Crispy Baked Chicken Thighs The Easy Way
If you think you cant make insanely good chicken, this recipe is for you!
Ranch Baked Chicken Thighs may be the recipe with the highest combination of absurdly delicious and crazy easy I have! It seems almost unfair how simple this recipe is, and just how mouthwatering it comes out.
This recipe makes absolutely perfect chicken thighs! They have that perfectly roasted skin that has all the crispy edges. It is packed with flavor, and the meat inside is very, very tender and juicy.
Add in that it takes literal minutes to have this in the oven and cooking and it is super kid friendly, and you have all the components of a perfect family meal!
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Rice Krispies Parmesan Ranch Chicken
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. I may earn a small commission for my endorsement, recommendation, testimonial, and/or link to any products or services from this website.
These crispy, baked Rice Krispies Parmesan ranch chicken thighs are tender, juicy, and full of flavor. Best of all, the easy dinner comes together with just 5 ingredients and about 15 minutes of prep!
There are endless ways to prepare chicken thighs from to roasted or slow-cooked but sometimes you just might crave the crispy, rich decadence of a classic fried chicken recipe. Today Im sharing a version that you can feel good about! This oven-fried ranch chicken starts with boneless skinless chicken thighs that are coated in crushed Rice Krispies cereal, Parmesan cheese, and ranch dressing mix. Theyre baked in the oven until golden brown on the outside and tender on the inside no skillet frying necessary. Everyone loves crispy ranch chicken!
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Where Did Ranch Come From
Ranch dressing was created in 1949 by a plumber. While working as a contract plumber in Alaska, Steve Henson started cooking for his coworkers and perfecting his buttermilk dressing recipe. Five years later he moved to California with his wife Gayle and bought a ranch and Hidden Valley Ranch was born!
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How To Use It
You can use this Ranch Dressing Mix as ranch seasoning in recipes where you’d usually rely on those little aforementioned packets.
Or, to make ranch salad dressing, simply whisk 1 ½ tablespoons of dry mix together with equal parts buttermilk, sour cream, and mayonnaise, plus a splash of apple cider vinegar and Worcestershire sauce.
So long as you use all-natural mayo and Worcestershire, your ranch will contain nary an artificial ingredient!
And the results? Delicious.
This homemade ranch seasoning mix adds a zip of flavor to soups, breadings, and so much more.
And as a salad dressing, it’s divine.
Having a jar of Ranch Dressing Mix in the pantry is super convenient for whipping up fresh, natural ranch salad dressing at a moment’s notice!
It also allows you to make recipes calling for ranch seasoning without relying on store-bought, artificial ingredient-laden, dry seasoning packets.
I hope you’ll give this simple, tasty, homemade pantry staple a try!
How To Make Homemade Ranch Dressing Recipe
- 1Add each of the dried spices to a bowl and mix carefully. Store in a canning jar or Ziploc bag.
- 2In a bowl, combine 1 cup milk and 1 cup mayonnaise with contents of packet.Mix well. cover and refrigerate.Chill 30 minutes to thicken. stir before serving. Stays fresh 3-4 weeks
- Last Step: Don’t forget to share! Make all your friends drool by posting a picture of your finished recipe on your favorite social network. And don’t forget to tag Just A Pinch and include #justapinchrecipes so we can see it too!
- Printable Recipe Card
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- Save Amazing Recipes
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How To Make It
Making ranch seasoning mix is ridiculously easy.
Simply measure out your dried herbs and spices. Then whizz for a few seconds in a blender or food processor!
Now, you’re not aiming for a fine powder here. Rather, you want to break down the dried parsley flakes just enough that they stay distributed throughout the other ingredients.
Because if you don’t process this mix just a bit, the garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper tend to sift straight down through the dried herbs and end up at the bottom of the jar. And it’s better when a “mix” actually stays mixed!
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Dry Ranch Dressing Mix
This homemade Ranch Dressing Mix makes a perfect seasoning for everything from classic salad dressing to grilled chicken. It has all the zesty ranch flavor you love with none of the sugars, flours or preservatives.
Have you made this Low Carb Ranch Dressing yet? Today, well show you how to use the dry seasonings from that dip to add instant ranch flavor to any dish. We especially love it in this Keto Crack Chicken recipe!
How To Make Slow Cooker Ranch Chicken
STEP 1. Mix melted butter, ranch packet and garlic together in a small bowl and mix together.
STEP 2. Add chicken thighs to Slow Cooker.
STEP 3. Pour half the butter mixture on top of chicken.
STEP 4. Add potatoes and green beans on top of chicken.
STEP 5. Pour remaining butter on top of vegetables.
STEP 6. Add 1/4 cup of chicken stock over all the ingredients.
STEP 7. Cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6 hours. Cook for less time if using breasts.
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Homemade Italian Dressing Mix
How are you?
Its been a wild ride around here, thats for sure.
With the recent challenges making it super inconvenient to go to the grocery store due to long lines and empty shelves, making your own salad dressing is super nice. But even during normal times, the ingredient list is a lot cleaner, making the health benefits something worth mentioning as well.
We love this homemade ranch dressing mix . And today Im excited to share this awesome homemade Italian dressing mix with you.
Tips For The Best Ranch Chicken Recipe
- I prefer to only coat the top side of the chicken with the Rice Krispies mixture, so that the bottoms dont get soggy.
- Butter the chicken on all sides, since it adds flavor to the meat and prevents the bottom of the chicken thighs from sticking to the pan.
- Use a large rimmed baking sheet rather than a baking dish. The baking sheet allows heat to circulate around the meat a bit more, yielding crispy chicken.
- The total cooking time will vary depending on the size and thickness of your chicken. Use a meat thermometer to know exactly when your meat is perfectly cooked. Youre looking for an internal temperature of 165°F.
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How To Sub This Ranch Dressing Mix In Recipes
This Ranch Dressing Mix is super versatile and can be used for tons of recipes outside of homemade ranch dressing and dip! Use it to season popcorn, mashed potatoes, chicken, and more!
A 1-ounce package of hidden Valley original ranch seasoning has 2 tablespoons of mix inside of it.
Therefore, you will use two tablespoons of this ranch seasoning mix in any recipe that calls for a whole packet of ranch seasoning.
If you are using a recipe that calls for a very specific measurement of dry ranch mix, just use the indicated measurement within the recipe and all will be well!
How To Use Your Homemade Ranch Mix
You can use this Homemade Ranch Seasoning anywhere you might use a store-bought ranch packet.
To substitute the homemade mix for store bought, use 2 tablespoons of the homemade mix to replace 1 packet of ranch mix. Try it in Mississippi Pot Roast, Ranch Burgers, Cheesy Ranch Pull-Apart Bread, or Bacon Ranch Cheese Ball.
You can also use the mix to make homemade ranch dip and homemade ranch dressing.And you can add it to any of your favorite savory recipes! Try it on Air Fryer Roasted Potatoes, in Twice-Baked Potatoes, or in the breading for Ritz Cracker Chicken.
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Helpful Tips Tricks & Equipment
- My favorite type of salt is Redmond Fine Sea Salt. But this recipe is great using regular table salt as well!
- Even though blending or processing this recipe helps the ingredients to stay incorporated, it’s still a good idea to shake your Ranch Dressing Mix before measuring it out.
- To make a single batch of ranch seasoning, reduce the measurements as follows:
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley
- ½ teaspoon dried dill weed
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- â teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Homemade Ranch Seasoning Ingredients
You know by now that Im a big fan of making homemade seasoning mixes. I go through loads of homemade pumpkin pie spice, chai spice blend, apple pie spice, and homemade taco seasoning.
I just think its more convenient to keep jars of the homemade stuff in my pantry than to have to remember to buy packets at the grocery store every time I want to make a recipe. Plus, its nice to be able to control how much of each spice goes into the mixes.
So is anyone really surprised that I had to whip up a recipe for Homemade Ranch Seasoning?
I definitely dont have anything against the packets of ranch mix you can buy at the store, but have you ever tasted the actual mix? Its super salty and not really very flavorful.
So I grabbed my favorite dried herbs and spices to make this homemade mix:
- Dry buttermilk powder
- Fresh cracked black pepper
Out of all of these ingredients, the only one I didnt have on hand at the time was the buttermilk powder, which you can usually find in the baking aisle at the grocery store.
You can use leftover buttermilk powder in baking in a pinch, but I usually just keep it on hand for making this Homemade Ranch Seasoning.
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Hidden Valley Spicy Seasoning Dip & Salad Dressing Mix Shaker
Our magical Ranch blend of buttermilk, garlic and onion flavors mixed with mild heat of aged chiles and red peppers that adds a Bold twist to our classic Ranch Seasoning in a convenient shaker. Measure it out or shake it right on your favorites for just the right amount of smooth ranch and spicy zing.
A Few More Things To Note About The Recipe
Two tablespoons of this homemade Italian dressing mix equals 1 envelope dry Italian salad dressing .
For the vinegar I normally use either distilled white or white wine vinegar. Red wine or apple cider vinegar should work too, but may give a slightly different color and flavor.
You can use any oil in this recipe that is liquid at room temperature. I normally use avocado or olive oil. The olive oil is probably the most authentic to the flavor of Italian dressing but does tend to separate a bit more than other oils, so keep that in mind.
I love using these small mason jars both to store both the mix and the dressing. These plastic lids work great to allow easy access while still being airtight.
You can store the prepared dressing or meat marinade in the refrigerator up to 4 weeks. The ingredients will separate when refrigerated. For best results, let it stand at room temperature for 1 hour and then shake just before using. Make sure your lid is on tight or you may end up with a face full of Italian dressing. Not that I would know that from experience or anything.
Ive included instructions for using this dressing mix as a meat marinade and the cooking instructions grilling, broiling or sauteing marinated thin cut chicken breasts. So far Ive only used this recipe for chicken, but it should work great for beef and pork as well, although the cooking times may need to be adjusted slightly.
- cupoilsee note
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S For This Easy Hidden Valley Ranch Chicken Marinade
Lets grab your ingredients and lets get started
The first step for this Grilled Ranch Garlic Chicken recipe is to place the breasts into a gallon-sized freezer bag, remove any extra air, and seal tightly. Pound the chicken breasts with the flat side of a meat mallet until youve reached a uniform thickness.
This is an important step because it increases the surface area for this delicious chicken breast marinade and it will allow the chicken breasts to cook evenly.
Next add Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing, Farmhouse Originals Italian with Herbs Dressing, and garlic to the freezer bag. Add a dash of salt and pepper for good measure. Seal the bag, massage to mix ingredients, and marinate the chicken breasts!
This is our favorite chicken and dressing recipe of all time! Weve done the Italian Dressing recipe and the plain Ranch Chicken recipe, but this easy grilled chicken marinade where you combine the two dressings with a traditional garlic marinade is THE BEST. When you combine these chicken recipes, you get the ultimate chicken breast marinade.
How To Make Ranch Chicken
Be sure to see the recipe card below for full ingredients & instructions!
What Type of Chicken Do I Need for Ranch Chicken?
For this recipe, I recommend getting boneless, skinless chicken breasts. If you arent a fan of white meat, you could also do boneless, skinless chicken thighs. Whatever chicken you use, just make sure its boneless.
How Long Do I Bake Chicken Breasts?
This recipe requires you to take the foil off part of the way through the cooking process. The total baking time is 30 minutes. So, you can have dinner on the table in about 35 minutes if you choose.
Can I Use Homemade Ranch Seasoning?
Absolutely! If you want to make the ranch seasoning from scratch, you will need buttermilk powder, dried parsley, dried dill weed, freeze dried chives, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper. Heres a Homemade Ranch Seasoning Mix Recipe for you to use!
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Baked Chicken With Dry Ranch Mix
This is the perfect meal when you need something that is fuss free and doesnt require you standing over the stove watching it every second.
Just pop it in the oven and let it do its thing. Did I mention that its low carb too? No bread crumbs in this recipe. The Hidden Valley ranch mixes are also gluten free.
This spicy ranch packet chicken recipe will be a winner at your family dinner table. Dont worry, its not that spicy either. As I mentioned before you can use the regular ranch mix if you have it on hand.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe:
You will love this recipe for dry ranch dressing mix because:
- You can control the ingredients that go into the mix and adjust the recipe to suit your tastes.
- It is a budget-friendly recipe, especially if you frequently buy a dry ranch dressing mix.
- Use this ranch seasoning for coating fried or baked foods, and mix it into dips, spreads, soups, and so much more.
- This recipe is versatile and can be made vegan, and dairy-free with a few easy ingredient substitutions. See our ingredients list for more details.
- And this is a gluten-free and sugar-free recipe.
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Chicken Bacon Ranch Stuffed Peppers
We love these chicken bacon ranch stuffed peppers! Caramelized peppers stuffed with a quinoa filling, loaded with chicken, broccoli, bacon, ranch seasoning and more. So satisfying and delicious!
Theres a new stuffed pepper in town.
Its no secret that Im ALWAYS creating new and exciting dinner ideas and Im thrilled to tell you that weve got a good one. This is amazing!
These peppers are stuffed with a broccoli chicken quinoa filling, made with crispy bacon and drizzled with ranch dressing. They are warm, cozy, incredibly satisfying and taste absolutely wonderful. You dont want to pass these up!
A million years ago I worked at Quiznos as a part time job. It was when it was a newer chain and I quickly fell in love with the chicken bacon ranch sandwich. Ive mentioned before that I never really cared for ranch dressing never really ate anything with ranch, actually , so this was huge.
And it was so, so good. Ive really enjoyed that flavor combination ever since, but its been years since I made anything close to a sandwich with those flavors.
I do have a chickpea bacon ranch salad that we really enjoy, but I tend to make it as a quick side dish to go with another meal component.
So enter: our chicken bacon ranch stuffed peppers. With broccoli! And quinoa!
The texture is incredible. These are so wildly satisfying, so filling and super delicious. There is something in them for everyone and the kids like them too.
Any kind of sauce. Right?