy weeknight dinners are essential in our house. I have a set of recipes that I can grab at the drop of a hat, mix up quickly, and know that my family will eat them. Bacon Ranch Chicken is at the very tippy-top of that set of recipes because not only is it super easy to make, but it tastes AMAZING. Pair it with some delicious roasted cauliflower, and you’ve got an easy, family-friendly meal that will please everyone!
BACON RANCH CHICKEN
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As a mom, one of the key things I look for in a new recipe is simplicity. Simplicity in the ingredients, simplicity in the prep work, and simplicity in the flavors. Now, when I say simple, I don’t mean bland. I mean tried and true flavors that I KNOW my family will love.
Bacon Ranch Chicken meets ALL of these standards plus some. It’s a simple recipe that’s practically fool-proof! It’s made with ingredients that are almost always guaranteed to be in my house already, and my kids devour it the minute it hits their plates. It’s become a staple in our dinner rotation.
I especially love making a double batch of this cheesy bacon ranch bake and having it for leftovers the next day. Whether we eat it as another night of cheesy bacon ranch chicken or repurpose our leftovers as bacon ranch chicken quesadillas, or even make a chicken bacon ranch pizza, everyone in my house is happy!
The secret to this chicken bacon ranch recipe is the mayonnaise layer. Yes, I know dousing your meal with mayo may not seem like the most appetizing choice, but I promise you, that mayonnaise keeps your chicken moist, tender, and mouthwatering! Now add in some crumbled bacon, shredded cheddar, and ranch and you’ve got yourself one of the best easy dinners you’ve ever made.
Bacon Ranch Chicken Ingredients
Obviously, for any chicken bacon ranch recipe, you’ll need some combination of the three of those ingredients! Here’s what you’ll need to make yourself this delicious chicken bacon ranch bake:
Bacon – my favorite part of this recipe (for obvious reasons…) is the bacon crumbles. When you’re assembling your meal, you’ll want your bacon already cooked and crumbled. I’ve found that the easiest (and most mess-free!) way to cook bacon is to cook it in the oven.
Chicken – for a single batch of chicken bacon ranch, you’ll need 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts. You’ll want to tenderize them to get them thinner and to prevent them from becoming chewy.
Ranch – while you could use a creamy ranch dressing as your sauce, I prefer to use a dry ranch. Like I mentioned earlier, the secret ingredient to keeping this recipe SO moist and juicy is coating your chicken with mayo. So, instead of ranch dressing, you mix the dry ranch in with the mayo and you get the same classic bacon ranch chicken taste but with the magical powers of mayonnaise!
How to make Chicken Bacon Ranch
In order for a recipe to be considered an EASY weeknight meal in my book, it’s got to be able to be prepped, cooked, and plated in under an hour. This recipe is set to go in just about 40 minutes so it’s a REAL winner for busy families!
- Start by preheating your oven to 400 degrees F.
- Grab a 9-inch x 13-inch baking dish. To the dish add a can of cream of chicken soup and some water. Whisk them together and then spread over the bottom of the dish. This gives the chicken a yummy creamy bed to lay on while it bakes!
- While your oven is heating up, prep your chicken. Lay each breast on a cutting board, cover with plastic wrap, and tenderize until about 1/2 inch thick. Repeat with each breast. This helps to keep your chicken from getting tough and dry!
- Next, season each chicken breast with salt and pepper. Lay the chicken breasts over the soup in the baking dish.
- Now, you’re going to make your chicken coating. In a small bowl, combine the mayo, cheddar cheese, garlic, and 1 packet of ranch seasoning mix. Divide the cheddar mixture evenly among the chicken breasts, spreading it out so the tops are completely coated. This is the magical layer that’s going to keep your chicken super juicy!
- Time to bake! Pop the chicken into the oven for 15 minutes. Once the timer goes off, remove the baking dish from the oven. Top the chicken breasts with crushed cornflakes and then sprinkle Monterey Jack cheese over the top.
- Return your baking dish to the oven and bake for an additional 15 minutes. Everything is done when the chicken is cooked through, cornflakes are golden, and cheese is melted.
- Remove the dish from the oven. Top with some crumbled bacon and chopped parsley. Serve warm with some of the pan sauce spooned over the chicken.
If you’re wondering how to make chicken bacon ranch keto, then all you have to do is skip the cornflakes step! While the cornflakes add an extra crunch and bit of flavor to the chicken bacon ranch casserole, you can get away with skipping them. The bacon will be your crunch instead!
Looking for some more Family Friendly recipes? Try these other Real Housemoms favorites!
- Sriracha Ranch Bacon Chicken Dip
- Bacon Wrapped Chicken
- Crack Chicken Sliders
- Mini Ham and Cheese Calzones
- Easy Sloppy Joe Casserole
- more MAIN DISH recipes…
Tools used to make this Bacon Ranch Chicken recipe
Meat Mallet: Yes, this thing looks scary, but believe me, it makes your meat SO much more delicious.
Baking Dish: I love my glass baking dish set! This one is great because it comes with covers, so your leftovers can go right into the fridge!
*This post originally posted on 02/21/2017.
Ingredients
- 10.75 ounces cream of chicken soup (1 can)
- ¼ cup water
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- ½ cup cheddar cheese shredded
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons ranch seasoning mix (1 packet)
- Salt & pepper
- 6 tablespoons cornflakes crushed
- 1 tablespoon butter melted
- ½ cup Monterey Jack cheese shredded
- ¼ cup cooked bacon crumbled
- Fresh parsley chopped, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- In the bottom of a 9-inch x 13-inch baking dish, mix together cream of chicken soup and water. Spread over the bottom of the dish.
- Lay one breast on a cutting board, cover with plastic wrap, and pound until 1/2-inch thick. Repeat with each breast.
- Season each breast with salt and pepper and then lay chicken in the baking dish over the soup.
- In a medium bowl, mix together mayonnaise, cheddar cheese, garlic, and ranch mix. Divide ranch mixture evenly over the chicken breasts and spread so the tops are completely coated.
- Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and chicken with cornflakes and Monterey Jack cheese.
- Return to oven and bake for additional 15 minutes or until chicken is cooked through, the topping is golden, and cheese is melted.
- Remove baking dish from oven and top with crumbled bacon and chopped parsley. Serve warm.
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