Microwave chicken bacon ranch pasta
Crispy microwave bacon, chicken and pasta in a creamy ranch and cheddar sauce, one bowl that tastes like a guilty pleasure and still packs over 35 grams of protein.
- 22 min total
- 10 min hands-on
- Follow-a-recipe easy
- Serves 1
- About $2.47 a serving
- 780 calories
Dolly says: Most of the time here is hands-off, so you can sit down while it cooks.
Ingredients
For 1 servings.
- 2 slices bacon
- ¾ cup rotini
- 2 tbsp cream cheese
- 3 tbsp milk
- 1 tsp ranch seasoning mix
- ½ cup canned chicken breast, drained
- ¼ cup shredded cheddar
From your pantry
- 1½ cups water
- 1 pinch salt
Each serving has about 780 calories, 37 g protein, 49 g carbs and 48 g fat, and costs about $2.47 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No milk? Half-and-half works.
- No shredded cheddar? Cheddar cheese or Mexican blend cheese or Monterey Jack cheese works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
Lay the bacon on a plate lined with two paper towels and cover it with one more paper towel.
Microwave 2 to 3 minutes, until the bacon is and no longer see-through, then set it aside to cool.
Crispy. Crispy means the outside is dry, firm and crunchy. It comes from high heat, a little oil and room in the pan, because crowded food steams and goes soft.
How you’ll know: It sounds crunchy when you tap or bite it, and it doesn’t flop when you lift it.
Timer: 2 min 30 sec
Dolly’s tip: It crisps more as it cools. Stop when the fat is bubbling and the edges have darkened.Food safety: Cook bacon until it’s crisp and no longer translucent.
Put the rotini, water and salt in a large microwave-safe bowl on a plate and microwave 4 minutes.
Timer: 4 min
Dolly’s tip: Use your biggest bowl. Pasta water foams up high in the microwave.Stir, then microwave in 2-minute bursts, each time, until the pasta is tender, 4 to 6 minutes more.
Stir. Stirring means moving food around with a spoon or spatula so it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick. Unless the recipe says constantly, every so often is plenty, and it gives food time to brown.
How you’ll know: When you drag the spoon across the bottom, nothing is sticking or scorching.
Timer: 2 min
off all but a spoonful or two of the water, holding the pasta back with the fork.
Drain. Draining means pouring off liquid, like tipping pasta into a colander or spooning extra fat out of the pan. Pour hot grease into a can or jar, not the sink, where it hardens and clogs the pipes.
How you’ll know: Only a few drips are left, and the food isn’t sitting in a puddle.
Stir in the cream cheese, milk and ranch seasoning until the cream cheese into a sauce.
Melt. Melting means gently heating something solid, like butter or cheese, until it turns liquid. Low or medium heat keeps it from browning or burning.
How you’ll know: It’s smooth and liquid, and butter may foam a little but hasn’t turned brown.
Dolly’s tip: If the cream cheese stays in lumps, microwave 20 seconds and stir again.Add the chicken and cheddar, in the bacon, and .
Crumble. Crumbling means breaking food into small, rough bits with your fingers or a spoon, like feta or ground meat in the pan. Small bits spread through the dish, so there’s some in every bite.
How you’ll know: The pieces are small and uneven, about pea-size, with no big clumps left.
Stir. Stirring means moving food around with a spoon or spatula so it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick. Unless the recipe says constantly, every so often is plenty, and it gives food time to brown.
How you’ll know: When you drag the spoon across the bottom, nothing is sticking or scorching.
Microwave 1 minute, stir, and eat it while it’s creamy.
Timer: 1 min
Food safety: Rotisserie chicken, deli meat, canned tuna and cooked shrimp are already cooked. Keep them cold until you use them, and heat them until steaming hot if the recipe warms them.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
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