Crack Chicken Penne is a one-pot pasta recipe made with a cheesy, creamy combination of cubed chicken, bacon, cheese, and ranch seasoning. It’s addictively delicious!
Our easy Crack Chicken Penne recipe has an addictive reputation for a reason: take one bite of this cheesy chicken dish and you won’t be able to stop!
The crispy bacon, lightly browned chicken, penne pasta, and creamy sauce all cook in a single skillet, which makes minimal cleanup with maximum flavor.
This easy crack chicken pasta is a comforting, crave-worthy, complete 30 minute meal – it’s perfect for busy weeknights and just as delicious the next day.
Why is this dish called crack chicken?
Rumor has it that Crack Chicken is addicting, just like crack. The combination of bacon, ranch, and cheese is deemed irresistibly delicious and thus has been dubbed “crack” chicken.
This crack chicken penne pasta recipe is filled with the same addictive flavors as my Crack Dip, Crack Chicken Casserole, Crack Chicken Chili, sliders, potatoes, soup, and Baked Crack Chicken, but this version goes directly from pot to plate, making clean up a pleasure!
Why We Love This Crack Chicken Pasta Recipe
- Quick and easy to make.
- Uses a handful of simple ingredients.
- Addictive flavor combination of ranch, cheese, and bacon is delicious.
- Creamy sauce perfectly coats each piece of chicken and pasta.
- Family-friendly hearty, homemade dinner for any day of the week.
Crack Chicken Penne Ingredients
- Smoked bacon
- Boneless skinless chicken breasts
- Yellow onion
- Salt
- Black pepper
- Packet of Ranch seasoning
- Chicken stock or chicken broth
- Penne pasta: Feel free to use a gluten free pasta for this recipe.
- Cream cheese
- Cream of chicken soup
- Colby jack cheese
- Fresh chopped parsley
Substitutions and Additions
- Change The Chicken: I used white meat boneless chicken breasts, cut into cubes, for this easy crack chicken recipe, but if you prefer the taste of dark meat, you can use boneless skinless chicken thighs. Turkey breasts or rotisserie chicken will also work well.
- Choose Your Cheese: Sharp shredded cheddar cheese or Monterey jack cheese would be a delicious substitute for the Colby jack cheese in this recipe.
- Pick Your Pasta: I used penne pasta for this recipe, but you can use any pasta you prefer, such as rotini, rigatoni, bowties, or shells.
How to Make Crack Chicken Penne
- Cook The Bacon: Cook the bacon until the bacon fat has been rendered and the pieces are crispy. Transfer the cooked bacon to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside. Drain all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon grease.
- Brown The Chicken: Cook the chicken, onion, salt, and pepper in the same skillet until lightly browned.
Pro Tip: The chicken may not be all the way cooked through. That is fine because the chicken will continue to cook with the pasta. - Prepare The Pasta: Add the ranch seasoning and chicken stock and bring to a boil. Add the penne, cover with the lid, and simmer until the pasta is tender.
- Add The Creamy Contents: Remove the lid and stir in the cream cheese and cream of chicken soup. Mix in the shredded cheese, bacon, and parsley. Top with more cheese (do not stir in) and cover the skillet again just until the cheese has melted.
- Serve: Garnish with bacon and fresh parsley. Serve and enjoy!
Tips For Making The Best Crack Chicken Pasta
- This crack chicken penne should be served while warm. As this dish cools, the sauce will continue to thicken up.
- You can place your package of bacon in the freezer for about an hour to firm up the bacon to make it easier to dice it into smaller pieces.
- If you only have a larger container of the ranch seasoning mix, you will use about 2 tablespoons for this recipe.
- I prefer to use full-fat cream cheese for this recipe. You can use reduced-fat cream cheese, but it won’t be as thick or creamy.
- Use freshly shredded cheese instead of packaged pre-shredded cheese. They have additives in the bags to prevent clumping, and they do not melt as well as a block of cheese that you shred yourself.
- You can make this dish in a slow cooker or instant pot. Simply saute your bacon first and then dump all ingredients, including the uncooked pasta, into the crock pot and cook.
How to Store Crack Chicken Penne
- To Store: Store leftovers in an airtight container, in the refrigerator, for up to 2 days.
- To Freeze: I do not recommend freezing this dish.
- To Reheat: Reheat on the stovetop or microwave until heated through.
More Easy Pasta Recipes
Other Easy Chicken Recipes
- Longhorn Parmesan Crusted Chicken
- Air Fryer Chicken Parmesan
- Marry Me Chicken Recipe with Pasta
- Cajun Chicken Pasta
- Chicken Potato Casserole
- Gnocchi Chicken Pot Pie
- Cream of Mushroom Chicken
- Cornflake Chicken
Crack Chicken Penne
Serves — 6
Crack Chicken Penne is a cheesy, creamy addictive combination of chicken, bacon, cheese, and ranch seasoning.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Ingredients
- 6 slices smoked bacon cut into ½-inch diced pieces, divided into ¼ cup, and remainder
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts approximately 1 pound, cut into 1-inch cubes
- ½ cup chopped yellow onion
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 ounce packet of Ranch seasoning
- 4 cups chicken stock
- ½ pound penne pasta
- 6 ounces of cream cheese
- 10.5 ounce can cream of chicken soup
- 8 ounce block of Colby jack cheese shredded, divided into 1½ cups and ½ cup
- 2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley divided in half
Instructions
- In a large 12-inch skillet, on medium heat, add the diced bacon and cook for 9-11 minutes or until the fat has been rendered and the bacon pieces are crispy. Transfer the cooked bacon to a paper towel-lined plate. Reserve ¼ cup of the cooked bacon for garnish. Set aside all the bacon. Drain off all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon grease from the skillet.6 slices smoked bacon
- On medium-high heat, add the cubed boneless skinless chicken breasts, diced yellow onion, salt, and black pepper to the skillet. Cook the chicken for 5-6 minutes or until lightly browned. The chicken may not be all the way cooked through. That is fine because the chicken will continue to cook with the pasta.2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, ½ cup chopped yellow onion, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- Once the chicken has been lightly browned and the onions are tender, add the ranch seasoning and chicken stock. Bring the chicken stock to a boil, then add the penne pasta. Reduce the heat to low, cover the skillet with the lid, and cook for 15-20 minutes or until the pasta is tender.1 ounce packet of Ranch seasoning, 4 cups chicken stock, ½ pound penne pasta
- Remove the lid from the skillet and stir in the cream cheese and cream of chicken soup until fully combined and no lumps remain.6 ounces of cream cheese, 10.5 ounce can cream of chicken soup
- Add 1½ cups of the shredded Colby jack cheese, the cooked bacon pieces (except for the reserved ¼ cup), and 1 tablespoon of the chopped fresh parsley. Stir to combine.8 ounce block of Colby jack cheese
- Top the crack chicken penne with the remaining ½ cup shredded Colby jack cheese (do not stir in) and cover the skillet again with the lid for 3-4 minutes or just until the cheese has melted on top.
- Remove the lid and garnish the melted cheese with the reserved ¼ cup of bacon and the remaining 1 tablespoon of chopped fresh parsley.6 slices smoked bacon, 2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley
Jenn’s Notes
Yields: 6 (approximately 1 ⅓ cup) servings
Storage:
- To Store: Store leftovers in an airtight container, in the refrigerator, for up to 2 days.
- To Freeze: I do not recommend freezing this dish.
- To Reheat: Reheat on the stovetop or microwave until heated through.
- This crack chicken penne should be served while warm. As this dish cools, the sauce will continue to thicken up.
- You can place your package of bacon in the freezer for about an hour to firm up the bacon to make it easier to dice it into smaller pieces.
- If you only have a larger container of the ranch seasoning mix, you will use about 2 tablespoons for this recipe.
- I prefer to use full-fat cream cheese for this recipe. You can use reduced-fat cream cheese, but it won’t be as thick or creamy.
- Use freshly shredded cheese instead of packaged pre-shredded cheese. They have additives in the bags to prevent clumping and they do not melt as well as a block of cheese that you shred yourself.
- You can make this dish in a slow cooker or instant pot. Simply saute your bacon first and then dump all ingredients, including the uncooked pasta, in the crock pot and cook.
Nutrition Info
Calories: 597kcal | Carbohydrates: 44g | Protein: 35g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 112mg | Sodium: 1747mg | Potassium: 627mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 976IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 316mg | Iron: 2mg
It is awesome! My family loves it.
this is so good! I added spinach before the pasta and 1/2 cup of 1/2 & 1/2. so good!
That sounds delicious! Thank you for sharing!
Hello! just want to ask if you have any suggestions for the ranch seasonings alternative? Hard to find in the store. thanks!
It should be pretty easy to find. Walmart, Target, Kroger and most stores carry it. Otherwise there are a ton of recipes online to make your own.
pretty darn good! was tired of the same old thing all the time and this was a good switch up of things! rich and creamy with that touch of salty from the bacon is delish.
This was so good exactly as is!
This is very very very good! My boys said….put it on the make it again list!
How long would this cook in an Instant Pot?
You mention the crockpot. How long in the crockpot and what temperature low or high
I tried this today for the first time and decided to try crockpot.
3 hours on high and both chicken and pasta were done. Then i left it on warm till 1 hour before serving and added the cream cheese.
I made some adjustments for my own personal tastes and adjusted some seasoning before serving. Turned out great!
You mentioned being able to cook this in the crockpot/slowcooker buy adding all ingredients except bacon to the pot and cooking. I am assuming raw chicken goes in with this like the raw noodles? How long do I cook this for on low? And when would I add the cream cheese? Wouldn’t that be at the end?
Looks good