Chicken Bacon Ranch Pretzels
These Chicken Bacon Ranch Pretzels feature buttery pretzels stuffed with juicy chicken, crispy bacon and creamy ranch dressing! They’re delicious!
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Every summer, Laura and I make our way down to Hagerstown, Maryland for her family reunion. It’s a bit of a drive – 6 hours without stopping – so we typically turn the trip into a long weekend. (Plus, with a baby/toddler/little boy in the backseat, there’s no way you’re driving 6 hours without stopping!)
Laura’s favorite part about Maryland is eating fresh blue crabs on the back deck with her family. They’ve been doing that since she was a little girl, so it’s cool that the tradition continues. (Also, I’ve never seen people devour a bushel of crabs so quickly!) My favorite part of the trip? Not the crabs. I love crawfish, but crabs just aren’t my jam. My jam is the indoor Amish farmer’s market that’s about 15 minutes away from the house.
I usually sneak away on Saturday morning and spend an hour or two wandering through the Amish market. There are all sorts of vendors there, from an Amish furniture maker to a local cheesemaker to a guy who just sells bulk spices. In the back of the market, there’s a food court of sorts. One of my favorite stops in the food court is a guy who just makes all sorts of filled pretzel rolls. Sure, he sells classic homemade pretzels. I usually get one to munch on while wandering around the rest of the market. But the filled pretzels take things to a whole new level!
Imagine a buttery, salted pretzel stuffed full of all sorts of delicious ingredients. Ham & swiss pretzel rolls? Yup. Pepperoni pizza pretzels? Sure. Buffalo chicken pretzels? Uh, I’ll take two please. BBQ rib meat with mozzarella cheese? Where has that been my whole life!? Stromboli pretzels? The list goes on and on…
Chicken Bacon Ranch Pretzels
Chicken Bacon Ranch PretzelsThese Chicken Bacon Ranch Pretzels were totally inspired by the pretzel shack at the Amish farmer’s market. I don’t have his exact recipe, so I started with my classic pretzel dough recipe. From there, I simply rolled each piece of dough into a rectangle rather than twist it into a pretzel. The rectangle got stuffed with a delicious combination of juicy chicken, crispy bacon, creamy ranch dressing and melty cheese. Holy cow are these pretzels amazing! (We served them for dinner alongside sauteed veggies.)
As if the filling in these Chicken Bacon Ranch Pretzels wasn’t enough, I sprinkled the top of the pretzels with an everything bagel seasoning. You could certainly use just salt, though. Did you know that pretzel salt is a real thing? It’s a coarse salt kinda like kosher salt, but not quite as large. It truly is perfect for pretzels. I found my pretzel salt from – you guessed it – the bulk spice guy at the Amish market, but I’ve also used this version of pretzel salt from Amazon.
The sky is the limit with these stuffed pretzels. I’m thinking a pulled pork version with a bit of BBQ sauce would be delicious! As with these Chicken Bacon Ranch Pretzels, the key is making sure the filling is entirely cooked before going into the pretzel dough. Pretzels only take about 8-9 minutes to bake. That’s plenty of time to melt cheese, but it wouldn’t be enough to cook meat or veggies. Just cook everything in the filling first, and then stuff it inside of the pretzel dough. And don’t forget to brush the tops of the pretzels with a bit of melted butter right when they come out of the oven – trust me on that one!
I hope you enjoy these Chicken Bacon Ranch Pretzels as much as we did. They’re a fun way to mix up a classic flavor combination. Cheers!
Did you make a batch of these Chicken Bacon Ranch Pretzels? Leave a comment, or better yet snap a photo and tag me on Instagram (@Spicedblog).
Chicken Bacon Ranch Pretzels
Ingredients
For the Pretzels
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp sugar
- ¼ cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 2¼ tsp instant dry yeast
- ⅔ cup warm water
For the Baking Soda Bath
- 1 cup boiling water
- 2 Tbsp baking soda
For the Filling
- 8 oz. thick-cut bacon
- 2 cups cooked chicken cut into ½” cubes
- 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
- ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- ¼ cup prepared ranch dressing
For Topping
- 1 Tbsp everything seasoning can use kosher salt only
- 1 Tbsp unsalted butter melted
Instructions
For the Pretzels
- Using a countertop mixer with the dough hook attached, add flour, salt, sugar, softened butter, onion powder, yeast and warm water. Mix on medium speed for 5 minutes. (Note: Dough will be very soft.)
- Transfer dough into an oiled bowl, cover and let sit at room temperature for 45 minutes.
- Meanwhile, prepare the Baking Soda Bath by combining the boiling water and baking soda. Stir until baking soda is fully dissolved, then set mixture aside to cool. (Note: This is a great to go ahead and cook the bacon and make the filling mixture.)
- Once dough has risen, divide it into 8 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a 5”x8” rectangle. Spread filling down the center of each rectangle, leaving ~1” on each side. Fold the sides up and pinch the seam together at the top. Pinch seams on each end of the rectangle together. Repeat until all pieces of dough have been filled and pinched closed.
- Preheat oven to 475°F.
- Pour baking soda mixture into a shallow dish. Place each pretzel in the mixture and let sit for 2 minutes. (If necessary, spoon the water over the top of the pretzel if it is not fully covered.)
- Generously spray a standard baking pan with non-stick baking spray. Transfer pretzels to baking tray. Sprinkle tops of pretzels with everything seasoning. Let sit uncovered for 10 minutes.
- Bake for 8-9 minutes, or until tops are golden brown in color.
- Remove pretzels from oven and brush with melted butter.
For the Filling
- Using a large skillet, cook bacon over medium-high heat until crispy. Remove from skillet, pat dry and crumble.
- Using a large bowl, combine crumbled bacon, cooked chicken, Monterey Jack cheese, mozzarella cheese and ranch dressing; toss until well combined. Set mixture aside.
Looking for more pretzel recipes? Check out these other favorites, too:
Yeah, definitely need at least 2 of these! Carby filled goodness right there! Love when you get inspired by having a meal out and then making a version yourself. So satisfying and fun experimenting. And who doesn’t love chicken, bacon and ranch?? Delicious, my friend!
I’ll save you two of these then, Dawn! 🙂 You know me – carby goodness is how we roll…particularly on weekends! Plus, chicken + bacon + ranch is such a tasty combination of flavors. Add in the pretzel? Yum!! Hope you have a great weekend, my friend!
David, these pretzels look so delicious and hearty! My kids would love these. And I had no idea about pretzel salt! So interesting!
And now you know about pretzel salt…file that away in case you have a hankerin’ to make pretzels. And if you do get that hankerin’, then I highly recommend stuffing ’em with a tasty chicken + bacon + ranch combo! 🙂
I swooned a little at the thought of “fresh blue crabs on the back deck” – sounds pretty wonderful.
And these cheesy, salty pretzels sound pretty wonderful too! Like you, I love making bread, but haven’t made pretzels before. This recipe looks like the inspiration I need to try it!
You and Laura both! Laura looks forward to her crab feasts like you wouldn’t believe. Heck, she even had shirts printed up for the family one year! Me? I’m content with cheesy pretzels. 🙂 You should totally try making pretzels, Marissa! This recipe is basic concept except I just stuffed ’em instead of twirled them into pretzel shapes. Happy baking, my friend!
I love crabs and like Laura I grew up with it, in the Philippines we have mud crabs and they are meaty, in my moms province its everywhere. But I am also like you, I love going to markets, so if I have to choose between one, it will be a hard decision
Interesting! I wonder how the crabs in the Philippines compare with the crabs along the Atlantic here in the US. I’m intrigued! Guess we’ll just have to make a trip over, right? 🙂
What a combination of flavours! It is lunchtime here, and I am so hungry after reading this 🙂 Yum!
P.S…. crabs on the deck? Sounds amazing!
You and Laura would get along fantastically with the crabs, Alex! Me? I’m happy with a good cheesy pretzel. Haha! Hope you have a great weekend ahead, my friend!
I beliee that the NFL canceled its pre-season games, didn’t it? Yet here you are, still the undispouted mater of game-day food! This would be perfect for a party, or a picnic. (I’ll bet they’re good at room temperature.) Or one of those all-day trips to the beach.
Yes, they did. Sadly. Truth be told, though, I never really watched pre-season games. Coaches use those games to test out different players and combinations of players…so it’s not quite the same as watching a real game. But we can still have real football good, right!? And, yes, these pretzels are good at room temperature. I might’ve gobbled one down after taking these photos.
We love the Amish market in our area too! I live in Maryland I know all it…My husband can’t leave without having a stuff pretzel, but I swear he buys two when I’m not looking! LOL.
Ah! I didn’t realize you were down in Maryland, Tonya! So you know exactly what I’m talking about with the stuffed pretzels at the Amish markets. All of the different filling options are literally mesmerizing. And I totally support your husband buying two of these pretzels. I mean you’ve gotta support the local community, right? 🙂
What a fun trip and what a fun tour through the market! It would be a must see for me too. These stuffed pretzels look amazing! All that cheesy goodness!
I love wandering through the Amish market! There is so much cool stuff to look at. I spend a lot of time at the spice guy as well as the cheese guy and the bakery. Imagine that! 🙂 Thanks so much, Kathy!
WOW these look and sound AMAZING!!! I would love to go to an Amish Farmer’s market, it sounds like there are so many delicious things to try 😋. I’ve never made homemade pretzels before, now I’ll definitely make them with your delicious recipe here David. The fillings are such an excellent idea!
Well you’ll just have to come out to the East Coast sometime, Shannon! The Amish markets are really cool. (Although, truth be told, if you’re coming all the way to the East Coast for a farmer’s market then you’ve gotta pick the International Farmer’s Market in Decatur, GA – i.e. Atlanta. I miss that place SO much!)
Anyways, homemade pretzels. You should totally try your hand at ’em! This is my basic pretzel recipe, although I just rolled these flat and stuffed them instead of rolling ’em into a log and twisting them into pretzel shape. Same concept!
oh david these sound so very delicious! yummo! chicken and bacon together fab! yes i read about kosher salt and pretzel salt. mainly different sizes of salt grains aren’t they? enjoy the weekend. it’s raining here. yuk:(
cheers
sherry
You know, I think pretzel salt and kosher salt are pretty similar. The pretzel salt does look slightly different (whiter), but for all practical purposes I think they’re the same thing. Either way, I agree with you about bacon + chicken. Such a tasty combination! Sorry about the rain down there…but, hey, at least it’s not snow!!
David, as you may remember I live in Maryland now, so I had to smile when you mentioned Hagerstown and blue crabs. I actually really enjoy going out to our local crab house every so often. I do like crabs but most of the fun for me is in the “interactive” eating experience. So satisfying when you see that gigantic pile of empty shells in the middle of the table…
And yes, I love pretzels. Grew up in New York where they are something of an institution. For a salt fiend like me, they’re a real treat!
Hey Frank! I do indeed remember that you are in Maryland. We always enjoy our trip down there each summer – well, not this year because of ‘rona, but you know what I mean. The interactive eating experience is always quite fun. It reminds me of crawfish boils in Louisiana! As I noted, I don’t love crabs as much as the others, but it is fun to gather around a picnic table and do the communal eating thing.
Also, I second your comment about being a salt fiend. Laura has joked that she should get me a salt lick for my birthday one year and just set it up in the backyard. I think I would like that. 🙂
OMG have I ever told you I’m obsessed with the Amish? I am. Obsessed. The quilting, the pies, the everything. And now I’m inviting myself to Laura’s next family reunion because I need to go to an Amish farmer’s market at least once in my life. I’m dying at the thought! And I’m also swooning over these pretzels. Who could resist?
No way! I had no idea about your Amish obsession. I assume you’ve visited Amish country then? If not, then you need to make your way out here (again)! I have a good inn that was recommended to us right in the middle of PA Amish country, too. And, yes, a trip to the Amish market is a must. Their furniture is well known, and it truly is amazing! I could spend hours wandering through that place.
A trip to the Amish market sounds like a great time. A few years I went to an Amish auction and had such a wonderful time. These chicken bacon ranch pretzels sound amazing. I really need to try this recipe. My mouth is watering just looking at your pictures.
So I’ve never been to an Amish auction before. That sounds like it would be fascinating, Dawn! I do live the trips to the market, although we aren’t going this year due to the pandemic. Guess that’s part of the reason I was inspired to make these stuffed pretzels at home. Give ’em a shot – they’re fun!
I live in Pennsylvania and stuffed pretzels are a must-have whenever my husband and I go to Lancaster or any fair/festival nearby. I stumbled across this recipe and knew I had to give it a try. A-mazing!
I couldn’t believe how delicious they turned out on the first attempt. With all festivals/fairs being closed this past year due to the pandemic, I needed these in my life!
Thanks for the recipe- five stars, for sure.
Hey Justine! My wife grew up in Altoona, and she has shared a bunch of local recipes with me over the years. As I noted in the post, the idea for these stuffed pretzels came from the Amish market in Hagerstown, MD – we usually go down there once a year (non-pandemic times).
Either way, I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe. Stuffed pretzels are a lot of fun, aren’t they? Now it’s time to get creative and experiment with different fillings!
My husband gets these at the Broad Street Market in Harrisburg, PA. These are AMAZING!! I can’t wait to try it myself. Thanks for the recipe!!! (Side note – my hubby also picks up bacon wrapped chicken livers for us there too. Mmmm!)
Ah – I haven’t had the chance to visit Broad Street Market yet, Stacy. We do drive through Harrisburg to visit my wife’s family in Maryland, though. One of these years, we’ll need to stop and visit! Also, I hope this recipe lives up to the ones at Broad Street. 🙂
I, too, am thinking of a pulled pork filled pretzel log!!! I’m going to do it! Thanks for the pretzel recipe though!
My pleasure, Danielle – that’s the fun of cooking! Taking a recipe and changing it up a bit often leads to new favorites. And thanks for the reminder on the pulled pork pretzels. I haven’t made ’em yet myself, but I need to get on that!