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White Cheddar & Ranch Chicken Penne

White Cheddar & Ranch Chicken Penne

with Caramelized & Crispy Onion
Recipe Development Team
Recipe Development TeamUpdated on July 10, 2026
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Calories
1310 kcal
Protein
49g protein
Total
40 minutes
Difficulty
Medium
Allergens:
  • Milk
  • Wheat
  • Eggs

You know that friend who just makes everything fun? Ranch dressing is the cooking equivalent of that friend—the creamy condiment just makes everything better! Case in point: this white cheddar and ranch chicken penne. Long gone are the days of just drizzling ranch on mixed green salads. Now, you’ll swirl it into cheesy sauce for penne, then top it with herby chicken and crispy fried onions. You + ranch = best friends forever!

Produced in a facility that processes eggs, milk, fish, peanuts, sesame, shellfish, soy, tree nuts, and wheat.
Serving amount

1 unit

Onion

½ cup

White Cheddar Cheese

(Contains: Milk)

1 unit

Chicken Stock Concentrate

6 ounce

Penne Pasta

(Contains: Wheat)

1 tablespoon

Ranch Spice

10 ounce

Chicken Cutlets

1 tablespoon

Flour

(Contains: Wheat)

1.5 ounce

Buttermilk Ranch Dressing

(Contains: Eggs, Milk)

Not included in your delivery

teaspoon (tsp)

Salt

teaspoon (tsp)

Black Pepper

1 tablespoon (tbsp)

Butter

(Contains: Milk)

8 tablespoon (tbsp)

Cooking Oil

1 teaspoon (tsp)

Cooking Oil

per serving
Calories1310 kcal
Fat87 g
Saturated Fat20 g
Carbohydrate75 g
Sugar7 g
Dietary Fiber4 g
Protein49 g
Cholesterol160 mg
Sodium680 mg
Trans Fat0.5 g
Potassium270 mg
Calcium230 mg
Iron2.7 mg
Due to the different suppliers we purchase our products from, nutritional facts per meal can vary from the website to what is received in the delivered box, depending on your region.
Large Pot
Medium Bowl
Paper Towel
Large Pan
Slotted Spoon
Aluminum Foil
Strainer
Whisk

Cooking Steps

Prep
1

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. • Halve, peel, and thinly slice onion.

Fry Onion
2

• In a medium bowl, toss half the onion with half the flour (you’ll use the rest in step 5). Season with a pinch of salt and pepper. • Heat a 1⁄3-inch layer of oil in a large, heavy- bottomed pan over medium- low heat. Once oil is hot enough that a pinch of flour sizzles when added to the pan, add floured onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, 7-9 minutes. • Using a slotted spoon, transfer crispy onion to a paper-towel-lined plate.

Cook Chicken
3

• Pat chicken* dry with paper towels and season all over with half the Ranch Spice (all for 4 servings), salt, and pepper. Set aside. • While onion cooks, heat a drizzle of oil in a second large pan over medium- high heat. Add chicken and cook until browned and cooked through, 3-5 minutes per side. TIP: If chicken begins to brown too quickly, lower heat to medium and cover pan. • Turn off heat; transfer to a cutting board and tent with foil to keep warm. Wipe out pan.

Cook Penne
4

• Once water is boiling, add penne to pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente, 9-11 minutes. • Reserve 1 cup pasta cooking water (2 cups for 4 servings), then drain.

Make Sauce
5

• Heat 1 TBSP butter (2 TBSP for 4 servings) in pan used for chicken over medium heat. Add remaining onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and softened, 6-9 minutes. Add a few splashes of plain water and cook until onion is caramelized and liquid has evaporated, 1-2 minutes more. • Add remaining flour and cook, stirring constantly, until flour is golden, 30-60 seconds. Slowly whisk in 3⁄4 cup reserved pasta cooking water (1 1⁄4 cups for 4) and stock concentrate; cook until thickened, 2-3 minutes more. • Remove from heat; stir in cheddar and ranch dressing until melted and combined.

Finish & Serve
6

• Add drained penne to pan with sauce and toss to coat. If needed, stir in more reserved pasta cooking water a splash at a time until pasta is coated in a creamy sauce. Taste and season with salt and pepper. • Slice chicken crosswise. • Divide pasta between bowls. Top with chicken and sprinkle with crispy onion. Serve.

Customer reviews

Review summary

Updated on Dec 2025
  • Flavor: Many loved the creamy ranch and cheddar sauce, though some found it bland or too onion-heavy.
  • Ease of prep: Several noted it was labor-intensive, especially frying the onions; some suggested using pre-made crispy onions instead.
  • Suggestions: Consider adding vegetables like broccoli or peppers; some recommend adjusting onion quantity to taste.
  • Portions: Filling for most, though a few wanted more sauce or chicken relative to the pasta.
  • Texture: The crispy onions were a hit for many, adding a delightful crunch to the creamy pasta 🍲.
AI-generated from customer reviews

Reviews from our home cooks

A
AnonymousCooked for 2 people
|Jul 21, 2022

The chicken was so tender and tasty. The penne was perfect with this dish. We loved the white cheddar ranch sauce.

A
AnonymousCooked for 2 people
|Jul 7, 2022

White cheddar gave an interesting taste. Be sure to cook onions so they are crispy.

A
AnonymousCooked for 2 people
|Jul 23, 2022

This dish was very good, I enjoyed the crispy onion on top of this creamy penne.

A
AnonymousCooked for 2 people
|Jul 10, 2022

Very tasty and something new and different! Like the cheddar and ranch flavors with the penne, overall a great meal!

A
AnonymousCooked for 2 people
|Jul 20, 2022

The crispy onions were good, but this dish as a whole surprisingly had little to no flavor. The ranch added to the pasta did nothing in terms of flavor.

A
AnonymousCooked for 4 people
|Jul 4, 2022

The crispy onions made the dish awesome! Honestly I wish I would have cut the chicken into much smaller pieces. I didn't like taking bites of large pieces of chicken or maybe it would have been even better without the chicken at all.

A
AnonymousCooked for 2 people
|Jul 6, 2022

Another amazing meal. I learned how to make crispy onions which are delicious I might add. The ranch cheese sauce was so flavorful.

A
AnonymousCooked for 2 people
|Jul 8, 2022

Very good for a pasta dish. I liked the caramelized onions. Wish there was more cheddar cheese in the dish.

A
AnonymousCooked for 2 people
|Jul 4, 2022

If you like onions this meal is for you! The flavors were AMAZING! I left off the ranch seasoning on the chicken (just my taste preference). This is a top meal for my house! Yummmm!

A
AnonymousCooked for 2 people
|Jul 6, 2022

We decided the floured/fried onions were an unnecessary use of a pan so we just caramelized them before cooking the chicken in the same pan. Fantastic flavors!