Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole (No Pasta, Keto)
Chicken bacon ranch casserole is chicken tenders, crispy bacon, dry ranch seasoning and melted cheddar, all baked together in one dish. It is a rich dish, so I make it only once in a while, and when I do it is a celebration. My kids call it THE chicken bake dish, and the plates come back licked clean. Let me show you how.
If casseroles are your kind of dinner, I also make this unstuffed cabbage roll casserole, my chicken, mushroom and potato casserole, and a stuffed crepe and egg casserole when breakfast needs to feed a crowd.
Why You’ll Love This Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole
Four things everybody in the house already likes, cooked together in one dish.
- It tastes like bacon all the way through – every bite of the chicken tastes smoky and salty, not only the pieces that happen to have a bacon bit sitting on them. Lean chicken breast has never tasted like this in my kitchen.
- It’s creamy without being heavy – the cream and sharp cheddar melt down into the pan juices and make their own sauce, and it never sets into a thick paste the way a canned-soup casserole can.
- It’s low carb – there is no pasta, no rice and no canned soup in it, so it is one of the few casseroles that needs no swaps at all on keto.
- It’s mostly hands off – about ten minutes of real work, then it bakes on its own while you get the rest of dinner on the table.
- It’s versatile – mashed potatoes, pasta, rice, crusty bread or just a green salad all work under it, so you can build the rest of the meal around whatever is already in the house.
The cheese on top is optional. Leave it off and the bacon stays crisp, like in this photo. Add it and you get a melted cheddar layer over the whole thing. I go back and forth depending on who is eating.
Ingredients for Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole
Chicken tenders and bacon, four seasonings, and cream and cheddar over the top. That is the whole list. Amounts are in the recipe card at the bottom.
Chicken and Bacon Layers
These two are the whole base of the casserole, so they are worth buying well.
- Bacon: thin-sliced crisps properly instead of turning chewy, and thick-cut works but stays softer. In a pinch bagged bacon bits will do, though they will not give you anywhere near the flavor of bacon you crisp up yourself.
- Chicken tenders: lean and already the right size, so nothing needs cutting. Chicken breast cut into strips works exactly the same.
- Rendered bacon fat: the fat the bacon gives off while it cooks, and it has more flavor than any oil would. Butter works if you would rather not use it.
Ranch Seasoning
This is where the ranch flavor in chicken bacon ranch casserole comes from. There is no bottled dressing anywhere in this recipe.
- Dry ranch powder: the dry seasoning packet, not bottled ranch dressing, and unsalted if you can find it. This is what makes the whole dish taste like ranch.
- Garlic powder: better than fresh garlic here because it spreads evenly over every piece instead of catching in spots. Granulated garlic is the same thing.
- Kosher salt: I use Morton, and the amount in the card is measured for it. Table salt is saltier by the spoon, so use less.
- Black pepper: coarsely ground, so you get real specks of it against the cream. Fine ground disappears into the sauce.
Cream and Cheddar Topping
These two go over the top and turn the pan juices into the sauce.
- Heavy cream: it has enough fat that it will not split in the oven, and it makes the thickest sauce. Half and half works and comes out lighter.
- Sharp cheddar: block cheddar you grate yourself melts smoother than the pre-shredded bags, which are coated in starch. Gouda or a good mozzarella both melt well here.
- Parsley: fresh, for color and a little brightness against all that cream. Dill is good here too.
How to Make Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole (Step by Step)
This bakes in two stages at two temperatures, and the cream goes in twice. Everything happens in the same dish.
How to Layer the Chicken and Bacon
The bacon gets cooked first, then goes both under the chicken and over it. This part takes about ten minutes.
- Cook the bacon first at 400F on a rimmed baking sheet, until it is properly crisp. Let it cool, chop it, and keep a spoonful of the fat from the pan.
- Scatter half the chopped bacon across the bottom of a 9×9 baking dish.
- Add the chicken tenders over the bacon in rows, snug against each other in a single layer.
💡 TIP: Chicken tenders, boneless chicken breast cut into strips, or boneless chicken thighs all work here. Thighs give off more fat, so the sauce comes out a little richer.
- Season the chicken with a drizzle of the bacon fat, then the kosher salt, ranch powder, garlic powder and black pepper. Scatter the rest of the bacon over the top.
- Pour on the first of the cream, just a few spoonfuls. The rest goes in near the end, so do not pour it all in now.
💡 TIP: Pour all of the cream in now and it tends to break by the end of the bake time. Adding the rest at the end keeps the sauce thick and creamy instead of broken and curdled.
How to Bake Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole
Hot and covered to start, then low and slow. The oven temperature changes once and the foil comes off once.
- Bake at 450F, then drop to 350F, keeping it covered tightly with foil: 15 minutes at the higher heat, 35 minutes at the lower, without opening the oven.
💡 TIP: Starting at 450F heats the chicken through quickly. Bake it at 350F the whole way and the meat spends the first stretch of the bake just coming up to temperature, which drags the whole bake out. Once it is hot all the way through, 350F is plenty to finish it without drying it out.
- Separate the chicken by taking the foil off and running a fork between the tenders, so they are not stuck together and the sauce can reach everywhere.
- Add the rest of the cream over the chicken and bake uncovered until the sauce has thickened, about 15 minutes.
💡 TIP: If you use a bigger dish or double the recipe, pour most of the chicken juice off before the cream goes in. There is more of it than the cream can reduce into, so the sauce will not thicken otherwise.
How to Finish the Casserole with Cheddar
The last five minutes are only about melting the cheddar over the top. Nothing else needs to happen after that.
- Melt the cheddar over the top and bake 5 more minutes, just until it melts. Do not leave it in past that – the chicken dries out, and the sauce breaks and turns curdly instead of thick and creamy.
- Finish the casserole with parsley and serve while the sauce is still bubbling.
Marina’s Pro Tips for the Best Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole
What I have learned from the times this came out greasy, and the times it came out dry.
- Cook the bacon separately, don’t lay it in raw. Raw bacon dumps all its fat and water into the dish, and you get a greasy casserole with chewy bacon in it. Cooking it first gives you crisp pieces and a sauce that stays creamy instead of oily.
- Put bacon under the chicken, not only on top. A layer underneath flavors the tenders from below the whole time they bake, which is how the bacon taste ends up inside the meat rather than sitting on the surface.
- Start the oven hot, then drop it. The first 15 minutes at 450F set the outside of the chicken so it holds its juices, and the long 350F stretch cooks it through gently. Go straight to 350F and the casserole comes out paler and wetter.
- Split the cream into two pours. A few spoonfuls at the start keep the bottom of the dish from scorching, and the rest going in near the end keeps the sauce silky instead of broken.
- Grate the cheddar off a block. Pre-shredded cheese is coated in starch to stop it clumping in the bag, and that starch turns the sauce grainy as it melts. A block grates in under a minute and you get a smooth sauce.
- Pull the casserole as soon as the cheese melts. Five minutes is all the cheddar needs. Longer than that and the chicken goes stringy and the sauce breaks into something curdly instead of thick and creamy.
- Leave the cheese off for crisper bacon. A cheese layer blankets the bacon and softens it, so skip it when the crunch is the part you are after. You still get all of the sauce either way.
Keto and Low Carb Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole
This one is, and it did not need a single change to get there. Most chicken bacon ranch casseroles are built on pasta, rice or a can of cream-of-something soup, and that is where all the carbs come from.
There is none of that in this dish. A serving comes in at 3 grams of carbs and 37 grams of protein, which makes this a keto chicken bacon ranch casserole with nothing to swap out and nothing to leave on the side of the plate. The full nutrition breakdown is in the recipe card.
What to Serve with Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole
The sauce is the reason this works with so many things. You mostly want something on the plate that will soak it up.
- Spooned over fluffy mashed potatoes, with a salad or some pickles on the side for contrast.
- Tossed with pasta, which turns it into chicken bacon ranch pasta.
- With crusty bread for dipping straight into the sauce.
- Over brown rice, buckwheat or quinoa.
- Or keep it light with roasted vegetables and a big green salad.
Whipped mashed potatoes plus that ranch cheddar sauce is the pairing I come back to. I use this fluffy mashed potato recipe for it.
Plated up with a green vegetable, it turns into a full dinner without much else going on the stove.
If You Like Something Pickled on the Side
If you grew up eating meat and potatoes with a little dish of pickles next to it, put that on the table here too. The sharp, salty bite cuts straight through all the cream and bacon, and it is how I eat this at home.
My Dad’s extra crunchy naturally fermented pickles are the ones I reach for first: salt brine, no vinegar, and they stay properly crunchy. If you want a faster batch, these dill pickles are ready sooner, and pickled mini bell peppers are sweet and sharp at the same time.
How to Store Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole
Fridge: an airtight container for 3 to 4 days. The ranch flavor settles in overnight and day two is arguably the better plate.
Freezer: cooled portions keep up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating, because a cream sauce comes back much better from a slow thaw than from the microwave.
To reheat: covered, in a 325F oven until it is hot through, or at half power in the microwave. High heat splits a cream sauce, so keep it gentle and it stays smooth.
Make it ahead
Cook and chop the bacon and layer the whole dish a day in advance: bacon, chicken, seasonings, bacon. Cover it and refrigerate. The next day, bake it as written and hold the cream back the same way, and give the covered stage a few extra minutes to make up for the cold start.
A few things readers ask most often about this one.
Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole FAQ
Why is my Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole watery?
Two usual causes. Raw bacon added straight to the dish releases its fat and water into the sauce, and a pan bigger than a 9×9 spreads the chicken out so the juices never get deep enough to reduce. Cook the bacon first, stay with the 9×9, and let the last 20 minutes run uncovered so the liquid cooks down into a sauce.
Can I use rotisserie or leftover cooked chicken?
You can, and it becomes a different bake. Cooked chicken only needs to heat through, so skip the covered stage: layer it with the bacon and seasonings, pour all the cream over at once, and bake at 350F until it is bubbling at the edges, then add the cheese for the last 5 minutes. You do lose some of the bacon-into-the-meat flavor, since that happens while raw chicken cooks.
Can I use chicken breasts or thighs instead of tenders?
Yes. Chicken breast cut into strips about the size of a tender is the closest swap and needs no change to the timing. Boneless thighs work too and are more forgiving about overbaking, though they give off more fat, so the sauce comes out richer.
Heavy cream or half and half, which is better?
Go with heavy cream if you have it. It has enough fat that it will not split during the uncovered bake, and it gives you a thicker sauce. Half and half works and makes a lighter, thinner one, and it is the more likely of the two to break, so keep the oven at 350F once it goes in.
Do I have to use dry Ranch powder?
No, the casserole is good without it, just less tangy. If you are skipping it, add a little more garlic powder plus dried dill and chives, which is most of what is in a ranch packet anyway. Use the unsalted ranch seasoning where you can, because the salted kind on top of the kosher salt pushes the whole dish over.
Can I double Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole for a crowd?
Yes. Double everything and move up to a 9×13, keeping the chicken in a single layer. The bigger pan gives you more surface area, so check the sauce near the end and give it a few more uncovered minutes if it looks thin. Go by the chicken being cooked through rather than by the clock, since the times here are written for the 9×9.
More Chicken Dinners to Try
If this chicken bacon ranch casserole goes on repeat at your house, these are the chicken dinners I rotate in next.
Cheesy Bacon Wrapped Chicken
The same chicken, bacon and cheese idea, done as individual portions instead of a casserole. Good for the nights when everyone wants their own.
Garlic Ranch Baked Chicken Thighs
Ranch seasoning again, this time on thighs with crisp skin and no cream at all. If the ranch is the part you love here, start with this one.
One-Pan Chicken and Potatoes
Chicken and the potatoes roast on the same pan, so dinner and its side finish at the same time. One pan to wash at the end.
Baked Lemon Chicken
Bright, lemony and light on its feet. This is the chicken dinner for the nights when a rich bake sounds like too much.
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Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole (No Pasta, Keto)
Chicken bacon ranch casserole made with real chicken tenders, crispy bacon, cream and sharp cheddar. No pasta, no canned soup, and keto at 3g carbs.
Ingredients
Chicken and Bacon Layers
- 10 strips thinly sliced bacon Cooks down to about 1/2 cup chopped
- 12 pc chicken tenders About 1 lb 12 oz total
- 1 Tbsp bacon fat Rendered from the bacon above
Ranch Seasoning
- 2 tsp dry ranch powder Unsalted, the dry seasoning not the dressing. Optional
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 3/4 tsp kosher salt Morton. Use about 1/3 less if using table salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper Coarsely ground
Cream and Cheddar Topping
- 1/2 cup heavy cream Or half and half
- 1/2 cup sharp cheddar, grated Grated off a block
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
Instructions
Layer the Chicken and Bacon
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Cook the bacon at 400F for 15 to 17 minutes, spread on a rimmed baking sheet, until well crisped. Let cool, chop into 1/2 inch pieces, and save 1 Tbsp bacon fat from the pan.
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Scatter half the chopped bacon over the bottom of a 9x9 baking dish (Note 1).
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Add the chicken, 12 pc chicken tenders, over the bacon in rows, snug against each other in a single layer.
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Season the chicken with a drizzle of 1 Tbsp bacon fat, then 3/4 tsp kosher salt, 2 tsp dry ranch powder, 1 tsp garlic powder and 1/2 tsp black pepper. Scatter the remaining bacon on top.
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Pour on the first of the cream, 2 to 3 Tbsp of it, over the top. The rest of the cream goes in later (Note 2).
Bake the Casserole
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Bake at 450F, then drop to 350F, covered tightly with foil: 15 minutes at 450F, then 35 minutes at 350F, without opening the oven.
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Separate the chicken by removing the foil and running a fork between the tenders so they are not stuck together and the sauce can reach everywhere.
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Add the rest of the cream over the chicken and bake uncovered at 350F until the sauce has thickened, about 15 minutes (Note 3).
Finish with Cheddar and Serve
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Melt the cheddar over the top, 1/2 cup sharp cheddar, grated, baking 5 more minutes, just until melted. Do not bake past this point - the chicken dries out and the sauce breaks (Note 4).
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Finish the casserole with 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped, scattered over the top, and serve while the sauce is still bubbling.
Recipe Notes
- The pan: a 9x9 baking dish is what the photos show and what these times are written for. A 7x7 packs the tenders tighter and a 9x13 spreads them out, so with either one go by the chicken being cooked through rather than by the clock.
- Two pours of cream: a few spoonfuls go in before the covered bake so the bottom does not scorch, and the rest goes in for the last 20 minutes. All of it at the start makes a thinner, greasier sauce.
- Too much juice: if you use a bigger dish like a 9x13, or double the recipe, pour most of the chicken juice off before adding the cream. There is more of it than the cream can reduce into, so bake until the sauce has thickened rather than going by the clock.
- Do not overbake: chicken tenders are thin and go from tender to stringy quickly, and cooking the cheese too long breaks the sauce and turns it curdly instead of thick and creamy. Pull the dish as soon as the cheese has melted.
- Ranch powder: use unsalted dry ranch seasoning, not bottled dressing. If the salted kind is all you have, cut the kosher salt back.
- Salt: I use Morton kosher salt and the amount here is measured for it. Table salt is saltier by the spoon, so use about a third less.
- Bacon: in a pinch bagged bacon bits will do, but they will not give you anywhere near the flavor of bacon you crisp up yourself.
- Cheese: grate it off a block. Pre-shredded cheese is coated in starch and makes a grainier sauce. The cheese topping is optional, and the bacon stays crisper without it.
- Make ahead: layer the dish through step 4 up to a day ahead, cover and refrigerate. Bake as written and give the covered stage a few extra minutes for the cold start.
- Low carb: there is no pasta, rice or canned soup here, so a serving comes in at 3 g of carbs.
I first published this chicken bacon ranch casserole in 2019, and it has been one of the busiest dinner recipes on the site ever since, with more than 38 ratings on the card. I updated it in September 2026 so the step-by-step in the post matches the recipe card exactly, with the oven temperatures, the 9×9 pan and the two pours of cream written into both, plus new pro tips, freezing and reheating notes, and answers on rotisserie chicken, thighs and doubling it for a crowd.
Marina | Let the Baking Begin
We LOVE this recipe in our house. It’s one of my kids favorites… but, that said, is it possible to rewrite it so the “how to” and the actual recipe card say the same thing? It’s confusing because they don’t match at all so when I send it to my husband to make I have to spend 15 minutes explaining it to him. Just a thought ☺️
Your wish is my command 🙂 Done!
Does this recipe make a gravy that could be served over rice?
It makes only a little bit of sauce. Not much though.
Thanks for sharing! Does it keep long?
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This casserole is a keeper. I always double this recipe because my family loves it so much. Goes perfectly with mashed potatoes.
Best chicken recipe!! Made this for Christmas gathering and man was it a hit! Don’t skip on the amount of bacon. It makes this recipe divine.
Thank you, so much!
I haven’t tried this recipe yet, can you give me suggestions for it for a vegetarian? Usually I just grilled chick’n pieces but Im not sure what to sub for the bacon and bacon fat.
Thanks
Hi
Can you pls tell me where u got your ranch powder cuz I can’t find it .
Thank You
Hi Alina,
I use the Johny’s Seasoning Garlic Spread Powder that I get at Costco, but any dry ranch powders would be in packets by the seasonings in the grocery stores.
Thank you so much
I’m in the middle of making this recipe and just noticed the cook time in the how to make area is less than the total cook time outlined in the instructions, so now I’m not sure how long to bake it completely
Follow the instructions in the “how to” area 🙂
This sounds wonderful! I plan to try it this week – would you do anything differently if using boneless, skinless chicken thighs?
Thank you!
Nope.
I just made this soooo good. I did use the Ranch Powder, I wouldn’t leave it out.
After lowering temperature I did remove chicken after 15 minutes, didn’t want to dry out and since they are chicken tenders, cook rather quickly. Followed recipe as followed with cheese and cream.
Definitely a keeper .
Such a yummy recipe!! It’s one of our family favorites!
That’s awesome! Thank you for sharing that!
I am preparing this dish tonight; accompanied by a small side salad and bran muffins. Thanks for the inspiration. I will share your page on my social media profiles.
I hope you love it !
This sounds good…who could go wrong with those ingredients? I will try it tonight.
Let me know how you like it after the taste test
Thanks for sharing! Does it keep long?
This looks so good! What a great weeknight dinner or one to serve to company!