Every week, my family would eat this. It’s a fantastic go-to, simple, satisfying one-pot dish. Moreover, cleanup is simple.
| Prep Time: | 15 mins |
| Cook Time: | 30 mins |
| Total Time: | 45 mins |
| Servings: | 6 |
Ingredients
- 4 slices bacon
- ¾ pound chicken breasts, diced
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 medium shallot, finely chopped
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup whole milk
- 4 cups elbow macaroni
- 1 tablespoon ranch dressing mix
- 3 cups broccoli florets
- 1 (8 ounce) package shredded Cheddar cheese
- ¼ cup sour cream
Instructions
- Heat bacon in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Cook, flipping occasionally until browned and crisp, about 10 minutes. Drain on paper towels.
- Sprinkle chicken evenly with salt and pepper; cook in hot bacon drippings over medium-high heat, stirring often, until chicken is golden brown on all sides, about 4 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate and set aside. Chicken will not be fully cooked at this point.
- Add shallot and garlic to drippings and cook, stirring often, until fragrant, 2 minutes. Stir in water and milk; use a wooden spoon to scrape any browned bits from bottom of the Dutch oven. Stir in pasta and ranch dressing mix. Bring to a boil and simmer for 6 minutes.
- Return chicken to the Dutch oven and add broccoli. Cook until pasta is tender and chicken is cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in Cheddar cheese and sour cream to combine. Crumble cooked bacon over the top and serve hot.
- Any type of short pasta will work in this dish, such as bow-ties, penne, or cavatappi.
- Switch out chicken for rotisserie chicken to shorten the cook time even more!
- You can easily adapt this to be vegetarian dish, and can also add veggies such as green beans or spinach.
- Substitute 2 cups stock for the water if preferred.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 570 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 60 g |
| Cholesterol | 83 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 4 g |
| Protein | 35 g |
| Saturated Fat | 11 g |
| Sodium | 680 mg |
| Sugars | 5 g |
| Fat | 21 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
Very good. Only problem was I used skim milk and it curdled. You couldn’t tell once the cheese and sour cream were added. I used a high protein pasta and needed extra water and a few more minutes of cook time. Next time I’ll add an extra strip or two of bacon. Very good recipe, easy to make, easy to clean up.
So great and Simple for the family!!
I wasn’t crazy about it but my husband and daughter loved it! They have asked that I remake this
What a wonderful recipe! I used my new Dutch oven and I am SO happy with the outcome. Thank you for sharing this recipe. It’s a keeper!
I had to add 2c more water to get the noodles to cook right. And added more cheese. Would make again.
It much flavor. Served it the second night but added more lime juice some herbs and more chicken broth. Better but not great
This was pretty good.
Love Nicole’s recipes. Always approachable, tasty and quick. Didn’t change a thing and it was perfect.