Ranch BBQ Cheesy Skillet Dinner
Cheesy, Tangy, Saucy, Delicious – just a few adjectives I can use to describe this amazing Ranch BBQ Cheesy Skillet Dinner. Easy weeknight dinner at it’s finest!
Why You’ll Love This Ranch BBQ Cheesy Skillet
What makes this budget friendly?
This is one of those dinners that starts with only four ingredients and is absolutely delicious on it’s own, but add in your own ingredients your family loves, and you have a highly customizable dish.
The ingredients are all inexpensive, but also can truly use up leftovers which is a goal in our house. Hopefully it is in yours too. Otherwise see our substitutions for more ideas to save money.
Make Ahead/Freeze – FAQ
Make Ahead: This can be made up about 24 hours ahead of time. Cook as directed and then put in a sealed, airtight casserole dish (we have this one and use it ALL the time!) and refrigerate until ready to bake. Bake at 350 for about 18-20 minutes or so.
Freeze: This can be made up and frozen. The best way to figure out how long a frozen casserole needs to bake and what temperature to reheat, is to cook it for twice as long as the recipe calls for. Keep it at the same temperature (in this case it would be 350 degrees F). Remove the lid, cover with tinfoil and bake about 25-30 minutes, remove the tinfoil and bake another 15 minutes or so.
Double/Triple: This is an easily doubled or tripled recipe. If you are into OAMC (Once a month Cooking) or Freezer Cooking, this recipe is the perfect addition to your arsenal of easy freezer cooking recipes.
Ingredients, Substitutions and Add On Ideas
Skillet Dinner Kit: Don’t let that intimidate you. Skillet Dinner Kits are available in several flavors from amazon, or at your local grocer usually in this pasta aisle or where you find macaroni and cheese. Speaking of mac and cheese, that is a very easy substitute here. You can also just purchase pasta and a cheese sauce. We love using nacho cheese sauce for a kick.
Barbecue Sauce: You can use any flavor or type of BBQ sauce your family loves. You can also substitute with other sauces like sriracha, hot sauce or taco sauce. Adjust to your taste. Salsa is also really good in this if you omit the BBQ sauce.
Ranch Dressing: Any type you love. We don’t really substitute here, but you could also make up some ranch dip and put it here instead.
Grilled Chicken: Substitutions can include the type of meat; pulled pork, beef and turkey are amazing in this. But if you want to stick to the chicken, and don’t have leftover chicken or actual cooked chicken, you can substitute with shredded chicken.
Add Ons: We love roasted bell peppers, roasted tomatoes even corn. Add herbs for more flavor. Add seasonings beyond salt and pepper to give it more flavor. Shredded cheese melted on top or inside is also great… we recommend shredded cheddar for flavor!
Leftovers and Storage
Leftovers can be stored in an air tight container in the fridge for up to five days. Add a splash of milk and more ranch or bbq sauce before heating to keep it from getting too dry.
Reheat in microwave or instant pot, unless you stored it in a covered casserole dish. Then 350 degrees F covered in tinfoil for 15 minutes or so. Then uncovered for another 15.
Recipes to serve with this Ranch BBQ Cheesy Skillet Dinner
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Ranch BBQ Cheesy Skillet Dinner
Ingredients
- 1 skillet dinner kit see substitutions for more ideas
- 1/4 cup barbecue sauce plus more for on top
- 2 Tablespoons ranch dressing plus more for on top
- 2 cups grilled chicken sliced, shredded or cut up
Instructions
- Begin by following the directions on the skillet dinner kit.
- While your pasta is cooking, grill sliced chicken on the stovetop in a pan (we use leftovers). I added some olive oil, salt, pepper and some seasonings to give the chicken a little flavor. When finished, remove from heat and set aside.
- Resuming the creation of the skillet dinner kit, continue to follow the directions, adding the other packet and chicken when called for. Once everything is complete with the dinner kit, add 1/4 cup of barbecue sauce and 2 Tablespoons of Kraft Ranch Dressing. Stir everything together and put in serving dish.
- Drizzle more barbecue sauce and ranch dressing across the top.
- Serve hot.
