Ah, comfort food, there is nothing better. Easy pasta casserole loaded with chicken, tomatoes, corn, red onion, and lots of cheese! This chicken, cheesy goodness is baked with BBQ ranch sauce for a full flavor experience.
PASTA CHICKEN CASSEROLE
It’s comfort food time!! (Clap…clap…clap!)
Now that the weather is getting cooler for many of you, it’s time to pull out all those favorite casserole. macaroni and cheese and soup recipes. You know, all the best foods meant to warm your soul as much as your body.
This BBQ Ranch Chicken Casserole is definitely one of those dishes. It’s warm, cheesy, satisfying and scrumdelicious! All the flavors in this casserole compliment each other perfectly and did I mention…cheeeesy?! I love Monterrey Jack cheese, it’s so nice melted in pasta, sandwiches or even over plain chicken. The cheesier the dish, the better…don’t you agree?
And let me tell you, whoever invented BBQ ranch is a genius! Can’t tell you exactly when was the first time I tried it but it sure was a great day. Such a simple idea of combining the two but the result is something extra special. If you haven’t tried it yet, you are missing out. So run to your kitchen right now and try it. (I’ll wait…)
SOME MORE RECIPES TO TRY
Chicken Cordon Bleu Pasta Skillet
Chicken Supreme Pasta Bake from Inside BruCrew Life
Southwest Chicken Casserole from Fit Foodie Finds
If you made any of my recipes and shared them on Instagram, make sure to tag me @willcookforsmiles and #willcookforsmiles so I can see all the things you tried!
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BBQ Ranch Chicken Casserole
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts about 1 lb
- 1 lb dry pasta
- 1 cup sweet corn
- 3 Roma tomatoes chopped
- 1/3 cup red onion diced
- 1 1/2 cup grated Monterrey Jack cheese
- 1 cup grated Monterrey Jack cheese for topping
- salt
- fresh cracked peppercorns
- 1 1/4 cups ranch dressing
- 3/4 cup BBQ sauce
Instructions
- Cook pasta just until it is nearly done but do not overcook. Set aside.
- Cook chicken with a little salt until completely done. Let cool until it can be handled, chop and set aside.
- Preheat oven to 350 and lightly grease a casserole dish.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine diced tomatoes, diced onion, corn, cooked pasta and chopped chicken. Add some salt and cracked peppercorn, mix well.
- Whisk ranch and BBQ together and add it to the mixing bowl. Mix until evenly distributed.
- Add 1 1/2 cups of Monterrey Jack cheese and mix well.
- Transfer the mixture into the casserole dish and spread it evenly. Top with remaining cheese all over and bake for 15-20 minutes.
Video
Notes
Jeanne says
I think my college girls would like this recipe. However, I need to know if it could be made ahead in a tin disposable pan and frozen. This is the only way they would be able to enjoy it with their schedules, if I could make it for them and freeze it, to bake at a later date. Possible?
lyuba says
Hi Jeanne,
I believe that it would be possible, I’m just not familiar with freezing casseroles. You can definitely look up how to freeze pasta casseroles, I’m sure many people have done it. I wish you luck! Hope it all works out 🙂
inter says
The picture looked great. The reviews were stellar. So I figured, ok. But, 2+ cups of dressing for 1/2 box of pasta?!!! This is a receipe for salad dressing soup with noodles. The receipe does not match the picture, at all. So terrible we threw out the rest after struggling through one serving. It didn’t look right while I was putting it together, and I think it would be way better with 1 cup of dressing/bbq sauce.
lyuba says
Hi there,
I’m sorry this didn’t work out for you well. I’ve actually had several people make it and noone mentioned any problems. I will remake this recipe exactly this week just to make sure that there is nothing off. Sorry again for your experience!
Katie says
I know this is an old comment, but in case anyone else sees it and is worried – I used a full package of shells (don’t like rotini) and it was the right amount/consistency. I think the OP didn’t use enough pasta 🙂
lyuba says
Thank you so much for letting me know! I really appreciate it 🙂
April H. says
Hey! I’m going to try out this recipe this week and can’t wait! Any ideas if frozen broccoli would be okay to add? I have some broccoli to use up and feel like it could go well, but don’t want to ruin the casserole with it, either! Thanks 🙂
SophieEV says
This is delicious! Thank you for this easy and tasty recipe!
We don’t have ranch dressing in France, so I made my own (adding the herbs to greek yogurt and milk), and it was really good! I had no idea you could mix BBQ sauce with ranch but it definitely is a good idea!
lyuba says
Wonderful!! I usually make my own ranch as well and if you are interested, I have a recipe for it here. Thank you so much, Sophie!
Outdoor BBQs & Furniture Melbourne says
A delicious ranch.
Outdoor BBQs & Furniture Melbourne says
Awesome dishes.
Emily Overton says
I dropped the onions and added black beans and rotel for a more southwestern feel. So delish!
lyuba says
Oh nice! I’m so glad you liked it, Emily!
Vanessa Arnold says
Made 5 recipes this weekend to freeze. This one was the best!
lyuba says
Oh, I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you, Vanessa!
GrillEver says
I have tried the recipe last night. Believe me it was just wow. And looks so yummy. Now I’m the best cook to my children. It’s such a big gain for me. And it because of you.Thank you so much.
LyubaB says
Awe, thank you so much! So glad everyone liked it! 🙂
Laura K. says
Super good comfort food! I used shredded Mexican cheese from Costco because that’s what I had on hand and it turned out amazing! I also crushed bbq kettle chips on top! My kids loved it!
LyubaB says
Hi Laura,
I am so glad you liked it! Thanks for taking the time to stop by! 🙂
Cheri says
Made this for the family tonight, my grandkids didn’t like it . They thought it was to sweet.
Mama Llama says
Would egg noodles work for the pasta? Or should I use a different kind? I have egg noodles, elbow pasta, and penne on hand.
LyubaB says
I would use the penne because it will cook the same as the pasta I used so you won’t have to adjust the cooking time. If you do use egg noodles, I think you will need to cut down the cooking time to stop them from getting soggy.
Jamee says
An envelope of dried Ranch, or the bottled, ranch dressing??
LyubaB says
Hi Jamie,
It is bottled or homemade ranch dressing.