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Baked ranch chicken is a creamy, cheesy, flavor-packed dinner that’s easy to make any night of the week! Juicy chicken gets smothered in savory ranch dressing and baked under crispy breadcrumbs and melted cheddar cheese.
This Baked Ranch Chicken is a simple yet flavorful dish that takes your everyday chicken dinner to the next level. Coated in a creamy ranch seasoning mix and baked to juicy perfection. It’s a family-friendly meal that pairs easily with any side, making it a go-to option for weeknights when you want something delicious without spending much time in the kitchen.
Table of Contents
This baked chicken with ranch dressing and cheesy breadcrumbs is so tasty, and SO easy to make with 6 ingredients and a casserole dish. Baked ranch chicken is one of the dinners that my family asks for again and again, and after today, you’ll see why. It has juicy chicken breasts covered with creamy ranch, topped with crispy breadcrumbs and cheddar. It’s crunchy, melty, gooey, and seriously the best. Just add a side of salad or veggies!
Ingredients You’ll Need
Be sure to scroll to the bottom of the post for the FULL PRINTABLE recipe card.
- Chicken – I use boneless, skinless chicken breast, but you can use thighs or even chicken tenderloins.
- Mayonnaise – If needed, substitute mayo with sour cream or plain yogurt for a lighter option.
- Ranch Dressing Mix – Pick up a packet of your favorite store-bought dressing mix. I also have a great homemade ranch dressing mix that I’ll use whenever I have it in the cupboard!
- Parmesan Cheese – Freshly grated parmesan will give you the meltiest results. But if pre-grated is all you have, go ahead and get out the green shaker bottle!
- Cheddar Cheese – Or another shredded, melty cheese. Monterey Jack, mozzarella, or provolone are also good options.
- Panko Breadcrumbs – I like the texture of big Panko crumbs, but you can use regular breadcrumbs if you’d like. Seasoned or unseasoned will work.
How To Make Baked Ranch Chicken
Be sure to scroll to the bottom of the post for the FULL PRINTABLE recipe card.
- Prepare the chicken. Arrange your chicken in a baking dish. Then, whisk ranch dressing mix and parmesan with mayo and pour this over the chicken, spreading it evenly over top.
- Add the topping. Mix the panko crumbs with shredded cheese and sprinkle that over the chicken.
- Bake. Your ranch chicken goes into the oven at 425ºF for 15-20 minutes, until it’s cooked through. See below.
More Tips and Variations
- Make the topping extra crispy. Spray the chicken with nonstick spray before baking, to help the topping crisp up nice and golden.
- Don’t overcook the chicken. Overcooked chicken will be dry and rubbery, so use an instant-read thermometer to make sure it cooks to 165ºF (see above).
- Rest the chicken. Resting the baked ranch chicken for 5 minutes after it’s out of the oven will give you extra juicy slices.
- More flavors. Try my Southwest baked chicken for a Tex-Mex version of this cheesy chicken recipe dressed with taco seasoning and salsa. You might also like to try this Italian chicken bake or classic baked chicken parmesan!
- Make it on the stovetop. You can make ranch chicken in a skillet on the stove instead. Sear the chicken in the pan first to cook it through, then add the ranch dressing and breadcrumb topping. Cover and cook until the cheese is melted, and serve!
What to Serve With Baked Ranch Chicken
This baked ranch chicken is one of my family’s favorite dinners. All it needs is a side of salad, or I’ll serve it with crispy oven-roasted potatoes or air fryer carrots for a fast, delicious meal. As a starter, you can’t go wrong with garlic bread or breadsticks. For dessert, we love fudgy brownies with a scoop of ice cream!
Storing and Reheating
- Refrigerate. Store any leftover ranch chicken airtight in the fridge for 3-4 days.
- Reheat. You can reheat this chicken in the microwave or a 350ºF oven until the chicken is hot throughout.
- Freeze. Baked ranch chicken can be frozen in a freezer-safe container or freezer bag for up to 2 months. Defrost the chicken in the fridge before you reheat it.
More Chicken Recipes
- Cheddar Bacon Chicken Tenders
- Honey Dijon Chicken
- Italian Stuffed Chicken
- Mississippi Chicken
- Pizza Chicken
Baked Ranch Chicken
Ingredients
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breast, or chicken tenderloins
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1 1 oz packet of ranch dressing mix, or homemade ranch dressing mix
- 1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese, grated
- 1/3 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1/3 cup Panko breadcrumbs
- Cooking spray
Instructions
- Heat oven to 425°F.
- In a small bowl mix together mayo, ranch dressing mix, and Parmesan cheese.1/2 cup mayonnaise, 1 1 oz packet of ranch dressing mix, 1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese
- Arrange chicken pieces in a single layer in a baking dish.4 boneless skinless chicken breast
- Spread mayo mixture evenly over the top of the chicken.
- Mix together panko breadcrumbs and cheddar cheese.1/3 cup cheddar cheese, 1/3 cup Panko breadcrumbs
- Sprinkle over the chicken.
- Spray the chicken with non-stick spray.Cooking spray
- Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the chicken reaches 165º F and is cooked through.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Such a fantastic chicken recipe! I LOVE ranch…YUM!!
My family loved this so much! The flavors were amazing!! I can’t wait to make this again and again!
We eat a lot of chicken in our family, and I am always looking for new recipes!
I’m adding this to my dinner rotation! We eat a lot of chicken in my house and it can get a little boring. This looks so flavorful AND it’s easy to make. Winner!
This is absolutely delicious. I love the tang the mayo gives the chicken, and the breadcrumb and cheese topping is wonderful!
My favorite part was how the cheddar cheese melted perfectly over everything. It was so simple to throw together.
My oldest loves this chicken, he requests it often it’s so good (and he is picky) We love this recipe
This is definitely worth a try! The chicken was flavorful and tender! It was delicious!
I tried the Baked Ranch Chicken recipe last night, and it was a total hit! The chicken was so juicy and flavorful with that ranch seasoning, and it was incredibly easy to prepare. My family couldn’t get enough!
How much for 4 pounds of chicken breasts?
The recipe serves 4 people, so about 1 pound of chicken. If you want to use 4x the amount of chicken, you will need 4x the rest of the ingredients as well.