• 8 ounce Penne Pasta **uncooked penne pasta. Weigh the pasta.
• 1 pound Chicken Breast **boneless skinless chicken breast diced into ½ inch cubes. You can also use boneless skinless chicken thighs.
• 2 tbsp ranch salad dressing & seasoning mix **use the ranch seasoning from the bottle in the powder form. Do not use the liquid ranch dressing from the bottle.
• 4 ounce cream cheese **softened,
• 1.5 cups cheddar cheese **I used sharp cheddar cheese.
• 3 tbsp bacon **I used homemade crispy bacon bits.
• 2 tbsp Olive Oil **use extra light or light olive oil.

Seasoning for chicken

• ½ tsp Paprika **sweet paprika.
• ½ tsp crushed black pepper **you can use ground black pepper as well. I used freshly ground black pepper.
• ¼ tsp Salt

Liquid

• ½ tbsp Better Than Bouillon **chicken base.
• 2.5 cups Water **use warm water. Stir the better than bouillon in this water to make an instant homemade flavorful chicken stock.