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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I don’t have any bread crumbs but do have Ritz crackers.. what do you think? Nasty or naw?
I’m personally not a fan of Ritz cracker crumbs on a savory chicken dish like this but the decision is really up to you!
Got regular crackers too if you think it would be better.
For a recipe like this, it’s really best to use Panko to obtain the best results possible. But again, these recipes here are a base and can be adjusted with what you have on hand. That being said, substitutions should really be made at your own risk.
I really enjoy making this and it came out great. I don’t have great food presentation so my daughter was pushing backat first then one bite and we feel in love.
Came up with something similar years ago clearing cupboards – added Italian dressing mix to low- (non-?) fat mayo hubby refused to eat, dunked chicken pieces, rolled in crushed stale cornflakes & baked. Good stuff! Always meant to try it again with yogurt…
I made this tonight and while we thought it was good, it did taste a bit salty.
As there is no addition of salt in the recipe, the Ranch Seasoning and Salad Dressing Mix may be too salty for your taste preferences. It may be best to make the ranch seasoning from scratch so that you have complete control of the salt content.
Hello! I love your easy to make and delightful dishes. Thank you so much for sharing them with us! I have a question: Can I cook the chicken covered in the oven or does it have to be uncovered? I need to eat my meat tender or as tender as I can get it to be. Thank you.
Analin, this is best to leave uncovered or else the topping will become soggy. But I promise you – these chicken thighs still turn out amazingly crisp and tender!
You were absolutely right! It was perfect! Thank you 🙂
I’m in Australia and have never seen ranch season and salad dressing mix packages in the shops. What is this as I’ve seen it in many recipes on Pinterest? What could be used instead? I would love to try this recipe.
It’s actually a seasoning packet that can be used for many recipes. But if this is not available in your area, it may be best that you make it from scratch. You can find many DIY ranch seasoning recipes available online such as Pinterest.
U don’t have Panko bread crumbs available. Would normal bread crumbs suffice or would you suggest I skip the bread crumbs all together?
Regular breadcrumbs will work just fine.
Found this recipe on Pinterest and made it for the first time tonight. It is absolutely delicious, easy to make, and quick to complete. Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful recipe. 🙂
Mayo + Chicken breasts are a match made in heaven
This looks wonderful. What side dish would you suggest to go with it?
This would go great with roasted vegetables or even mashed potatoes!
I’m looking forward to serving this to my family this week, but I always struggle with knowing what kind of sides to serve with a dish! Can you give some suggestions? Thx!
Roasted vegetables, mashed potatoes or even a simple rice dish would be perfect!
Hi Chungah, can I use duck meat instead of chicken? I have spare duck meat here in the house and I am wondering what recipe to use in preparing this? I really want to cook it and partner it with some whisky or some whiskey mixed drinks and scotch. What do you think or what can you suggest? Looking forward for your answer, thanks =)
Unfortunately, I am not the best person to ask as I do not have much experience cooking with duck. I think I cooked it once or twice years ago, and as much as I would love to cook with it, it can get so expensive!
Made this last night with boneless chicken breasts. So delicious and moist. My fam loved it and it was so easy…thank you!!
How long do you have to cook the boneless skinless chicken breasts?
I made this last night, about 4lbs of it, and there was nothing left of it. My family loved it to say the least! Great recipe & I’ll be making it again!
What a great recipe! I made a rookie mistake and halved the recipe without halving the ranch dip mix 🙁 but it was still excellent! The topping gets super crispy and just melts in your mouth! Due to my error and the subsequent saltiness of my finished chicken, it couldn’t really be eaten on its own. However, I hand-pulled the chicken and made a cheddar ranch chicken pasta bake out of it, which turned out fantastic. Looking forward to trying this again, and using the right amounts of everything this time! 🙂
Big hit with the family this weekend. I did run mine under the broiler at the end for a few seconds to make it extra crispy. Am assuming you could also make with boneless, skinless chicken breasts, but the thighs are so super tender. Great recipe!
Made it! Devoured it! Want more of it! Thank you Chungah!
Who could say no to anything Butters likes? I love your blog and all the stories about Jason and Butters. Oh, and the food is always delicious!
Ilove this recipe! I did make one minor mistake however, I mixed the Panko in with the mayo etc. rather sprinkling on top. Still turned out delicious. I’ll read the recipe more carefully next time!
I’m so glad it still turned out well! It is always best to read a recipe at least twice prior to cooking – it makes a huge difference!
This looks so delicious and is doable even on weeknights ,yum! Pinned!
P.S. Butters is so adorable! I hope he got a little bite at least.