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Bacon Ranch Chicken

This Bacon Ranch Chicken has juicy chicken smothered in a zesty ranch sauce with melted cheese, crispy bacon, and diced green onions! This flavorful dish pairs really well with mashed potatoes and green beans

A skillet of Bacon Ranch Chicken with cheese, bacon and green onions on top.

Bacon Ranch Chicken

This Bacon Ranch Chicken will likely become a regular in your dinner rotation! My Ranch Chicken recipe is so popular, that I decided to create a twist, adding bacon, cheese, and green onions to the mix for a flavor explosion!

This is a perfect recipe to serve with baked or mashed potatoes and green beans. And don’t worry, there is plenty of this amazing sauce to go around!

Be sure to check out my pro tips below!

How to Make It

See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.

Cook the bacon low and slow and set aside. Chop once cooled and reserve bacon drippings. Season the chicken and brush with bacon drippings. Sear on each side until golden and set aside. 

A plate of cooked bacon next to a plate of seared chicken.

Wipe dark spots from the skillet and add the sauce. Simmer for 5 minutes. Add the chicken and simmer, partially covered, for 5 more minutes.

A skillet of ranch sauce with chicken being added to it.

Top with cheese and sprinkle with bacon. Broil until the cheese is just melted. Garnish with green onions and serve with baked or mashed potatoes

A skillet with Bacon Ranch Chicken before and after cheese on top is melted.

Pro Tips

  • Important! Be sure to get Ranch seasoning mix for this recipe, not Ranch dip mix, they do taste differently and have different uses. I use 2 tablespoons, slightly less than a 1 oz. package to ensure the sauce isn’t too salty. 
  • If you’re not a ranch loverdon’t worry. Ranch seasoning adds a lot of zesty, savory flavor to this sauce, but it doesn’t make it taste like bottled ranch dressing. 
  • Cream of Chicken Soup: For ultimate flavor, make this using my Homemade Cream of Chicken recipe. You can freeze it for future recipes, 1 batch is the equivalent of 2 cans. You’ll never use a can again!
  • Sodium- Consider using low or no sodium cream of chicken soup to control the salt content in this recipe if preferred.
  • Shred your cheese from a block for best results, it will melt and taste better than packaged shredded cheese. I love using Cracker Barrel Sharp Yellow Cheese
  • Make sure you add the cheese over low heat, if the base is too hot, the dairy will separate and the consistency will be gritty. This goes for all sauces and soups.
  • Chicken: If you are using smaller chicken breasts, you can use 4 instead of 2 for this recipe.

Storage

  • Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Leftovers do freeze and reheat well!

A skillet of Bacon Ranch Chicken in a ranch sauce with bacon and cheese.

Tools For This Recipe

(Amazon affiliate links*)- Check out all of my kitchen essentials here.

  • Ranch Seasoning– I buy mine in bulk! *Do not use ranch dip mix, make sure you get the seasoning mix.
  • 1 quart measuring cup with a spout This is what I use to combine the sauce ingredients at the beginning. 
  • Meat Mallet– This is the one I have, I use it almost every time I cook.
  • 8-inch Chef’s Knife– This is the one I have, I love it.
  • Cutting Boards I love having assorted sizes.
  • Spice Rack– This is the one I have, it’s a snap to measure out your seasonings quickly and easily. (Big time saver.)
  • Box Cheese Grater– Always shred cheese from a block, it melts and tastes much better. Bagged shredded cheese contains cellulose which prevents it from melting as well.

*As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

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Bacon Ranch Chicken in ranch sauce with melted cheese, bacon, and green onions.

Bacon Ranch Chicken

5 from 4 ratings
This Bacon Ranch Chicken has juicy chicken smothered in a zesty ranch sauce with crispy bacon and diced green onions! This dish pairs well with mashed potatoes and green beans!

Ingredients

Sauce

  • 10.5 oz. cream of chicken soup, try my homemade version!
  • 1 cup milk
  • ¾ cup sour cream
  • ¼ cup chicken broth
  • 2 tablespoons ranch seasoning mix, see notes
  • 1 teaspoon EACH: parsley, mustard powder
  • ½ teaspoon onion powder

Chicken/Toppings

  • 6-8 strips bacon, drippings reserved
  • 2 large boneless skinless chicken breast
  • 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
  • Salt/Pepper, to taste
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
  • 2 green onions, diced

Instructions

  • Note: Use an oven-safe skillet for this recipe.
  • Combine the sauce ingredients and set aside.
  • Cut the bacon in half and place it in a deep 12-inch skillet. Cook it slowly over low heat until crispy on each side. Reserve the drippings and set aside. Roughly chop once cooled.
  • Cut the chicken in half lengthwise to create two thinner slices. Cover with saran wrap and use a meat tenderizer to pound it to 1/2-inch thicken. Pat dry, and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper, then with Italian seasoning. Use a pastry brush to brush each side with bacon drippings.
  • Heat the same skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the chicken in batches for 4-5 minutes per side, until a golden crust has developed. Set aside. Wipe away any dark spots from the skillet.
  • Add the sauce. Gradually bring it to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer gently for 5 minutes.
  • Reduce heat to medium-low. Add the chicken along with any juices from the plate. Spoon the sauce on top. Cover partially and allow it to heat through for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat your oven broiler to 400°F (or a low broil).
  • Top the chicken with shredded cheese and sprinkle the chopped bacon over the dish. Transfer to the oven for 2 minutes, or just until the cheese is melted. Watch it carefully during this time.
  • Remove from the oven and garnish with green onions. Spoon the sauce over baked or mashed potatoes and serve with roasted green beans.

Notes

Pro Tips:
  • Important! Be sure to get Ranch seasoning mix for this recipe, not Ranch dip mix, they do taste differently and have different uses. I use 2 tablespoons, slightly less than a 1 oz. package to ensure the sauce isn't too salty. 
  • If you're not a ranch lover- don't worry. Ranch seasoning adds a lot of zesty, savory flavor to this sauce, but it doesn't make it taste like bottled ranch dressing. 
  • Cream of Chicken Soup: For ultimate flavor, make this using my Homemade Cream of Chicken recipe. You can freeze it for future recipes, 1 batch is the equivalent of 2 cans. You'll never use a can again!
  • Sodium- Consider using low or no sodium cream of chicken soup to control the salt content in this recipe if preferred.
  • Shred your cheese from a block for best results, it will melt and taste better than packaged shredded cheese. I love using Cracker Barrel Sharp Yellow Cheese
  • Make sure you add the cheese over low heat, if the base is too hot, the dairy will separate and the consistency will be gritty. This goes for all sauces and soups.
  • Chicken: If you are using smaller chicken breasts, you can use 4 instead of 2 for this recipe.

Storage
  • Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Leftovers do freeze and reheat well!

Nutritional information is an estimate and is per serving. There are 4 servings in this recipe.

Nutrition

Calories: 598kcal, Carbohydrates: 17g, Protein: 40g, Fat: 40g, Saturated Fat: 17g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g, Monounsaturated Fat: 13g, Trans Fat: 0.1g, Cholesterol: 161mg, Sodium: 1712mg, Potassium: 721mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 5g, Vitamin A: 909IU, Vitamin C: 3mg, Calcium: 358mg, Iron: 2mg
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14 comments on “Bacon Ranch Chicken”

  1. Absolutely delicious. So much flavor everyone loved it. Will be making this again

  2. Just made this for dinner tonight and YUM it’s a keeper! So tasty and it made plenty of the delicious sauce which I used to top some veggies and a biscuit as my side. I didn’t bother with the broiling step because the cheese melted while it was on the stovetop. Otherwise followed it exactly. Yum! 

  3. This is a question for several of your recipes (which are all fantastic,by the way). Do you have a recipe for Italian Seasoning? I’d rather make my own than buy premade

  4. Thank you SO much for putting the extra explanation on why to cook the sauce over low heat while adding the cheese. I think I’ve made this mistake several times in the past, but never again

    • I am soooo happy that this tip helped Gaye!! Believe me, I used to do it too, and if I can save anyone from making this mistake in the future, my job here is done! 🙂 ❤️❤️ Thank you!!

  5. Thanks so much for the ranch seasoning tip! I made sure to get the seasoning packet and not the dip! My family LOVED this recipe. It came together fast and it was super flavorful. We basically put the sauce on EVERYTHING and it was heavenly. We are all big sauce lovers which your recipes all accommodate perfectly. Can’t wait to see what saucy creation comes out next!

  6. Hey! I’m just wondering what brand of Ranch seasoning you use? Everything I seem to find says for Ranch dip! Help! Lol

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