Crispy Oven Baked Ranch Chicken

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^[3] for dipping and also topped with our newest favorite sauces, Creamy Cauliflower Sauce and Creamy Chipotle Cauliflower Sauce. 

Crispy Oven Baked Ranch Chicken
Yield: 6 servings
(printable recipe)
^{[1][2][4][5][6]}

1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs or chicken breasts
1 cup ranch dressing^[7]
3/4 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup 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^[8] for topping

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 Chipotle Cream Sauce^[9] 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.

~ Click here to Subscribe to Barefeet In The Kitchen by Email^[10] and receive new recipes in your inbox every day. ~

ONE YEAR AGO TODAY: Chipotle Lime Salmon^[11]
TWO YEARS AGO TODAY: Simple Peach Smoothie^[12]

References

1. ^{^} Katerina (diethood.com)
2. ^{^} her recipe (diethood.com)
3. ^{^} barbecue sauce (barefeetinthekitchen.blogspot.com)
4. ^{^} Creamy Cauliflower Sauce (barefeetinthekitchen.blogspot.com)
5. ^{^} Creamy Chipotle Cauliflower Sauce (barefeetinthekitchen.blogspot.com)
6. ^{^} (printable recipe) (barefeetinthekitchen-recipes.blogspot.com)
7. ^{^} ranch dressing (barefeetinthekitchen.blogspot.com)
8. ^{^} Creamy Chipotle Sauce (barefeetinthekitchen.blogspot.com)
9. ^{^} Chipotle Cream Sauce (barefeetinthekitchen.blogspot.com)
10. ^{^} Subscribe to Barefeet In The Kitchen by Email (feedburner.google.com)
11. ^{^} ONE YEAR AGO TODAY: Chipotle Lime Salmon (barefeetinthekitchen.blogspot.com)
12. ^{^} TWO YEARS AGO TODAY: Simple Peach Smoothie (barefeetinthekitchen.blogspot.com)

Source : http://www.barefeetinthekitchen.com/2013/08/crispy-baked-chicken-recipe.html

Dont Forget to Watch How to Prepare Sushi Rice Fast and Easy Tips