This chicken bacon ranch casserole is what casserole dinner dreams are made of! Zesty ranch-seasoned shredded chicken sits atop a layer of creamy mashed potatoes, followed by a generous sprinkle of melted cheese, crispy bacon, and fresh chives.
Table of Contents
- This recipe is…
- Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole Recipe Ingredients
- Recipe Variations and Modifications
- How to Make Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole
- Meal Prep Tips
- How to Serve
- How to Store and Reheat
- Frequently Asked Questions
- More Favorite Chicken Casserole Recipes
- Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole Recipe
This recipe is…
Chicken bacon ranch – name a better combination! This trio, in almost any form (sandwiches, salads, etc.), is unbeatable, and this casserole is no exception. Loaded with creamy mashed potatoes, ranch seasoned chicken, cheese, and crispy bacon, it’s bound to be a new dinnertime favorite.
Looking for more chicken casserole recipes? We’ve got a bunch! This King Ranch chicken casserole is absolutely delicious, this Southwest chicken casserole (also lovingly referred to as Confetti Chicken Casserole) is loaded with veggies and always a family favorite, and this chicken enchilada casserole has been a reader favorite since it was posted on the website 4+ years ago.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It’s easy – this recipe is really easy to pull together. You’ll make the mashed potatoes (unless you happen to have leftover mashed potatoes on hand), but other than that, it’s really just a matter of assembling and baking.
- It’s delicious – the flavors of chicken, bacon, and ranch in this recipe are absolutely delicious. We guarantee it’ll become a family favorite!
Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole Recipe Ingredients
You don’t need much to make this casserole – a handful of ingredients for the mashed potatoes, the ranch seasoning, shredded chicken, cheese, bacon, and chives. Find ingredient notes (including substitutions and swaps) below.
- Gold potatoes – we used gold potatoes for this recipe because they are ultra creamy and their skin is super soft, so they don’t actually even need to be peeled.
- Shredded chicken – feel free to use leftover shredded chicken, shredded rotisserie chicken, or pop a couple of chicken breasts into the Instant Pot or slow cooker to make easy Instant Pot shredded chicken or slow cooker shredded chicken. You’ll need about 3 cups of shredded chicken (about 1 pound of raw chicken breasts).
- Shredded cheese – we used Monterey jack cheese here because it melts so well and has a really mild taste, but, honestly, any shredded cheese will work great.
- Bacon – feel free to use leftover crispy bacon for this recipe or make some for scratch for this recipe alone.
A full ingredient list with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Recipe Variations and Modifications
- Make your mashed potatoes in the Instant Pot – this recipe walks you through making the mashed potatoes in a pot on the stovetop, but if you want to keep things even more hands-off, feel free to make Instant Pot mashed potatoes instead.
- Use ranch dressing – this recipe calls for tossing the shredded chicken in a creamy, ranch-inspired blend of ingredients, but you could also use 3/4 cup of ranch dressing, if you’d like.
- Make it gluten-free – you’re in luck, this casserole is already gluten-free as is!
- Make it dairy-free – In the mashed potato layer, swap the butter for coconut oil and the cream for full-fat coconut milk (from a can). For the cheesy top layer, either omit or use your favorite dairy-free shredded cheese.
- Make it low-carb – swap the mashed potatoes for either a mashed cauliflower (find our recipe for a delicious garlicky mashed cauliflower in this cottage pie article) or for a mashed parsnip (delicious).
How to Make Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole
This casserole is incredibly easy to make! Follow along below for the full how-to.
Step 1: Place a pan on the stovetop over medium heat and, once hot, add the bacon to it. Let the bacon cook, flipping it occasionally, until crisp. Once finished, set the bacon aside.
Step 2: While the bacon cooks, place the potatoes in a large pot, cover them with water, and bring to a simmer over high heat. Simmer for 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are easily pierced with a fork.
Step 3: Drain the potatoes then add the butter, cream, salt, and pepper. Using a potato masher, mash the potatoes until smooth.
Step 4: For the chicken layer, mix the mayo with the lemon juice and dill in a large bowl, and whisk until smooth. Add the cooked, shredded chicken and toss to combine.
Step 5: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spread the potatoes out in the bottom of a 9×13 casserole dish (or any 3.5-4 quart dish), then spread the chicken over the mashed potatoes. Top the chicken with the shredded cheese and sprinkle the bacon on the very top.
Step 6: Bake the casserole for 20 minutes, until the cheese is bubbly and the casserole is warmed through. Top with fresh chives, then serve and enjoy!
Meal Prep Tips
Meal prep this recipe ahead of time – this recipe is a great one to prep ahead of time! Simply make the mashed potatoes, cook the bacon, make the ranch and toss with the shredded chicken. Assemble the casserole layers: mashed potatoes, ranch dressing chicken, shredded cheese, and crispy bacon. Cover the casserole and store it in the fridge for up to 4 days. On the day you’re ready to enjoy it, pop it into the oven *uncovered* for 30 minutes at 350F, or until warmed through. Finish it off with the (optional) fresh chives!
Freeze this recipe ahead of time – this casserole is also a great candidate for stocking the freezer! Make the mashed potatoes, cook the bacon, make the ranch and toss with the shredded chicken. Assemble the casserole layers: mashed potatoes, ranch dressing chicken, shredded cheese, and crispy bacon. Cover the casserole tightly with aluminum foil and store it in the freezer for up to 5 months. 1-3 days before you plan to enjoy it, pull it from the freezer and let it slowly thaw in the refrigerator. Once thawed, pop it into the oven *uncovered* for 30 minutes at 350F, or until warmed through. If it’s still frozen, you can bake it *covered* for 2 hours at 350F then *uncovered* for 30 minutes. Finish it off with the (optional) fresh chives!
How to Serve
Serve your chicken bacon ranch casserole on its own (it’s a complete, satisfying, hearty meal as-is) or alongside roasted green beans or a simple arugula salad if you want to add a green veggie component.
How to Store and Reheat
Store any leftover casserole in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Feel free to transfer it to an aluminum casserole dish and store it in the freezer for up to 3 months, if you’d like.
To reheat from the fridge, either pop a serving or two in the microwave, or, if you’re warming up a large portion, pop it back into a 350°F oven until warmed through. To reheat from frozen, simply transfer the casserole straight to a 350°F oven (unless your freezer dish isn’t freezer-to-oven-safe – in that case, you’ll want to let the casserole sit out at room temperature for a little bit before placing it in the oven) for about an hour, until warmed through.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can absolutely make this casserole ahead of time! To do this, complete all of the steps through assembly, then either refrigerate (for up to 3 days) or freeze (for up to 3 months) the casserole, and when you’re ready to enjoy it, simply pop it in a 350°F oven for about 20 minutes from the fridge or an hour from the freezer, until warmed through.
You don’t need to cover your casserole while it bakes! It goes in the oven for a relatively short time (20 minutes), so it’s not likely to burn.
More Favorite Chicken Casserole Recipes
If you tried this Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below!
Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole
Ingredients
For the Potatoes
- 3 pounds Yukon gold potatoes
- 3 tablespoons butter
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
For the Casserole
- 5 cups cooked, shredded chicken
- ¾ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons dried dill
- 4 ounces Monterey jack cheese, shredded
- 10 ounces bacon, cooked and crumbled
- 2 tablespoons fresh chives, for garnish
Instructions
- Place a pan on the stovetop over medium heat and, once hot, add the bacon to it. Let the bacon cook, flipping it occasionally, until crisp. Once finished, set the bacon aside.
- While the bacon cooks, place the potatoes in a large pot, cover the potatoes in water, and bring to a simmer over high heat. Simmer for 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are easily pierced with a fork.
- Drain the potatoes then add the butter, cream, salt, and pepper. Using a potato masher, mash the potatoes until smooth.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spread the potatoes out in the bottom of a 9×13 casserole dish (or any 3.5-4 quart dish).
- For the chicken layer, mix the mayo with the lemon juice and dill in a large bowl, and whisk until smooth. Add the cooked, shredded chicken and toss to combine, then spread the chicken over the mashed potatoes.
- Top the chicken with the shredded cheese and then sprinkle the bacon on the very top. Bake the casserole for 20 minutes, until the cheese is bubbly and the casserole is warmed through.
- Top with fresh chives, then serve and enjoy!
Recipe Notes
- Make your mashed potatoes in the Instant Pot – this recipe walks you through making the mashed potatoes in a pot on the stovetop, but if you want to keep things even more hands-off, feel free to make Instant Pot mashed potatoes instead.
- Use ranch dressing – this recipe calls for tossing the shredded chicken in a creamy, ranch-inspired blend of ingredients, but you could also use 3/4 cup of ranch dressing, if you’d like.
Nutrition
I made this recipe the day it was sent in the weekly meal plan email. And it did not disappoint! My husband LOVED the potato layer and my girls loved the bacon ranch flavor. It was demolished!
I did make a couple changes because I was pushed for time. I used pre packaged bacon bits, microwaved cubed potatoes before cooking them and used rotisserie chicken. All of which worked great and really made the recipe a lot quicker to put together.
Yummmm!!! Thank you!!
YUMMM! Amazing recipe that turned out so well. Family absolutely devoured and that’s a win 🙂
I love this recipe. It’s easy and delicious. If I’m not mistaken, it is one of the recipes in Cook Once, Eat All Week, which was a game changer for me that has made it possible for me to cook at home again.
Perfect weeknight dinner for my hungry post-practice teenage athletes!
Our family loved it!
First, I think that the 5 minute prep time is somewhat misleading. It took me about 30 minutes from start to when I stuck it in the oven. However, the total time of 1 hour was accurate. Also, I cut the potatoes into cubes before I boiled them. Next, I added some parmesan cheese to the mashed potatoes mixture. Finally, I served with a dash of hotsauce. (I didn’t add it to whole dish since I’m the only one in the house who appreciates how a little heat can improve a meal.) Yuuuum!
I made this tonight and it was a win for my family. I used milk since I didn’t have cream.
I think next time I might sub some of the potatoes with cauliflower to add some veg and add garlic.
With the freezing instructions, do you bake first and then freeze? or do you freeze after assembling the ingredients and then freeze?
This recipe was a HIT! I adjusted it a little – I used bacon bits and ground chicken but the family LOVED it. I will be putting this in the rotation!
This dish is delicious and easy. My entire family loved it! My only recommendation would be to leave the crispy bacon to the side and add it to each individual serving. I only say that because the bacon became pretty soft when reheating the leftovers. Definitely give this one a try.
This was so tasty! It was easy to put together on a weeknight and my whole family loved it!
What would be a good replacement for the mayo? This looks delicious just a dairy bomb
Hi Tay! We love the Primal Kitchen Mayo made with avocado oil!