Pour bottled ranch dressing and these 2 ingredients over uncooked rotini pasta into a baking dish for a meal you'll crave over and over

This oven-baked ranch chicken pasta is the kind of weeknight recipe you make once and then keep in your back pocket forever. It leans on a Midwestern staple—bottled ranch dressing—and turns it into a creamy baking sauce that soaks right into uncooked rotini. The idea is very Amish-style in spirit: a handful of pantry ingredients, everything layered into one baking dish, and the oven doing the work while you move on with your evening. You’ll pour ranch and just two more simple ingredients right over dry pasta and diced chicken, and by the time it’s bubbling and golden at the edges, dinner is done.

Serve this ranch chicken pasta straight from the baking dish with a simple green salad—think romaine or leaf lettuce with a sharp vinaigrette to balance the richness. Steamed or roasted broccoli, green beans, or peas also pair nicely and echo that classic Midwestern meat-and-veg plate. A slice of crusty bread or warm dinner rolls helps scoop up any extra sauce, and if you enjoy a glass of wine, a crisp white like Sauvignon Blanc or a light beer cuts through the creamy ranch beautifully.

Servings: 4

8 ounces uncooked rotini pasta (about 3 cups dry)

Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with a bit of oil or nonstick spray to help prevent sticking.

Spread the uncooked rotini pasta evenly across the bottom of the baking dish in a single layer. This ensures the pasta cooks evenly as it absorbs the liquid.

Scatter the bite-size pieces of raw chicken evenly over the dry pasta. Try to keep the pieces in a single layer so they cook through at the same rate.

In a medium bowl or large measuring cup, whisk together the bottled ranch dressing and the chicken broth until the mixture is smooth and pourable. It should be the consistency of a thin cream sauce.

Slowly pour the ranch-and-broth mixture evenly over the chicken and uncooked rotini in the baking dish, making sure to cover as much of the pasta as possible. Use the back of a spoon to gently press any exposed pasta down into the liquid so it has contact with the sauce.

Cover the baking dish tightly with aluminum foil. This traps steam and helps the rotini cook through in the ranch mixture without drying out.

Bake, covered, for 35 to 40 minutes, until the pasta is mostly tender and the chicken is cooked through. Carefully remove the foil—watch for hot steam—then stir everything gently to redistribute the sauce.

Return the dish to the oven, uncovered, and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes, or until the pasta is fully tender, the sauce has thickened slightly, and the edges are bubbling. If the pasta looks too dry at any point, stir in a splash more broth and bake a few extra minutes.

Let the pasta rest for 5 minutes out of the oven. This brief rest allows the sauce to settle and cling to the rotini. Taste and, if desired, add a pinch of salt or black pepper before serving warm.

Because this recipe is built on just four ingredients, you can customize it easily without losing the spirit of the dish. For extra richness, stir in 1/2 to 1 cup of shredded cheddar or Colby Jack cheese after the initial covered bake, then return the dish to the oven uncovered so the cheese melts and browns slightly. If you’d like more vegetables, scatter 1 to 1 1/2 cups of frozen peas, corn, or mixed vegetables over the pasta before pouring on the ranch mixture; they’ll cook along with the chicken. You can also swap the chicken breast for boneless, skinless chicken thighs if you prefer darker meat—they stay very tender in the oven. For a bit of heat, use a spicy ranch dressing or whisk in a tablespoon of hot sauce with the ranch and broth. If you need to stretch the dish for more people, increase the rotini to 12 ounces and bump the broth up to 2 cups, keeping the full bottle of ranch; just plan on adding 5 to 10 minutes to the bake time and check for doneness. Leftovers reheat well with a splash of broth or milk to loosen the sauce.