Original video by @applesauceandadhd — all credit to the creator.
One-Pan Ranch Chicken Ziti with Bacon and Pepper Jack
A creamy one-skillet ziti where ranch-seasoned chicken and pasta simmer together in chicken broth, then get finished with cream cheese, melty pepper jack, bacon bits, and peas. It's a use-what's-in-the-house dinner that tastes like it took far more effort.
Ingredients
- —avocado oil · for the pan
- —chicken · cut into pieces
- 1 packetranch seasoning powder · homemade or store-bought; the equivalent of one packet
- —garlic · "a metric ton", minced
- 1 lbziti
- 1 boxchicken broth · enough to mostly cover the pasta
- —bacon bits · whatever's left in the bag
- —cream cheese · a healthy dollop; whipped works
- —pepper jack cheese · slices or shredded
- 1 cupfrozen peas · added straight from frozen
Steps
- 1
Heat avocado oil in a very large skillet over medium-high heat.
- 2
Season the chicken all over with ranch powder, using about the equivalent of one packet of ranch seasoning.
- 3
Add a generous amount of garlic and the seasoned chicken to the hot oil. Wash your hands after handling the raw chicken.
- 4
Cook the chicken until it is browned and mostly done but not yet cooked through.
- 5
Add 1 pound of ziti and pour in chicken broth until the pasta is mostly covered. Stir to combine.
- 6
Cover the skillet and let the pasta cook until it is about halfway done, then give it a stir.
- 7
Stir in the bacon bits, a healthy dollop of cream cheese, and the pepper jack cheese (remove the paper from any cheese slices first).
- 8
Add the frozen peas and stir everything together.
- 9
Put the lid back on, turn the heat down, and cook a few more minutes until the pasta is tender, the liquid is absorbed, and the chicken is cooked through.
Creator's notes
A clean-out-the-fridge dinner made with "wonky ingredients" — whipped cream cheese instead of block, pepper jack slices instead of shredded, and freezer-burned peas. Use what you have.
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