Chicken Rancho Recipes

BAKED RANCH CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease baking sheet with vegetable oil.
• Put bread crumbs and ranch dressing into separate bowls.
• Dip chicken into ranch dressing and press into bread crumbs to coat. Gently toss between your hands so any bread crumbs that haven't stuck can fall away. Arrange onto prepared baking sheet.
• Bake in preheated oven until no longer pink in the center and the juices run clear, about 30 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).

KING RANCH CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.
• Make the soup/tomato mixture, which is very bizarre and might scare you off. But please: Be brave and stick with me through this challenging time. You won't be sorry! In a large bowl, combine the soups and diced tomatoes and chiles. Add the chili powder, cumin, salt, pepper and chicken broth. Then--this is the time to be strong--stir it all together. Trust me!
• Line the bottom of the baking dish with half of the torn tortillas. Layer on half the chicken. Add half the onion, bell pepper and jalapeno. Sprinkle on half the cheese and pour on half the wacky soup mixture. Then repeat the layers, beginning with the rest of the tortillas, and ending with the rest of the you-know-what.
• Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes, then uncover and bake until bubbling, another 15 minutes.
• Look at that! Serve it with a salad and a dang hearty appetite.
• To make ahead and freeze: Fold foil over the unbaked casserole and freeze until solid. Then, lift the foil-topped casserole out of the pan, wrap the whole thing in plastic wrap and freeze until needed. When ready to bake, remove the plastic wrap, put the foiled-topped casserole back into a 9-by-13-inch baking dish and thaw. Bake at 350 degrees F following the baking instructions above.

OVEN-FRIED RANCH CHICKEN

Steps:

• Whisk the buttermilk, mayonnaise, half of the thyme, 1 teaspoon paprika, the onion and garlic powders, cayenne and 1 teaspoon salt in a large bowl. Add the chicken and toss to coat; cover and refrigerate at least 3 hours or overnight.
• Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with aluminum foil and set a wire rack on each; coat the racks with cooking spray. Combine the breadcrumbs, chives, the remaining thyme and 1/2 teaspoon paprika, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper in a shallow bowl.
• Remove the chicken from the marinade and dredge in the breadcrumb mixture, pressing to adhere. Put the white meat on one wire rack and the dark meat on the other rack, skin-side up. Coat the chicken with cooking spray. Transfer to the oven, placing the dark meat on the bottom oven rack; bake until the crust is golden and a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the meat registers 165 degrees F, 50 to 55 minutes. Let cool slightly on the wire racks, 10 minutes. Season with salt.

CHICKEN RANCH MAC & CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. In a 6-qt. stockpot, cook macaroni according to package directions for al dente; drain and return to pot., Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in flour, salt and pepper until smooth; gradually whisk in milk. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly; cook and stir until thickened, 1-2 minutes. Stir in cheeses until blended. Stir in dressing., Add chicken and sauce to macaroni, tossing to combine. Transfer to a greased 13x9-in. baking dish., Toss bread crumbs with melted butter; sprinkle over macaroni. Top with bacon. Bake, uncovered, 30-35 minutes or until topping is golden brown. Sprinkle with parsley. Freeze option: Prepare recipe as directed, increasing milk to 1-1/3 cups. Cool unbaked casserole; cover and freeze. To use, partially thaw in refrigerator overnight. Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Preheat oven to 350°. Cover casserole with foil; bake 30 minutes. Uncover; continue baking as directed or until heated through and a thermometer inserted in center reads 165°.

EASY RANCH CHICKEN

Steps:

• Mix ranch dressing, salt, pepper and dry bread crumbs in 1 quart storage bag.
• Beat 2 eggs in bowl.
• Rinse and dredge chicken through egg then place in bag and shake until completely covered.
• Place in buttered 13x9-inch glass baking dish.
• Place a pat of butter on top of chicken.
• Cook at 375°F for 1 hour.
• Note: Can use already prepared ranch dressing.
• Omit eggs and dredge through dressing and then trough dry bread crumbs or crackers.
• Also can put crackers in dry bread crumbs to make crispier coating.
• Time may vary depending on the size of the breasts.

PAN-SEARED RANCH CHICKEN

Steps:

• In a measuring cup or small bowl, stir together the yogurt, mayonnaise, chives, dill and garlic powder; season with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and a few grinds of pepper. Transfer half the ranch to a medium bowl.
• Pat the chicken dry. If thickness varies greatly, pound to an even thickness of about 1/2 inch. Season both sides with salt and pepper, then transfer the chicken to the medium bowl with the ranch and toss to coat. Let sit at least 15 minutes, or refrigerate overnight. (Let it come to room temperature before cooking.)
• Heat the oil in a large (12-inch) nonstick skillet over medium-high. Working in batches if necessary, cook the chicken (with the marinade still on it) until deeply caramelized on the outside, chicken releases from the pan, and its juices run clear, 4 to 6 minutes per side.
• If the ranch in the measuring cup is too thick, add a little bit of water to loosen it. (You should be able to drizzle it easily.) Serve chicken with the ranch passed at the table, and more herbs as desired.

CHICKEN RANCHERO

Steps:

• Saute chicken over medium heat,in olive oil about 5 minutes.
• Add onions and continue cooking until chicken is done and onions are soft (about 10 more minutes).
• Add garlic, green chiles and broth.
• Bring to boiling.
• Reduce heat and simmer, covered for 30 minutes.
• Stir in salsa.
• Bring to a boil.
• Remove from heat.
• Gently fold in cubed cheddar cheese.
• Serve immediately over beds of rice.

CHICKEN BACON RANCH SALAD

Steps:

• Line a salad plate with small Romaine lettuce leaves.
• Combine chopped romaine, chicken, avocado, and tomatoes in a large bowl. Add ranch dressing, salt, and pepper, and toss to combine.
• Serve salad on the prepared plate and top with crumbled bacon.

SLOW COOKER RANCH CHICKEN

Steps:

• In a 4-5-qt. slow cooker, combine broth and dressing mix; add chicken. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours. Remove chicken to cutting board; shred with two forks and return to slow cooker. , Stir in soup and cream cheese. Cover and cook on low until cream cheese is melted, about 30 minutes. Serve over rice or noodles. Add optional toppings as desired.