This chicken is dipped in ranch and then lightly breaded with a blend of cornmeal, flour and spices. I’ve made this dish with both chicken thighs and chicken breasts; while the thighs were my favorite, both were delicious.
The ranch is a subtle flavor and I really liked it that way. (out of ranch? no problem, it works great dipped in milk as well.)The cornmeal gives the crust a unique taste and texture that my whole family really enjoyed.
Thanks to Katerina for the cornmeal inspiration. I made her recipe the same day she shared it and then I started playing with that idea.
I have served this chicken on it’s own, with barbecue sauce for dipping and also topped with our newest favorite sauces, Creamy Cauliflower Sauce and Creamy Chipotle Cauliflower Sauce.
Crispy Oven Baked Ranch Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs or chicken breasts
- 1 cup ranch dressing
- 3/4 cup cornmeal
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour I used brown rice flour
- 1 tablespoon granulated garlic or garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon granulated onion or onion powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- olive oil sprayer if you have one *
- Optional: Creamy Chipotle Sauce for topping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a large baking tray with foil and place a metal cooling rack over the foil. Slice the chicken breasts in half lengthwise, to create thin fillets. Cut the fillets in half, if necessary to create smaller portions. Place the prepared fillets in a large ziploc bag and then smack them a few times with a rolling pin or meat tenderizer to create fillets of an even thickness. For chicken thighs, just cut them in half and then place them in a bag. Lightly pound to an even thickness without pounding them super flat.
- Combine all the dry ingredients in a gallon size ziploc bag. Pour the ranch dressing in a small flat bottom baking dish or pie plate. Dip each piece of chicken in the ranch, shake off the excess and then drop the chicken into the prepared bag with flour and spices. Seal the bag and shake quickly to coat.
- Transfer the coated chicken to the wire rack on the prepared tray. Repeat with the rest of the chicken. Spray the chicken lightly with olive oil. Bake the chicken breasts for 20 minutes, flip the meat over and bake another 15 minutes. Bake the chicken thighs for 20 minutes, flip the meat over and bake another 20-25 minutes, until the meat is cooked through. Serve with the Creamy Chipotle Sauce on top, if desired. Enjoy!
- * I just recently picked up an olive oil sprayer and it's very handy for this kind of task. That said, I've made this dish a couple of times without spraying the chicken and it works fine that way as well.
Pam says
I've used cornmeal on fish, but never chicken!
Tricia @ Saving room for dessert says
This sauce is once again calling my name. I love the 'southern fried' look of the chicken. You would think this is totally bad for you just looking at the picture – yummy and healthy!
Aiza says
This sounds real good. And I could make my own ranch dressing. THANK YOU. I've pinned 🙂
Big Dude says
That coating looks amazing. I might have several helping of it and give the chicken to others :-).
Anonymous says
Is this the actual picture??? Don't mean to question, but my chicken doesn't look ANYTHING close to that; not even remotely. I did nothing different from the recipe. Frustrating. — Heather
Mary says
oh Heather! I am so sorry that the recipe frustrated you. This is a shot of my husband's dinner plate last time I made the chicken. I've made the chicken three times now and it comes out looking about the same each time. It is also pictured here: http://barefeetinthekitchen.blogspot.com/2013/08/creamy-cauliflower-sauce-recipe.html
You didn't substitute anything at all? Did you have enough breading for all of the chicken?
Anonymous says
It happens…what just excited by how it looked. Nope – no subs and plenty of breading for all the chicken. Who knows what happened…. Will try again as it tasted good, but just missed the crisp abundance of breading. Thanks for responding and for the work you put into these recipes. We greatly appreciate the Gf ones! — Heather
Rosita Vargas says
Un gran almuerzo la harina de maíz es lo máximo muy tentador,hugs,hugs.
Christina says
Thanks for sharing a delicious recipe. I always love chicken. Chicken is so crispy & Really all are delicious a yummy chicken recipe. Thanks