Instant Pot Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta is a tasty, cheesy one-pot meal. This easy pasta recipe has a ton of flavor, and is fast to make. If your bacon is cooked, it is a dump and start recipe. Pressure cooker chicken bacon ranch pasta is filling and yummy!
Originally published 1/5/18, Recipe has been updated
Instant Pot Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta
So you like bacon, I mean, of course you do, and you want to make something tasty with it. How about Instant Pot Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta! This recipe has lots of flavor, and is very hearty. Best of all, it has bacon in it!
Well, I was going to say it’s a one-pot meal, but bacon is better!
I wanted to bring you something a little more hearty. This is like a loaded mac and cheese, with chicken, bacon, and lots of flavor!
There’s always room for more pasta, and if it’s easy to make, and loaded with great flavor, there’s a better chance of the family liking it!
Why cook a pasta dish in the Instant Pot?
I love to cook pasta in my Instant Pot. To me, not having to drain the water, and the pasta soaking up the flavor, are the two big reasons to cook pasta in the pressure cooker!
Plus this is a one-pot meal and it is done in about 30 minutes!
Which pasta works the best in this recipe?
I like to use penne, rotini, or ziti. You can use just about any pasta, as the chicken will cook in a short amount of time, so use what you have!
The ratio of pasta to liquid is important, so make sure you are using 16 oz for this recipe. You can’t go by the cup as different pastas have different shapes/sizes.
Using a nice thick-cut smoky bacon makes this recipe even better. If you don’t have that kind, any bacon you have will do.
Instant Pot Mac and Cheese
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Instant Pot Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta has great flavor, and is a hearty pasta meal. A casserole style dish in less time than baking in the oven.
- 6 slices Thick Cut Bacon, cooked or uncooked, cut in bite-sized pieces
- 3 Tbsp Butter, unsalted
- 4 cups Chicken Broth, low sodium
- 1/2 cup Heavy Cream or Half and Half, (more if you like it saucier)
- 1 packet Ranch Dressing Powder (3 Tbsp)
- 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
- 16 oz Penne Pasta (or rotini, ziti, etc.)
- 2 (8 oz) Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast (cubed slightly larger than bite sized)
- 8 oz Cream Cheese, cubed
- 1 cup Sharp Cheddar Cheese, shredded (optional)
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Prepare all of the ingredients before you start. Cut the bacon and chicken, have the butter measured. Shred the cheese, and measure out the ranch & garlic powders, broth, and pasta. It will make the cooking process much easier and faster. Less stress!
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If you have uncooked bacon: Turn on the Sauté function (Normal/Med heat). Add the chopped bacon. Cook, stirring occasionally, until done. Remove to a paper towel and drain all of the fat from the pot. Set aside.
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Add the butter and a splash or two of the broth to the pot and stir, scraping the bottom of the pot so you can to get up all of the brown bits (fond).
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Add the broth, heavy cream, ranch powder, and garlic powder, and stir well.
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Add the pasta and stir.
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Add the chicken and the cubes of cream cheese. Don't stir, but gently push down, using a spoon, to submerge the chicken and pasta.
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Cancel the Sauté function.
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Place the pressure cooker lid on the pot and turn the steam release knob to the Sealing position.
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Press Pressure Cook or Manual button, and then the + or - button to choose 5 minutes. Your pasta may need a different time. Usually half the time on the package directions.
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When the cooking cycle ends, do a controlled Quick Release of the pressure, just until you are sure no sauce will spew out with the steam, then turn the knob all the way and let it all out.
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When the pin in the lid drops down, open it and give the contents a stir. It will be fairly soupy at this point.
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Stir in the cheese and let it melt.
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Stir in the bacon. Mix well. It will thicken as it cools.
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Serve warm.
This pasta dish will thicken as it cools. To reheat you may need to add a little broth, milk, or water.
RESOURCES TO MAKE Instant Pot Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta Recipe and More
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I made this tonight, and it was delicious! They only thing I will change the next time I make it is less bacon, lol. I love bacon but it was a little over powering to me.
Hi Jess, thank you for your review, and the suggestion about less bacon. I appreciate you taking the time to review this recipe!
I do not have the glass lid 🙁
What are my options?
Can I just place the regular lid on???
Hi Amy, any lid will do. If you use the pressure cooker lid, just make sure it is on venting.
I just put broth into microwave and brought it up to temp.. yum!
Great!
I made this tonight and everyone loved. So thank you for sharing.
What size Instapot is this recipe for?
Hi Kayla, all of my recipes are created for the 6 quart, unless otherwise stated. Thanks for stopping by!
Can you make it without a pressure cooker?
Sure, Aimee, using a pot on the stove to cook the pasta, and another to cook the bacon and chicken. You won’t need all of the broth, but keep some in case it is too thick after adding the pasta and cheese.
This was super delicious and flavorful! I used chicken stock and 1 1/2 tablespoons of Hormel real crumbled bacon that I had leftover from a different recipe. I will definitely be making this again! Thanks for the great recipe!! ???
This was super delicious and flavorful! I used chicken stock and 1 1/2 tablespoons of Hormel real crumbled bacon that I had leftover from a different recipe. I will definitely be making this again! Thanks for the great recipe, Sandy ???
Hey Kimster, thanks for the review! I’m glad this recipe worked for you!
I just made this, a good choice for my family as they don’t like onions. It turned out beautifully, the flavor was excellent. I am a little confused and kind of muddled along with the bacon. No where in the instructions does it say when to add the bacon pieces. I did right at the end. Also, it says bacon reserve. Is that the drippings that you add in? I did not since we are watching our diets. It was good without it. I did add in 3 celery stalks, diced. Family likes cooked celery, onions not so much. Lol. I’ll be making this again. Thanks!
Hi Lauri, I’m glad you and your family enjoyed this recipe. Just to clarify, the instructions say to add the reserved bacon, which means the bacon you had previously cooked and set aside. Definitely not the bacon fat! I’ll try and find a way to put emphasis on that so no one else is confused about it! Thank you for your review and feedback!
I think if it simply said add bacon pieces it would be clearer. What are the drippings you saved used for?
Okay, thank you. I don’t save the fat from this recipe, so I need to reword it so it doesn’t appear that way! Lol! Thanks!
Made this last night. It was awesome! I did find it a little soupy and would cut back on the broth next time. I can really see this as a kid pleaser. Any picky eater will devour this
Just made this last night and the family loved it. Will definitely have to make this again. Thanks for the recipe.
Hi Cyndi! I’m so glad that you and your family liked this recipe! Thank you for leaving a review!
Loved it, I would like to double the recipe. How much time should I add?
Hi Joanie, you don’t have to add time as the pasta cooks in the time given. It may take longer to come to pressure though, and be really careful when you release the pressure so none of the sauce spews out with the steam. It happens easier with a fuller pot!
Sandy I made this tonight for my wife she is 28 weeks pregnant and loved it. O and it’s a boy. We will be adding this recipe into the weekly rotation.
OMGosh Zach! Congratulations! I’m super happy that your wife liked this recipe (and baby). Thank you for your review! Let me know when the baby arrives! <3
I made this with my 6 qt. It is amazing. I used bow tie pasta and I didn’t have any Monterey Jack Cheese so I put in 2 cups sharp cheddar and 1 cup grated Parmesan. I also cooked 9 strips of bacon as I love bacon and the more the better!
Thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe!
Thank you for your review, Anita. I’m so glad you liked this. More bacon is better, for sure! Lol!
I think I will use my 8 qt. next time as it did spew out some. BTW, I can’t rate this recipe. I give it 5 stars
Thank you, Anita. The stars seem to have come through. Thank you for your review. You can do a controlled quick release and start releasing the pressure in shorter bursts until you can be sure that no sauce spews out with the steam. Even if you use your 8 qt, try this to make sure!
This recipe was delicious! I added extra bacon but not sure if it made it all the way to the end since I snacked on it while the pasta was cooking 😉
Hi Erin! I always make extra bacon for snacking while cooking! Plus, whenever I cook bacon the guys suddenly appear out of nowhere and want some! I’m so glad you liked this recipe! Thank you for your review!
Hubby and I loved this. The more bacon the better! Next time I will add mushrooms too!
I made this today I substitute the bacon for ham and cream cheese for 1/2 and 1/2. It was a hit with our kids..
Hi Chantelle, that sounds so good!
This recipe was great… easy instructions and dinner was done!
That’s what I like to hear! I’m happy you liked it, Trina! Thank you for your review!
Can I halve this recipe? I know the instant pot requires so much liquid so I wanted to make sure it would work!
Yes you can. Just keep the proportions the same, and cook time the same as well. Enjoy!
Thank you so much for this Delicious recipe! I am an Instant Pot newbie and this recipe could not have been easier. I did not change a thing and it was PERFECT!! My family loved it as well!
I’m glad you liked this recipe, Veronica! Thank you for your review, and have fun with your pressure cooker!
I have not tried the recipe yet, but just wondering why bring the liquid up to a boil before starting the pressure cook? Wont the liquid mixture boil almost immediately once the top is locked and heat is being added to build pressure? Does the pasta need that bit of extra time in boiling water to be done in 5 minutes or something?
Generally recipes like this seem to be deglaze and immediately then throw in everything in and start the pressure cook, so I was curious.
Hi Donnie. The reason I like to bring the contents to a boil is to speed it up and reduce the possibility of the burn error. It will come to pressure much quicker and you will have great results. You don’t HAVE to do it this way to have good results, but this method helps.
Thanks for the quick reply yesterday. It allowed me to make it last night. I avoided the boiling step and used evaporated milk instead of half and half to make it slightly not as unhealthy but otherwise followed the recipe. It ended up much soupier for us than the picture, but I actually think that was a positive. My wife and I loved it.
I’m glad you liked it. Often times when it is soupy it’s due to not enough pasta. I always weigh mine to make sure. But since you like the soupy consistency, that great! Thank you for letting me know.
Can I use frozen chicken breasts? How should I adjust the cook time, or will the noodles be over cooked?
Hi Kim, yes you can use frozen chicken. I would try using the same cook time and see how it turns out. Often frozen chicken will cook in the same amount of time. It’s more about the size of the pieces.
I made this tonight…it’s quite good! I should’ve cut the recipe in half since it’s just me, but I like to follow recipes as written the first time I make them. Now i’m wondering if it’ll freeze well since rotini is a more solid pasta.
Can you use regular milk instead of half and half?
Yes you can!
I tried this recipe tonight and it was awesome. In the recipe I did not see where to add the heavy cream but maybe I overlooked it. Recipe makes a large batch and is very easy to make AND tasty. Thx for sharing this great recipe.
Thank you! Add the cream with the broth.
Have you tried to do this as a freezer meal? Maybe just cook it all and then add more broth when reheating in the IP?
Hi Ashley, no I haven’t. I do agree that adding some liquid when reheating would be a good idea.
I made this for my boyfriend. He lives 2 hours away so I only get to see him a couple times a month with our work schedules. I always try to take him something homemade since he doesn’t cook much. I was looking for a chicken bacon ranch pasta recipe since he loves chicken bacon ranch pizza. I stumbled across your recipe and thought I’d try it. I was a bit nervous putting cream cheese in the pot while pasta/chicken was cooking because I’ve heard you shouldn’t put dairy in the pot. But I took a chance and tried it. And I’m so glad I did. I just had a small bowl for breakfast – I had to sample before I give it away, right? It’s totally delicious and I know my boyfriend will love it. Thanks for a great recipe. The only change I made was to add a full cup of heavy cream because I wanted it saucy so when he heats it up it doesn’t get so dry. Thanks again! I can’t wait to check out your other recipes 🙂
That’s great, Susan! How nice for you to make something homemade for your boyfriend! I hope he enjoys it.
This may sound like a dumb question, but the chicken is going in raw, correct?
Yes, uncooked.
Do you precook your chicken before putting it in or do you put it in raw? I’m kinda confused.
No, uncooked. Otherwise it will get dried out. You could add cooked chicken after pressure cooking if that is what you have.
I made this before and it was super good but when I made it a second time (I didn’t change anything) the liquid didn’t submerge the chicken. What did I do wrong?
I’m not sure. Did it still turn out okay?
This was amazing. I had to use whole milk in place of the half and half. Also increased the cooking time to 7 minutes and set aside to thicken for 20 minutes. I will be making this again for sure.🍁
Wow! This was delicious! I even forgot to add the bacon at the end. Only change I made, I added about 1!4 cup tomato paste (from a tube) to add just a bit of attitude. We’ll be making this often, thank you!
I made this for dinner tonight it was so yummy! I cheated and used precooked bacon. My six year old who never eats anything I make tie dinner, ate 2 helpings of this. My husband also said put this on the regular meal plan. Thanks for another great recipe, my family’s bellies are happy and full
Is the chicken in this recipe pre-cooked? Sounds yummy and want to make it but 5 minutes in insta pot doesn’t seem like enough to cook the chicken
It is not precooked. 5 minutes is plenty because the chicken is cut into small pieces.
This was so delicious! I made it tonight and it came out perfect. It’s definitely a keeper recipe.
This was easy and so delicious! The instructions were perfect. Thanks so much for the great recipe.
Hi Sandy. This may seem like a silly question. Do you mean two 8-oz chicken breasts, or two chicken breasts that equal 8 oz total? I know I’m probably overthinking this. I just wanted to check. Thanks.
2 -8 oz breasts
This will be the second time I have made this delicious dinner! The first time, it disappeared. Made a double batch this time and realized at the end we were out of shredded cheddar. I used Muenster slices torn up and out smells fantabulous! I can’t wait to taste it! Thank you for this recipe, it was an instant hit!