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Crack Chicken Casserole is an easy recipe made with rotisserie chicken, cooked pasta, bacon and cheddar cheese in a creamy ranch sauce. A great recipe for busy weeknights and a delicious way to use up leftover chicken.
Cheesy Casserole with Chicken and Bacon
My whole family loves this easy crack chicken casserole recipe! It’s rich, gooey, cheesy creamy — in other words absolute comfort food!
This creamy chicken casserole is basically chicken bacon ranch casserole. It has the classic flavors of ranch, bacon, cheddar cheese and chicken in one delicious meal. You can make variations in the Instant Pot, on the stove or in the crockpot.
Personally, that’s what I call it, but many people call this crack chicken because you can’t stop eating once you start. My son went back for thirds!
If you like easy casserole recipes, try my Doritos casserole, chicken stuffing bake, leftover turkey stuffing casserole, million dollar chicken casserole and more main dish recipes.
Table of Contents
Ingredient Notes
Here’s a quick overview of the simple ingredients you need to make this easy chicken casserole. Full amounts are in the printable recipe card below.
- Leftover chicken — cooked chicken breasts or rotisserie chicken. 3 to 4 cups cubed chicken works best.
- Pasta — elbows, penne or shells work well in this dish. Cook the pasta before you start assembling the casserole
- Ranch packet — dry ranch seasoning mix for that delicious ranch flavor
- Cream of chicken soup — an easy way to add creaminess and flavor
- Sour cream — adds flavor and enhances the ranch flavor
- Milk — or cream to thin the cream soup a little
- Cheese — shredded cheddar cheese, Colby Jack or cheddar blend work well. I highly recommend shredding your own cheese for extra creaminess.
- Bacon –because, bacon! At least 5 strips cooked crispy bacon, crumbled or chopped
- Seasoning — onion powder, garlic powder and salt or pepper, to taste
- Green onions or fresh parsley for garnish (optional)
How to Make Easy Crack Chicken Casserole
First, make the ranch sauce. Add the ranch seasoning packet, seasoning, sour cream, cream of chicken soup and milk to a large bowl, and stir to combine. I use a large spoon, but you can use a hand mixer if you like.
Next, add the chicken, cooked pasta, 1 cup of the cheese and half of the bacon to the bowl. Mix everything together. The mixture should be thick and creamy.
Now, spread the chicken mixture into a prepared baking dish or casserole dish. I use a 9 x 13 baking dish for this easy meal.
Finally, add the remaining cheese on top of the chicken mixture. Sprinkle the remaining pieces of bacon on top of the cheese. Place the casserole into an oven preheated to 350 degrees f. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until casserole is bubbling and cheese is melted.
How to Store, Freeze and Reheat
Store leftover chicken casserole in an airtight container in your refrigerator. It keeps fresh for up to 4 days. Reheat the casserole in your microwave or oven. Freeze leftovers for up to 3 months. You can make crack chicken casserole ahead of time and freeze for later. Freeze in a freezer safe container wrapped in aluminum foil. Omit the last layer of cheese and add right before baking.
Serving Suggestions
Because this dish is so rich, you want to keep the side dishes light and simple. Serve a simple side salad of fresh greens. Cooked broccoli or green beans are a great choice, as well.
Recipe Tips
For a low carb version, you can make this cheesy crack chicken casserole without pasta. Just omit the milk. It will likely have more liquid.
If you don’t have cooked chicken on hand, cook chicken breasts in the oven. You can also make this with leftover turkey!
Crack Chicken Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 oz dry ranch seasoning 1 packet
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 can cream of chicken soup 10 oz
- ½ cup milk or cream
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 4 cups cooked chicken cubed
- 2 cups dry elbow macaroni cooked according to package directions
- 3 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 6 slices cooked bacon about 1 cup chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees f
- In a large bowl, add the dry ranch seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, sour cream, cream soup and milk, and stir to combine
- Add the cooked chicken, cooked pasta, 1 cup cheese and half the bacon. Mix well
- Grease baking pan with non stick spray or butter, and spread the chicken mixture evenly in baking pan
- Top with remaining shredded cheese and bacon
- Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes or until bubbly and cheese is melted
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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We absolutely LOVE this recipe in our family! I first made it following the recipe, but I found it to be a little bit “heavy.” So I made a couple healthy switches like the sour cream to plain Greek yogurt & used whole grain noodles, and neither my husband nor my kids could tell any difference from the original recipe! Definitely recommend this!
This is my family’s favorite comfort food!! Pretty easy to put together and DELICIOUS!
Thank you so much, Tina. I’m glad you like it!
This was incredible! Everyone loved it and it was very easy to make!
Made this for dinner last night! Rich and creamy and tons of flavor! A new favorite!