Chicken Bacon Ranch Gratin Potatoes is a rich creamy casserole. Perfect for a busy weeknight meal that the whole family will love!
Cheesy Potatoes Au Gratin are a classic side dish that are great to serve at big family Dinners or over the holidays. This delicious dish combines a side dish with an easy Chicken Casserole Recipe for a full meal all in one.
Sabrina’s Chicken Bacon Ranch Gratin Potato Recipe
Make this delicious Chicken Bacon Ranch Potato casserole to serve at a family get-together or potluck. It’s perfect to bring along to serve a big crowd. Since the dish is so rich everyone can just have a little bit and be completely satisfied.
Recipe Card
Ingredients
- 6 yukon potatoes , scrubbed clean and cubed
- 2 cups chicken breast , cooked and chopped
- 1/2 cup bacon , cooked and crumbled (divided)
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter
- 1 yellow onion , thinly sliced
- 1 clove garlic , minced
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 1 packet ranch seasoning , or 3 tablespoons homemade (link to recipe)
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese , divided
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Cut the potatoes into 1″ chunks.
- Layer the potatoes, chicken and ¼ cup bacon together in a greased 9×13 baking pan.
- To a large heavy skillet on medium heat add the butter, onion and garlic and cook for 5-6 minutes until translucent, stirring occasionally.
- Add in the flour and ranch seasoning and whisk well until flour is completely absorbed.
- Slowly pour in the heavy cream as you whisk the mixture and cook for 8-10 minutes until thickened.
- Whisk in half the cheddar cheese until the cheese is melted.
- Pour the mixture evenly in the baking dish.
- Cover tightly with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
- Uncover and cook for 20 minutes then top with remaining cheddar cheese and remaining ¼ cup bacon.
- Bake for 10 minutes then serve hot.
Nutrition
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Table of contents
About this Recipe
There’s no beating the incredible flavor combo of ranch, bacon, and cheddar cheese and adding it to tender chicken and potatoes is sure to be a favorite recipe. The dish is made with familiar ingredients like cooked cubed chicken, russet potatoes, heavy cream, and dry ranch seasoning mix. And of course tons of real bacon bits made with freshly cooked bacon!
Ingredients
- Potatoes: Classic russet potatoes are perfect for this recipe. They absorb some of the creamy sauce and the flavors around them to be perfectly fluffy and tender. They will stand up to the baking time so they don’t get too soft.
- Chicken: Adding cooked chicken breast to potatoes au gratin is such an easy way to make the dish more filling. Use freshly cooked chicken, canned chicken, or use up leftover chicken like Grilled Chicken or Rotisserie Chicken.
- Bacon: Cook your own bacon fresh just a few minutes before starting the rest of the recipe and it will cool while you are making the sauce. Break the bacon slices into crumbles to add the chicken casserole mixture.
- Ranch: For the Ranch dressing mix, you can just buy a packet at the store. Or, use pantry items you probably already have to make your own Ranch Dressing Mix. You could also easily switch it up to Italian chicken or Taco chicken by swapping in a different seasoning packet.
- Cheese: Buttery, melty cheddar cheese is the perfect match to go with the delicious ranch flavoring. You want to add the cheese during the last 10 minutes so it melts but doesn’t get crunchy or burn.
Kitchen Tools & Equipment
- Baking Dish: This casserole is baked in a standard 9×13-inch baking dish. It makes it a crowd sized dish that won’t take too long to cook through.
- Skillet: The sauce is made in a skillet so that it thickens nicely and stays together. It’s important to cook the sauce while slowly adding the cream so it doesn’t separate while baking.
Can This be Made Ahead of Time?
This easy cheesy Chicken Bacon Ranch Gratin Potato dish makes a great meal prep recipe! Add chicken casserole mixture to a freezer safe 9×13 inch casserole dish. Let it cool to room temperature then wrap with plastic wrap then cover the dish with aluminum foil. Freeze for up to 3 months. Remove the plastic then replace the piece of foil and bake from frozen, adding 5-10 minutes to the cooking time.
Tips & Tricks: Tender Potatoes
Cooking the potatoes to perfect tenderness comes down to cutting them into even, bite-size pieces. You want 1-inch cubed potatoes so they cook in the shorter baking time and they should be uniform so all the potatoes come out perfectly.
What to Pair With
You can serve this delicious chicken casserole as an entire meal on its own, or add some light veggie sides. Try some Roasted Broccoli or Sauteed Green Beans for a quick vegetable side that is always a hit.
How to Store
Store: Don’t leave at room temperature for more than 2 hours. Once the dish has cooled, you can cover it in plastic wrap or tin foil for storage. Keep it in the fridge for 3-5 days.
Reheat: It’s best to reheat in the oven, at 300 degrees, in a baking pan covered with foil for about 10-15 minutes. Give it a stir half way through and return to the oven to finish heating.
Freeze: Another storage option is to carefully seal the potatoes to keep them in the freezer. They can stay good for up to 6 months.
Ideas to Serve
Garnish: For garnish, you could chop up green onions, garlic chives, or Italian parsley leaves. Just sprinkle them on top, and serve.
Breadcrumbs: Give this amazing chicken potato casserole a buttery breadcrumb topping. Toss the bread crumbs in melted butter and sprinkle on top during the last 5-10 minutes of baking.
FAQ’s
No, you will want to use cooked bacon and cooked chicken breast pieces. You won’t get crispy bacon if you start with it uncooked and your chicken may turn out rubbery or not as tender.
You can absolutely substitute boneless, skinless chicken thighs for the boneless chicken breasts, you just want to make sure it’s cooked and without bones or skin. You could also use leftover chicken like rotisserie chicken.
Variations
Seasonings: For a little flavor variation, you can try sprinkling your favorite seasonings over the top of the Gratin Potatoes before serving. It’d taste amazing with fresh parsley, thyme, a bit of garlic powder, or some paprika.
Cheese: You can also experiment with different kinds of cheese. Mix shredded mozzarella cheese, provolone, Parmesan, or pepper jack with the cheddar mix. Then add it to the recipe as usual.
Sour Cream: If you want to make this dish a little lighter with a tang, add a little sour cream. Use the sour cream as a substitute for half of the heavy cream and whisk it into the sauce until it’s smooth.
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