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 sounds incredible but my husband really dislikes mayo. How could I substitute?
Unfortunately I cannot suggest an appropriate substitute without further recipe testing. It is always best to use the ingredients listed in the recipe to obtain the best results possible.
He would never know it had mayo in it.
I too have a mayonnaise aversion! I have made recipes very similar to this using full-fat sour cream instead of mayo, and it worked just fine!
Just saw this as I was scrolling through. My family loves this recipe and it has become a great go-to weeknight meal. I’ve never used mayo with mine, I substitute fat free Greek yogurt. It comes out very moist and creamy, and has a very mild tang to it from the freshness of the yogurt. I think this saves even more calories and fat, as well.
I have used Greek yogurt before. It was good just more tangy. My daughters prefer the mayo version.
My husband hates mayonnaise too! Can’t stand the smell or even the sight of it. I made something very similar to this and didn’t tell him it was in it. We were fighting over the last piece of it! Lol 😛
I have found that plain Greek yogurt works well for a mayonnaise substitute. Just in case anyone is still interested. My husband hates mayo as well.
Side note: I really love all of your recipes. I have tried many and they always turn out great. And I love your Corgi!!!! Thanks for all the great meals!!
Hi, Chungah
Do you suppose this would work well with chicken breasts cut into strips? The grocery had a special on breasts, so I have a freezer full!
Thanks!
Yes, that should be fine, but you may have to adjust cooking time as needed.
I made skinless it so easy to skin a thigh, I left the bone in. I followed the recipe ingredients exactly, needed to make just a bit more topping to cover the 8 thighs completely. We live in the Rocky Mountains at high altitude, so I baked ours in a slower oven 375 for one hour.
This chicken was so moist and flavorful! Thank-you for the fast, easy and delicious chicken recipe.
We are Corgi family too, Butters can come for a play date anytime! :0)
This looks amazing! You always know how to make the crusty topping looking all lovely, crisp, and delicious 😀
Butters is such a cutie! x
Made it this afternoon. The kids loved it. I skipped the salt altogether since these ranch mixes always have a fair bit of it.
Also, I used thighs with skin and bones (that’s all I had in the house) and I had to leave it in the oven for about 10-15 minutes longer. But turned out really well. Will definitely make again.
Thank you for posting this! I was going to ask if the bone and skin chicken thighs would work as that is what I have in my fridge :). So excited to try it!!!
Yes, that would work just fine, although cooking time may have to be adjusted as needed.
Thank you so much for adding the Nutrition Facts data. I follow Weight Watchers and I have told everyone in my meetings about your site. The meals are amazing and you have just made the whole site even better for me. Thank you !!!
Oooh, my fam would love this!
Forgot to tell you Butters is so cute. Love him.
Thank you Chungah for the nice and easy recipe. Have a Wonderful Weekend!
I usually keep scrolling at the mere mention of baked chicken but this recipe and subsequent photo has me drooling! I’m afraid I’ve got to try it. 🙂
This looks and sounds amazing! I dont like dark meat though….what do you think about using boneless akinless chicken breast?
Yes, that should be fine!
If we do not have Planko, would bread crumbs work as well?
Yes.
Really enjoyed this, very simple to prepare & a joy to serve. l ook forward to your recopies. Keep
them coming. Love all the creativity in your kitchen.
Looks crispy and delicious Chungah!
Butters is the luckiest dog in the blogosphere 🙂 He’s got it MADE after your photoshoots!