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Crack Chicken Penne

Crack chicken penne is a creamy bacon ranch chicken pasta where shredded chicken and penne are tossed in a thickened ranch cream cheese sauce. The sauce simmers to silky thickness, then gets topped with melted cheddar for a glossy, melty finish that clings to every bite.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American
Calories: 760
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Cooked chicken
  • 3 cup shredded
Bacon
  • 8 strip cooked crispy and crumbled
Penne pasta
  • 12 oz penne pasta, cooked
Olive oil
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
Garlic
  • 3 clove minced
Ranch seasoning
  • 1 packet (1 oz) ranch seasoning mix
Cream cheese
  • 8 oz cream cheese, softened and cubed
Chicken broth
  • 1 cup chicken broth
Heavy cream
  • 0.5 cup heavy cream
Cheddar cheese
  • 1.5 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Chives
  • Fresh chives for garnish

Equipment

  • 1 cast iron skillet

Method
 

Make the ranch cream sauce
  1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat and cook the minced garlic for 1 minute. Look for fragrant, lightly sizzling edges without browning.
  2. Add chicken broth and cubed cream cheese, then stir over medium-low heat until the cream cheese melts completely. The mixture should turn smooth and glossy with no visible cream cheese chunks.
  3. Stir in the ranch seasoning mix and heavy cream until smooth and combined. Simmer for 3-4 minutes, stirring, until the sauce looks slightly thickened and coats the back of a spoon.
Toss and melt the cheddar
  1. Add shredded chicken, most of the crumbled bacon, and the cooked penne to the skillet and toss to coat evenly. The pasta should be evenly dressed with the ranch sauce.
  2. Top the pasta with shredded cheddar, cover, and cook for 2-3 minutes. Watch for the cheddar to fully melt and turn into a creamy, slightly stretchy layer.
  3. Garnish with the remaining bacon and fresh chives, then serve immediately. The surface should show bacon bits and bright green chives over the melted cheddar.

Notes

For the smoothest sauce, keep the heat at medium-low once the cream cheese goes in so it melts without graininess. Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days; reheat gently in a skillet with a splash of chicken broth to loosen the sauce. Freezing isn’t recommended because the cream cheese sauce can separate when thawed. Dietary swap: use turkey bacon and reduced-fat cream cheese to lower saturated fat while keeping the ranch flavor.