BBQ Ranch Chicken Casserole is a quick and easy dinner loaded with chicken, cheese, and pasta, tossed and baked with BBQ sauce and ranch.
Do you love casseroles?? I know my family does. My grandmother loved making them for so many occasions so I definitely grew up on casseroles.
I think it was the era, of ways to make dinner easier. But the trend sure stuck around. Probably because life hasn’t slowed down at all. In fact, it seems it is busier than ever.
You can enjoy this recipe cold by making our BBQ Ranch Pasta Salad. Don’t miss our Chicken and Rice Casserole and our Easy Chicken Pot Pie recipes too.
So it really is no surprise that casseroles are more popular than ever. Who can turn down a simple dinner that is made by tossing favorite ingredients and baking?
I love this one because our family is crazy for bbq and ranch. So why not put them together?
ranch chicken casserole
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What I love about this recipe is its versatility. You can change up the flavors depending on your crowd.
I love to change things up so we aren’t always serving the same thing – even when life gets too busy for a whole lot of creativity.
Here are some commonly asked questions
Can I use fresh chicken?
You sure can. Just cook it beforehand. You can do this by either cutting some boneless, skinless chicken breasts into 1″ pieces and sauteing in a skillet until cooked through. Or you can cook the chicken breasts whole, either on the grill, baked or boiled, and then shred once cooked.
Can I use a different type of pasta?
Absolutely! I choose bowties because that is not only what I had on hand at the time, but I like the look of them in a casserole. But spirals, elbows, or penne would be great too.
Can this casserole be frozen?
I have never had much luck with freezing pasta, so I don’t personally recommend it. I find that cooked pasta tends to get soggy when thawed. But if you have had a better experience with this, go ahead and give it a try.
How many can this serve?
This recipe fills a standard casserole dish so it should feed at least 8 people. Or if you have a lot of large appetites, there is enough for at least 4-5 people with some second helpings involved.
bbq chicken bake
Can this recipe be doubled?
You can, when it comes to the ingredients and the mixing. But the original recipe will fill a casserole dish. So you will need to use 2 pans and just bake them side-by-side.
HOW DO YOU MAKE BBQ Ranch Chicken Casserole?
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Cook the pasta to al dente, drain and transfer to a large mixing bowl.
- Add in the cooked chicken, chopped bacon or bacon bits, cheese, corn, Rotel, diced green chiles, ranch dressing, bbq sauce, and minced onions. Toss to combine.
- Transfer the mixture to a casserole dish and top with additional cheese if desired.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes or until hot and cheese is melted.
What is the best way to store leftover chicken casserole?
I like to either use my casserole dish that has a plastic lid, so I can just pop it on and get it into the refrigerator OR I top the pan with foil and refrigerate.
You can also transfer any remaining casserole to an airtight container before refrigerating. This recipe should keep well when refrigerated for up to 3 days.
Can I use another type of meat?
You bet. If you would prefer using ground sausage, leftover holiday turkey or even ground beef – all of those are just fine.
To make BBQ Ranch Chicken Casserole you will need…
- bowtie pasta
- cooked chicken
- chopped bacon or bacon bits
- cheese
- corn
- Rotel
- diced green chiles
- ranch dressing
- bbq sauce
- minced onions
leftover bbq chicken recipes
Products I love when making BBQ Ranch Chicken Casserole…
This BBQ Ranch Chicken Casserole recipe is SUPER EASY and delicious – and if you’re like me, then you maybe already have some of these items on hand.
OR maybe you have never made a casserole like this before, & you might be a bit nervous – but you’re going to love it. I have made a list below of the things I absolutely can’t live without when it comes to making this casserole recipe.
- casserole dish
- stockpot
- mixing bowl
- this BBQ sauce
- bottled ranch dressing or homemade ranch dressing
- ranch dressing powder
- ROTEL Mild Diced Tomatoes and Green Chilies
- spatulas
- Diced Green Chiles
If you love this Easy BBQ Chicken Casserole recipe, you’re going to love these other dinners too. Please click each link below to find the easy, printable recipe!
leftover bbq chicken recipe
Other Easy Casseroles
Ritz Cracker Chicken Casserole
Instant Pot Tuna Noodle Casserole
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BBQ Ranch Chicken Casserole
Ingredients
- 12 ounces bowtie pasta
- 3 cups cooked chicken- shredded rotisserie, leftovers or cooked & shredded
- ½ cup chopped bacon or bacon bits use cooked bacon or REAL bacon bits. No immitation bits – it alters the flavor.
- 2½ cups shredded cheese cheddar blend
- 15 ounces canned corn drained
- 10 ounces Rotel don't drain
- 7 ounces diced green chiles don't drain
- 1 cup ranch dressing
- ¾ cup bbq sauce
- 1 tbsp minced onions
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Cook the pasta to al dente, drain and transfer to a large mixing bowl.
- Add in the cooked chicken, chopped bacon or bacon bits, cheese, corn, Rotel, diced green chiles, ranch dressing, bbq sauce, and minced onions. Toss to combine.
- Transfer the mixture to a casserole dish and top with additional cheese if desired.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes or until hot and cheese is melted.
Nutritional information for the recipe is provided as a courtesy and is approximate. Please double-check with your own dietary calculator for the best accuracy. We at Taste of the Frontier cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site. Erythritol carbs are not included in carb counts as it has been shown not to impact blood sugar. Net carbs are the total carbs minus fiber.
Brittany says
Just made this! So so yummy! I used spaghetti because that’s all I had and instead of green chilies I had Jalapeños so I used those instead added a great kick!
Diane H. says
My husband doesn’t like spicy dishes, so I left out the chilies. I added more onion, a can of black beans and some roasted garlic Aioli sauce. It was delicious!
Gina Kleinworth says
That sounds great!!!!
Monique says
Could you please add in the ingredients whether the corn, rotel, or can of greens chilis should be drained. Of course it’s my fault I decided to make this in a hurry but it was such a hassle either way, to look wonder and scroll AND read thru comments to see if I saw anything that said where those cans should be drained or not… So, because I care about the next person, please add. And thanks in advance!! Oan, thank you so much for sharing this recipe! It was a hit for my family AND some other picky eating kids who I had in my home briefly.
Taylor says
When I made this recipe, I drained all of the ingredients except for the diced green chiles…I’m not sure what everyone else did but it turned out awesome!
Gina says
Easy, quick and great tasting. Perfect to throw together for a quick meal that feeds a lot of people.
Mallory says
I’m going to try this tonight. Could I use the dry ranch seasoning?
Thanks.
Gina Kleinworth says
I guess you can – if you make it into ranch dressing. You will need the moisture from the dressing so the mixture doesn’t turn out dry or have too much of a bbq sauce flavor.
Angel says
Can I add diced chicken instead of shredded?
Gina Kleinworth says
That will work fine.
Vicky says
I just made this. Delicious! I used fresh frozen corn I vacuum packed this summer,and I used mini size farfalle. I used one cup bbq sauce. I used Kraft honey bbq sauce because that’s what I like. I fried 4 slices bacon and cut up in small pieces. Next time I think I’ll buy the already cooked 3 oz. Bag for simplicity. One batch made enough for two meals for hubby and I. One for tonight and one to freeze for later.I also used rotisserie chicken. I can make two to three meals with one chicken.I used mild fire roasted peppers.
Lisa says
Absolutely delicious!! I love that it’s something different too! It’s a huge hit with my family!
Cathy says
This is DELICIOUS! Always looking for different ways to use leftover chicken and this one is a winner! I had all ingredients on hand except the green chilis and it was still very tasty!! Definitely a keeper!
Frank Heimbach says
I don’t see the size of the casserole dish you used listed anywhere. What size was it ?
Gina Kleinworth says
The ones shown here is a 9×13. It is linked in the section “Products I love when making BBQ Ranch Chicken Casserole”
Carie says
Why don’t you state HOW MUCH corn and cheese I need?????
Gina Kleinworth says
Looks like you skipped over the printable recipe card with the quantities – it is located directly above the comments section. It’s all there. If you click the jump to recipe button at the top of the post – it takes you directly to it.