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Sundays always bring families together for dinner. If you are looking for a quick and simple meal then look no further than this delicious bacon ranch chicken casserole dish. The chicken is tender, juicy with hints of smokiness. The homemade alfredo sauce delivers on strong garlicky flavors as well as ranch all mixed together with noodles and a ton of cheese. You can’t go wrong!
Table of Contents
How to spatchcock a chicken.
You can just buy a rotisserie chicken or make some chicken breasts, but in traditional Grillin With Dad style, I had to make fresh spatchcock chicken.
To start, cut out the backbone from the chicken with sheers or a sharp knife. This process of spatchcocking or butterflying will allow the chicken to cook more evenly and quickly. Press down hard on the breast bone to break it so the chicken will lay nice and flat. I like to use a little olive oil or cooking spray for the binder. This will allow the seasoning to stick better to the chicken. For this recipe I went with an all purpose seasoning by Kendrick BBQ. Cover the outside generously and pat it in.
Dad’s Seasonings
Must have grillin seasonings!
How to grill the perfect chicken
After the chicken is seasoned, let it hang out while you fire up the grill. Set it for indirect cooking and the temp at 375 degrees. Place the chicken skin side up and cook until the breast registers an internal temperature of 165 degrees. This should take approximately 45 minutes, depending on the size of your chicken.
When the chicken is fully cooked, remove it from the grill and let it rest for 10-15 minutes. This is a very important step in the process. During the rest period, the chicken will start to cool down and the cooking process will stop. The juices will redistribute inside the meat, giving you a much better final product.
How to make homemade Alfredo ranch sauce.
For this recipe, I made homemade alfredo sauce which is super simple to make and tastes so much better than the store bought option. That said, if you are pressed for time, a ready made jar will work just as well.
In a sauce pan, add butter, heavy cream, grated parmesan, Italian seasoning, garlic and ranch seasoning as the salt replacement. The ranch just gives the sauce another great punch of flavor.
Whisk the ingredients together until the sauce thickens. Add some ground pepper to your liking.
Time to grill the Bacon Ranch Chicken Casserole.
With the sauce and chicken done, all you need is crisp bacon and cooked noodles to have all the components ready to put together the bacon ranch chicken casserole.
Shred the grilled spatchcock chicken into a mixing bowl. Add the alfredo ranch sauce, mix it together and add in crunched up bacon, noodles and shredded cheddar cheese. Mix all the components together and pour them into a casserole dish.
Top if off with more shredded cheddar and mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle left over bacon and this dish hits the big green egg for another 20 minutes at 375 degrees.
Once the cheese is melted and the top is slightly brown, this bacon ranch chicken casserole is ready to be served. Enjoy!
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Bacon Ranch Chicken Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 Whole chicken
- 4 tbsp All purpose seasoning
- 6 Bacon strips
- 1 cup Shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 cup Shredded mozzarella cheese
- 2 cups Uncooked rigatoni pasta
Homemade Alfredo Ranch Sauce
- 1 stick Unsalted butter
- 2 cups Grated parmesan cheese
- 1 1/2 cup Heavy cream
- 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tbsp Minced garlic
- 1 tbsp Ranch seasoning
- 2 tsp Ground pepper
Instructions
Spatchcock Chicken Instructions
- Cut out the backbone from the chicken with sheers or a sharp knife
- Press down hard on the breast bone to break it so the chicken will lay nice and flat.
- Cover the entire chicken with a little olive oil or cooking spray for the binder and season with your choice of all purpose seasoning.
- Set it for direct cooking and the temp at 375 degrees.
- Place the chicken skin side up and cook until the breast registers an internal temperature of 165 degrees. This should take approximately 45 minutes.
Homemade Alfredo Ranch Sauce Instructions
- In a sauce pan, add butter, heavy cream, grated parmesan, Italian seasoning, garlic and ranch seasoning as the salt replacement.
- Whisk the ingredients together until the sauce thickens. Add some ground pepper to your liking.
Assemble the Alfredo Ranch Chicken Casserole
- Cook the rigatoni noodles to an al dente texture.
- Crips up bacon and crumble once cooled off.
- Shred the grilled spatchcock chicken into a mixing bowl
- Add the Alfredo ranch sauce, mix it together and add in bacon, noodles and shredded cheddar cheese. Mix all the components together and pour them into a casserole dish.
- Top if off with more shredded cheddar and mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle leftover bacon and this dish hits the big green egg for another 20 minutes at 375degrees.
Nutrition
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This was so delicious 🤤
Even my 10-year old son loved it and he claims he doesn’t like casseroles 😆