Chicken & Bacon Ranch Pasta Bake

🥘 Ingredients

• bacon
  1 unit
• broccoli florets
  1 unit
• chives
  1 unit
• chopped chicken breast
  1 unit
• cooking oil
  1 unit
• cream sauce base
  1 unit
• garlic powder
  1 unit
• lemon
  1 unit
• mozzarella cheese
  2 unit
• paprika
  1 unit
• penne pasta
  1 unit
• ranch spice
  1 unit
• sour cream
  1 unit

🍳 Cookware

• large pot
• baking sheet
• large pan
• large bowl
• baking dish
• aluminum foil
• baking sheet

1. 

   1

   broccoli florets chives lemon bacon chopped chicken breast ranch spice paprika cream sauce base sour cream garlic powder penne pasta mozzarella cheese cooking oil

   broccoli florets: 1 unit, chives: 1 unit, lemon: 1 unit, bacon: 1 unit, chopped chicken breast: 1 unit, ranch spice: 1 unit, paprika: 1 unit, cream sauce base: 1 unit, sour cream: 1 unit, garlic powder: 1 unit, penne pasta: 1 unit, mozzarella cheese: 2 unit, cooking oil: 1 unit
2. 

   2

   Preheat oven to 425°F. Adjust racks to top and middle positions. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Wash and dry produce. Cut broccoli florets into bite-size pieces if necessary. Thinly slice chives. Quarter lemon.
3. 

   3

   Place bacon on a baking sheet . Roast on top rack until crispy ⏱️ 10 minutes to ⏱️ 15 minutes . Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate. Once cool enough to handle, roughly chop.
4. 

   4

   Open package of chopped chicken breast and drain off any excess liquid. Cut chicken into bite-size pieces if necessary. Heat a drizzle of cooking oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add chicken in a single layer. Season with half the ranch spice, half the paprika, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until browned and cooked through ⏱️ 4 minutes to ⏱️ 6 minutes . Set aside.
5. 

   5

   Once water is boiling, add penne pasta to pot. Cook, stirring occasionally ⏱️ 5 minutes . Once pasta has cooked for 5 minutes, add broccoli to pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until pasta is al dente and broccoli is bright green ⏱️ 3 minutes to ⏱️ 5 minutes more. Reserve ½ cup pasta cooking water, then drain.
6. 

   6

   In a large bowl , whisk together cream sauce base, sour cream, garlic powder, remaining ranch spice, remaining paprika, two packets of mozzarella cheese, ¼ cup reserved pasta cooking water, salt, and pepper. Add drained pasta and broccoli, chicken, and chopped bacon to bowl; stir until well combined. If needed, stir in more reserved pasta cooking water a splash at a time until pasta is coated in a creamy sauce.
7. 

   7

   Coat a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Transfer pasta mixture to prepared baking dish. Top with remaining mozzarella cheese. Cover pasta bake tightly with aluminum foil ; place on a second baking sheet . Bake on middle rack until bubbly ⏱️ 20 minutes to ⏱️ 30 minutes . Careful when lifting the foil to check on the pasta bake as steam may escape.
8. 8

   Let pasta bake rest at least ⏱️ 5 minutes . When ready to serve, stir to evenly combine. Garnish pasta bake with chives. Divide between plates or serve family style directly from baking dish, with lemon wedges on the side.