Crack Chicken Casserole is loaded with everything that makes a meal irresistible—tender chicken, crispy bacon, cheesy pasta, and a creamy ranch-seasoned sauce. It’s hearty, packed with flavor, and bakes to golden, bubbly perfection. With simple ingredients and easy prep, this dish is a lifesaver on busy weeknights that the whole family will love.
What Is Crack Chicken Casserole?
Crack Chicken Casserole is a savory cheesy one dish dinner that combines chicken, pasta, bacon in a rich creamy ranch sauce. The “crack” in its name refers to just how addictive this casserole is! Rumor has it that once you take a bite, you simply can’t stop! It’s the kind of comfort food meal that leaves a crowd coming back for more.
With its easy-to-make convenience and irresistible flavors, this casserole always hits the spot when you’re craving something warm and satisfying. Just because a Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole has “crack” in its name doesn’t mean it’s actually addictive… but it might form a habit!
Ingredients for Crack Chicken Casserole
- Elbow macaroni: You can use any type of small noodle in this casserole. Other great options are shells, bowtie, penne, or rotini noodles.
- Skinless boneless chicken breast: I used cooked boneless skinless chicken breasts because I like white, lean meat but you can substitute with cooked chicken thighs if you prefer.
- Bacon: You can use store-bought bacon bits or crumble your own cooked bacon. If you use the store-bought kind, make sure you get the real bacon bits and not Bac-os.
- Butter
- Yellow onion
- Cream of chicken soup
- Sour cream: You can use plain greek yogurt as a protein-packed substitute.
- Cream cheese: Soften your cream cheese to room temperature before mixing it. I don’t recommend low-fat or nonfat cream cheese – regular, full-fat cream cheese makes the creamy sauce much richer.
- Milk or half-and-half
- Ranch seasoning mix
- Black pepper
- Kosher salt
- Onion powder
- Shredded cheddar cheese: Monterey Jack or Colby Jack work as well. A mix of sharp cheddar and mozzarella cheese is also great for flavor and maximum meltiness.
- Green onion: You can substitute chopped chives for the thinly sliced green onions if you prefer.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Make Crack Chicken Casserole
- Prepare The Pasta: Bring a saucepan to a low boil and cook the macaroni until it is al dente. Drain and set aside.
- Saute In A Skillet: Saute the onions in melted butter until the onions are translucent and starting to turn light golden brown. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- Make The Creamy Mixture: Use a hand mixer to combine the cream cheese, cream of chicken soup, sour cream, milk (or half-and-half) and packet of ranch dressing mix. Mix until creamy, then add the salt, pepper and the onion powder. Mix until well combined.
- Combine The Contents: Transfer the creamy mixture to a large mixing bowl and stir in the cooked macaroni, chicken, onion, cheese, and bacon.
- Bake: Spread the mixture into the 9-inch baking dish and sprinkle cheese, bacon, and green onion over the top of the chicken mixture. Bake in the casserole dish at 375 degrees Fahrenheit until the top layer of cheese is melted and gooey.
- Serve: Serve warm and enjoy!
Tips for the Best Crack Chicken Casserole
- Cook Your Chicken: I do not recommend using frozen chicken, or you may end up with a watery casserole. Use either freshly cooked chicken, last night’s leftovers, or rotisserie chicken for your crack chicken recipes.
- Choose Your Cheese: Use freshly shredded cheese instead of packaged pre-shredded cheese for this casserole recipe. Pre-shredded packages have additives in the bags to prevent clumping, and they do not melt as well as a block of cheese that you shred yourself.
- Prepare The Pasta: Since the pasta cooks further in the oven, make sure to cook it al dente (firm to the bite). This prevents it from getting mushy once mixed with the creamy sauce.
- Before Baking: Before you add your casserole ingredients, give your baking dish a light spray of cooking spray. This helps prevent the casserole from sticking to the dish, making cleanup a breeze!
- Bake Until Bubbly: Bake the casserole at 375°F. This ensures the cheese melts perfectly and the casserole gets nice and bubbly without drying out.
Variations of Crack Chicken Casserole
- Add Veggies for Vitamins: You can sneak in some extra veggies for a boost of health benefits. Add frozen peas, spinach, or chopped bell peppers into the mix for extra color, texture, and even more flavor without overpowering the dish.
- Create Some Cruch: Want an extra crunch? Try topping your casserole with crushed Ritz crackers for a buttery, crispy finish. Check out my Ritz Cracker Crack Chicken Casserole recipe for all the details!
- Give A Kick To The Casserole: If you’d like to serve it spicy, add some diced jalapeños or a dash of hot sauce to the creamy mixture. The creamy sauce pairs perfectly with a little heat!
- Create More Crack Dishes: Love the flavor combination of this crack recipe? Luckily I’ve created plenty of addictive dishes for you to try. Check out my Crack Dip, Crack Chicken Penne Pasta, Crack Chicken, Crack Chicken Chili, and Baked Crack Chicken for more delicious meal ideas. Or try my crack recipes for sliders, potatoes, and soup.
More Delicious Casserole Recipes
If you tried this Crack Chicken Casserole Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!!!
Crack Chicken Casserole
Serves — 8
Crack Chicken Casserole is the best bite comfort food baked in a creamy ranch sauce. Packed with chicken, cheese, bacon, and pasta and baked until bubbly. It's irresistibly delicious!
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Video
Ingredients
- 1½ cups dry elbow macaroni
- 3 cups cooked skinless – boneless chicken breast cubed
- 16 slices bacon cooked and diced (this measures 1 ½ cups once cooked)
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 small yellow onion diced
- 10.5 oz can cream of chicken soup undiluted
- 2 cups sour cream
- 4 oz cream cheese softened
- ¼ cup milk or half-and-half
- 1 ounce packet ranch dressing seasoning
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 3 cups shredded cheddar cheese divided
- 1 green onion sliced thin
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Lightly spray a 9×13 baking dish.
- Fill a medium sized saucepan ¾ of the way with water. Bring to a low rolling boil and add elbow macaroni. Cook the macaroni until it is al dente. Drain the macaroni and set aside.
- In a medium size skillet add the butter and diced onions. Cook over a medium high heat, stirring the onions with a wooden spoon to ensure even cooking for about 5 – 7 minutes. They should be translucent and starting to turn golden/light golden brown. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- In a medium size mixing bowl, add the softened cream cheese,cream of chicken soup, sour cream, milk or half-and-half and the 1 oz pkg of ranch dressing powder.
- Using a handheld mixer, combine the sour cream mixture on medium speed until creamy.
- Continue mixing on low and add the kosher salt, black pepper and the onion powder. Mix until well combined.
- Transfer the sour cream mixture to a large mixing bowl. Add in the cooked macaroni, the cubed chicken breast, cooked yellow onion, 1 ½ cups of cheddar cheese and ¾ of a cup of the cooked bacon. Using a large wooden spoon, stir until all the ingredients are completely combined.
- Pour the chicken mixture into the prepared baking dish and spread evenly.
- Sprinkle the remaining shredded cheddar cheese, bacon and the thinly sliced green onion.
- Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the top layer of cheese is melted and gooey.
Jenn’s Notes
In the Fridge: Leftover casserole should be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. This is one recipe that is just as great for leftovers as it is the first time.
In the Freezer: This cheesy crack chicken casserole makes a wonderful freezer meal. Place in a freezer safe dish or container and cover tightly. Freeze for up to 2 months.
To reheat: Simply pop it in the microwave until warm. To bake from frozen, bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until hot throughout.
Nutrition Info
Calories: 1071kcal | Carbohydrates: 56g | Protein: 45g | Fat: 74g | Saturated Fat: 30g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 10g | Monounsaturated Fat: 24g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 188mg | Sodium: 3923mg | Potassium: 737mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 1713IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 492mg | Iron: 5mg
very good!
Thanks so much Pat! So glad you enjoyed!
I/4 “what? ??? (cup? oz? ???) half & half
1/4 of what in this recipe. I want to make it tonight, but I’m puzzled? Have all the other ingredients but the 1/4?
Did we ever figure out how much milk?
OMGosh I totally missed these comments – it is a 1/4 cup! So sorry – recipe card is updated!
Loved this and used recipe for ranch dressing packet. Two in my HH so cut chicken to 1 1/2
with Rotini 1 1/2 cups. Just a little bacon will do you. 1-2 strips. 1 cup cheese 4 oz cream cheese and no sour cream on hand. I omitted the remaining spices since my recipe had it all and using the entire amount made a very tasty casserole. Here is recipe :
Ranch Dressing:
1 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp Badia seasoning salt (found in the south
3/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powdeer
1/8 tsp thyme
I also baked at 350 deg for 25 min since it was already warm. There was plenty of cheese for us and bacon. Tasty combo.