Chicken, bacon, ranch and cheese are combined to make one of the most flavorful and easy dinner recipes that your whole family is sure to love! This is the perfect recipe for an quick weeknight dinner.
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You know when you find something that works for you. It is like a weight off of your shoulders and a huge sigh of relief! That is what happened when I accidentally made our first chicken bake one night for dinner!
I needed something easy and quick and really had to just work with what I had in the fridge. The fajita chicken bake was born, and we were hooked! My family loved it because it is SO delicious! I loved it because it took mere minutes to prep and get in the oven for a hot and fresh meal on a busy weeknight. It entered our regular meal rotation and I started cooking up even more ideas! {You can see all of my Easy Chicken Bake Recipes here!}
I have always loved creating in the kitchen. It is really one of my favorite ways to spend my time. So I started brainstorming and came up with an almost endless list of yummy chicken bake ideas to feed my family. The one I am sharing today has definitely been a favorite with its rich savory flavors.
The Bacon Ranch Chicken Bake is probably one of the quickest dishes to put together since it requires only 4 ingredients and about 5 minutes of prep. And I mean really? Who doesn’t LOVE the flavors of bacon, ranch and cheese?! It is a match made in HEAVEN! I am telling you… this is a major husband pleaser right here.
In my opinion these chicken bakes are even better than freezer cooking since it is all of the ease with fresh from the oven textures! To make this baby, just grab your four ingredients and get started.
Grab a baking dish. Any ol’ dish will do, but my FAVORITE for chicken bakes is this 2 QT Pyrex dish. It is about 11×7, so a little smaller than their normal baking dish and absolutely perfect for 3 chicken breasts which is what I usually make.
Trim the chicken and lay it flat in the dish. My family eats about 1/2 breast each so making 3 gives us about 6 servings which will feed us for dinner plus give a couple of left overs for lunches that week. Depending on the size of your chicken breasts and your appetites you can easily adjust the recipe for more or less.
Spread about 1-2 tablespoons of ranch dressing on each chicken breast and then top with bacon strips. I used one whole strip cut in half for each piece of chicken, but again, use more or less for your taste.
Next place the chicken in an oven preheated to 400˚F for 25-35 minutes or until it is just cooked through and no longer pink. Remove it from the oven and sprinkle cheese over the top and return to the oven for 3-5 minutes or until the cheese is melted. The cook time can vary based on how thick your chicken breasts are, so make sure you cut into them and check them to make sure they are cooked though. Also, if you want to speed up the cook time, you can cut the chicken into strips and use a larger baking dish.
When you take the chicken out of the oven, you are going to have a steaming hot, incredibly delicious dinner that your family will devour in no time flat!
I like to serve my bacon ranch chicken bake over wild rice which conveniently cooks in just the time it takes to bake the chicken. It is also absolutely amazing served over greens for a healthier option. Or if you have a picky family, it is easy to let each person decide what they want their chicken served over without really causing you any extra time or effort.
***Scroll to bottom for FULL PRINTABLE recipe!***
If this sounds awesome but a bit to calorie rich, check out my new lightened up version of the Bacon Ranch Chicken Bake. 5 ingredients, one dish, and much lighter!
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Bacon Ranch Chicken Bake
Ingredients
- 3-4 Chicken Breasts
- 6-8 Tablespoons Ranch Dressing
- 6-8 Slices Bacon
- 4 Ounces Cheddar Cheese or Colby Jack Cheese
Instructions
- Place your chicken breast in a baking dish
- Spread 1-2 tablespoons of ranch dressing on each chicken breast
- Slice bacon to fit chicken breast and layer on top of ranch
- Bake in oven preheated to 400?F on top rack for 25-35 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink.
- Top with cheese and return to oven for 3-5 minutes or until cheese is melted.
- Serve with rice or over greens.
- Enjoy!
(Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.)














Seana Turner says
That looks amazing. I sometimes end up with a few pieces of bacon leftover and never know what to do with it. Pinning & trying. Everything on your site always looks so good to me:)
Carol says
Fry your left-over bacon – cool, crumble and throw on your salad.
Heather M says
This looks like a great comfort dish kind of meal.
Jennifer at Making Our Life Matter says
I know my family will enjoy this dish!
Mitzi says
My 15 year old loves Ranch dressing with everything– can’t wait to try this one– looks super easy too 🙂
Sarah Halstead says
That looks amazing! I will have to try this for sure!
Linda says
This was wonderful !!!!!! Will be cooking this for years……
Kimber says
So glad you enjoyed this! My family loves it too!
Kayla says
And if you’re not the biggest ranch fan or want something different, honey mustard works great too!! I added some blackening seasoning to my chicken first. Thanks for the great recipes!
Amber says
I tried this for dinner last night and LOVED it! I used different bacon and different ranch but it was still amazing! Next time I will make it a little different though. FIRST, I would cut a few slits in my chicken for the ranch to seep through and cook within. SECOND, I would bake the bacon separate (because I like my bacon a little more on the crispy side). & THIRD, I would add the bacon to the chicken at the point you add the cheese. But overall this was delicious and I will be making it again in the near future! 🙂
bonnie says
thank you for those tips
Melanie says
Thanks for the tips. I did it this way and it was perfect!!
Janelle says
I agree with the lady who said to cook the bacon first and add ad end. My oven was splattered with grease cooking the bacon on the chicken and it didn’t get nice and crispy. The chicken tasted good but I wouldn’t cook this again with the bacon. I had to clean my oven after this dish…
gina says
I used Amber’s first tip. This is fantastic! Other modifications: Used turkey bacon. My chicken breasts were a little thick so I pounded them flatter. Checked for at 30 mins..Moved to center rack for add’tl time when I added the cheese
monica says
Love to try this recipe. Instead of ranch dressing, can i use vinigrette with sesami oil?
Kimber says
I have never tried that. It would probably give it a different flavor but that doesn’t mean it wouldn’t be delicious!