Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta
Description
This quick pasta dish hits the spot - pasta, chicken, and bacon are paired with a ranch-flavored cheese sauce.
Ingredients
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3 3/4 cups uncooked rotini pasta
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4 thick-cut bacon slices
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1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
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1 tablespoon dry ranch dressing mix
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2 tablespoons butter
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2 tablespoons flour
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1 1/2 cups 2% milk
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1/2 cup reserved pasta water
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1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
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5 teaspoons dry ranch dressing mix
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1 pinch salt
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1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
Directions
1
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil; cook rotini at a boil until tender yet firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Drain rotini, saving 1/2 cup of pasta water.
2
Meanwhile, place bacon in a large skillet and cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until evenly browned and crispy, about 10 minutes. Remove bacon and drain on paper towels. Leave rendered bacon grease in the skillet.
3
Sprinkle chicken pieces with 1 tablespoon ranch seasoning. Add to the skillet with the bacon grease and cook until golden brown, 5 to 8 minutes. Remove cooked chicken from skillet and set aside.
4
Rinse out skillet. Melt down 2 tablespoon butter in the skillet over medium heat. Whisk in flour until smooth and thickened, about 2 minutes. Slowly add in milk, whisking until sauce is smooth. Add pasta water ,1 tablespoon at a time, if the sauce is too thick.
5
Stir softened cream cheese into sauce until well combined. Mix in remaining 5 teaspoons of ranch seasoning and season with salt. Mix until well combined. Add cooked pasta and chicken back into the skillet and mix until well coated with sauce.
6
Finely chop cooked bacon. Mix into pasta dish. Serve garnished with chopped parsley if desired.