I thought I had something really intelligent to say here, but I am distracted by how amazing this recipe is. I wanted to write an educational and cheeky paragraph to make you like me, but have decided to let the recipe speak for itself. And hopefully you like me anyways :) Now let’s get to what you came for, The buffalo chicken bacon ranch casserole that is not only gluten-free, paleo, but also Dairy free.
How to Bake the Perfect Bacon
Rather than making you run around the internet or my website to prepare for this recipe, I decided to include it all right here. Below you will find the exact recipe I use to cook perfect bacon every time for you to include in your buffalo chicken bacon ranch casserole. The key to this recipe is ALWAYS putting it in a cold oven.
For baking perfect bacon every time, follow these steps and adjust to your liking:
- Line a parchment lined baking sheet with bacon
- Place the pan into a cold, unheated oven on the middle rack
- Set the oven to bake at 400 Degrees F (204° C)
- Set the timer for 20 minutes and start checking at 15 minutes. It may take a bit less or more depending on your oven. Once you learn the time, you never need to change it.
- Remove the pan from the oven once done and transfer bacon to a plate or towel lined plate if you want to waste grease :(
- Crumble or chop the bacon and use it for this delicious buffalo chicken bacon ranch casserole
You can also make all of this bacon in advance just like the chicken below and have this recipe in the oven in under 10 minutes for a quick weeknight dinner.
How to Roast Perfect Chicken Thighs
Hands down, my favorite cut of chicken of all time is the thighs. There is a delicious mix of light and dark meat and the extra fat content gives it an unmistakable flavor. I use chicken thighs whenever possible, including this buffalo chicken bacon ranch casserole. I always cook my thighs the same and here is how I do it.
- Preheat your oven to 425 Degrees F (218° C)
- Pat your chicken thighs dry and place on a cooling rack skin side down elevated above a baking sheet
- Sprinkle with seasoning of your choice. I use salt and pepper and then flip over and season the skin side as well
- Bake skin side up until they reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees (about 50 minutes)
- Let cool for 5 minutes. For this recipe, I peel the skin off and eat it all and then shred the chicken to make the buffalo chicken bacon ranch casserole.
You can really use any type of shredded chicken you like. You can make my crockpot buffalo chicken and just add the ranch dressing or buy rotisserie chicken’s if you are in a rush. Either way, you will love this recipe.
Make sure you stock up on this ranch dressing because you are going to become addicted. Plus, I have a few more recipes coming with it that you won’t want to miss. Just to be clear, I will not be making a homemade ranch dressing. This stuff is delicious, convenient, and affordable so I am sticking with it. Now go eat it :)
Ingredients
Method
- Ensure you have your shredded chicken and bacon prepared. Look in the post above for how I make the perfect bacon and chicken.
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
- In a mixing bowl, toss cauliflower florets with avocado oil and season with salt and pepper liberally
- Spread evenly on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake until tender and lightly brown, 20-25 minutes.
- Reduce your oven temperature to 350 degrees F.
- In that same mixing bowl, stir together frank's, ranch, coconut milk, green onions, and bacon until combined.
- Toss shredded chicken and roasted cauliflower in hot sauce and ranch mixture until incorporated.
- Transfer your casserole to a baking dish and place in preheated oven for 20 minutes.
- Let cool for 10 minutes, then drizzle with ranch and garnish with more green onions.
- Enjoy
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