Creamy Chicken Penne with White Cheddar Ranch Sauce and Crispy Onions

This creamy chicken penne is built around a rich white cheddar sauce with a tangy ranch twist. Tender chicken cutlets and pasta soak up the sauce for a comforting, savory dish.

One onion does double duty here: part is cooked until soft and sweet, while the rest is lightly floured and fried until crisp for a crunchy topping.

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Ingredients

1 unit OnionView ingredient guideLike ingredientDislike ingredient

0.5 cup White Cheddar CheeseView ingredient guideLike ingredientDislike ingredient

1 unit Chicken Stock ConcentrateView ingredient guideLike ingredientDislike ingredient

6 ounce Penne PastaView ingredient guideLike ingredientDislike ingredient

1 tablespoon Ranch SpiceView ingredient guideLike ingredientDislike ingredient

10 ounce Chicken CutletsView ingredient guideLike ingredientDislike ingredient

1 tablespoon FlourView ingredient guideLike ingredientDislike ingredient

1.5 ounce Buttermilk Ranch DressingView ingredient guideLike ingredientDislike ingredient

teaspoon (tsp) SaltView ingredient guideLike ingredientDislike ingredient

teaspoon (tsp) Black PepperView ingredient guideLike ingredientDislike ingredient

1 tablespoon (tbsp) ButterView ingredient guideLike ingredientDislike ingredient

1 teaspoon (tsp) Cooking OilView ingredient guideLike ingredientDislike ingredient

Instructions

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the penne until tender, then reserve some pasta cooking water before draining.
2. While the pasta cooks, halve, peel and thinly slice the onion. Set aside a small portion for frying and keep the rest for caramelizing.
3. Pat the chicken cutlets dry. Season all over with ranch spice, salt and black pepper.
4. Toss the reserved onion for frying with the flour until lightly coated.
5. Heat 8 tablespoons cooking oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add the floured onion and cook, stirring as needed, until browned and crisp. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and season lightly with salt.
6. Carefully pour off excess oil from the pan. Add the remaining sliced onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and browned. Transfer to a plate.
7. Add 1 teaspoon cooking oil to the same pan. Add the seasoned chicken cutlets and cook until browned and cooked through. Transfer to a cutting board, then slice.
8. Reduce the heat to medium. Add butter to the pan. Once melted, stir in the chicken stock concentrate and a splash of reserved pasta water, scraping up any browned bits from the pan.
9. Stir in the white cheddar cheese and buttermilk ranch dressing until the sauce is smooth and creamy. Add more reserved pasta water as needed to loosen the sauce.
10. Add the drained penne and caramelized onion to the sauce and toss until coated. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.
11. Serve the creamy penne topped with sliced chicken and the crispy fried onion.

Recipe Tips

FAQ

Can I use a different pasta shape?

The provided recipe uses penne, but another short pasta shape would work similarly with the creamy sauce.

How do I keep the fried onion crispy?

Drain it on paper towels and add it only at the end, right before serving.

What should I do if the cheese sauce gets too thick?

Stir in reserved pasta cooking water a little at a time until the sauce loosens and coats the penne.