Ranch Cheddar Chicken
The quickest and easiest baked chicken with an amazingly creamy, cheesy Ranch topping!
Who can ever say no to anything involving Ranch?
Even Butters was fully onboard with the Ranch situation, as he sits here on his coolaroo, waiting to get a piece of it.
And even though the base of the topping involves mayonnaise, which sounds completely bizarre, it actually lends off the most amazing creaminess you’ll ever experience.
Mixed in with sharp cheddar and crisp Panko breadcrumbs, you’ll never have to go back to those boring chicken dinners ever again!
Ranch Cheddar Chicken
The quickest and easiest baked chicken with an amazingly creamy, cheesy Ranch topping!
Ingredients
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- ½ cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 1-ounce package Ranch Seasoning and Salad Dressing Mix
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- ⅓ cup Panko*
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly oil a 9x13 baking dish or coat with nonstick spray.
- In a small bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, cheese, Ranch Seasoning and garlic.
- Season chicken thighs with salt and pepper, to taste. Place chicken in a single layer onto the prepared baking dish and top with mayonnaise mixture. Sprinkle with Panko.
- Place into oven and cook until completely cooked through and golden brown on top, reaching an internal temperature of 165 degrees F, about 25-30 minutes.
- Serve immediately, garnished with parsley, if desired.
Notes
*Panko is a Japanese-style breadcrumb and can be found in the Asian section of your local grocery store.
Did you make this recipe?
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This is in the oven right now! Smells heavenly…read the recipe several times…overlooked that it’s supposed to be boneless/skinless…I used bone in/skin on! Lol! I’ll just keep it in the oven an extra 15-20 mins! I’ll get back to u and let u kno how it turned out! Thx!
This chicken is fabulous, my family loved it! Very easy to prepare and impossible to screw up. One of the things I love best about chicken thighs! The first time I made this I followed the recipe exactly. I think it would be fun to experiment with different kinds of ranch mixes….fiesta ranch, harvest dill, or maybe even an Italian dressing mix. Thanks so much for this recipe. This will be going in my regular rotation!
Just made this for dinner! Flavours were absolutely amazing! Very easy to put together. Definitely will make this again!
DO you cover this or leave uncovered in the oven
There is no need to cover this in the oven unless specified in the recipe.
this recipie has turned into a monthly family favorite of my 4 boys!! They can it “crunchy baked chicken ” and Mac and cheese is the side of choice supper tonight
What would the measurements be if only two boneless skinless breasts were being cooked?
Unfortunately, without further recipe testing, I cannot advise on the appropriate measurements for this substitution. Please use your best judgment.
Could this recipe be made with boneless pork chops instead of chicken?
Yes, of course!
Made this for dinner tonight and used boneless skinless breasts instead of thighs, cut in half and pounded out semi-thin. The taste was too sharp for my liking although my mother enjoyed it… Thinking it’s because I opted for the white colored sharp cheddar instead of the yellow. Would this make a difference?
Yes, the type of cheese will make a difference. It may be best to use your preferred kind of cheese to suit your preferences.
Thank. You. So. Much. My boyfriend **hates** chicken. He was scarred from his mother when he was a child and her plain recipes. Every chicken dish I’ve made he has complained about. Today, I served this. As I was pouring our drinks in the kitchen, I hear “WOAH!” …. he gave it an 8/10– minus two only because it was chicken 🙂 FINALLY a way to get him to eat more lean meats lol. THANK YOU!
Made this chicken dish this evening for dinner with a mixed green salad. I’m very pleased with the results. I didn’t have any ranch mix on hand so I found a homemade recipe on Pinterest and used what I hand in the cabinet. Also, no panko only bread crumbs. Turned out great! Thanks for another fantastic recipe.
awesome recipe I used ritz cracker crumbs in place of panko I will definitely use this again!!
We avoid processed foods and spice mixes from corporate as much as humanly possible. Do you think your recipe for the ranch seasoning mix from your Easy Ranch Baby Carrots work with the chicken?
Brenna, unfortunately, I don’t think the ranch seasoning mix from the baby carrots would work here. The addition of dry buttermilk (which is not in my recipe) is crucial to the seasoning for the chicken here.
I would just like to say that I have been a silent but devoted follower of your web site and all of your “Damn Delicious” recipes for quite some time now. I must say that of all the recipes that I have tried, and there have been many, every single one of them have been keepers. Also the pictures are always very appetizing as well. Keep up the great work girlfriend. I look forward to trying many more of them in the future. Thanks.
It has been deemed a keeper! 40 minutes was enough..
Made this for dinner last night and wow!! We LOVED it!!
It’s now in our chicken rotation!!
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!!
DELICIOUS!!!
PS I’m thinking of trying it on pork chops too!
Can you substitute ranch dressing instead of powdered ranch?
Sarah, it is best to use the Ranch Seasoning and Salad Dressing Mix. Using a substitution may also result in a mediocre outcome.
Great recipe! I’ve made this twice and each time the toppings would melt off in the oven. The chicken would just be cooking in a puddle of mayo/ranch/cheddar/panko and I would have to scoop the mayo mix back onto the chicken once it is out of the oven =(
Any tips to prevent this from happening? Thanks! Can’t wait to try more of your recipes!
Perhaps you are putting too much of the mayonnaise mixture on top of the chicken?
SO SO very good! Thank you!
My favourite chicken recipe by far! So easy and quick to make, very ideal for students. Thank you so much!!
When you say mayonnaise, do you use real mayonnaise? We prefer Miracle Whip at our house. But of course I am willing to try the real stuff at least once. 🙂 This chicken looks amazing. Can’t wait to give this a try! Thanks.
Miracle Whip should work just fine, but it is really best to use “real mayonnaise”.
I made this last night. I went ahead and grabbed some mayonnaise ~ I did get this light version. YUM!! We LOVED this chicken!! We will definitely make this again, and again and again……. you get the point. Thanks for another killer recipe!