Juicy Baked Ranch Chicken Breasts are coated in a crunchy cornflakes and ranch seasoning for a flavor and texture that can't be beat! Pair with your favorite sites for an easy, tasty meal that's just five ingredients and ready in about 30 minutes.
Baked ranch chicken has old-school homey vibes that are totally comforting and always satisfying. It's such an easy recipe to throw together in a few minutes and let it bake while you pull together a couple of easy sides for a full meal.
Kids love to help crush the cornflake cereal and shake the chicken in the bag to coat it, so it's a great one for those budding chefs in your life or one to teach your teens so they can learn some life skills. Plus, when kids help cook dinner they are much more likely to eat it too!
Ranch Chicken Ingredients
Here's a list of what you'll need to make this ranch chicken recipe. See the printable recipe card below for exact amounts and full instructions.
- Chicken breasts: Look for small to medium chicken breasts for best results. If you only have super large chicken breasts, you might only want to use two of them and slice them in half horizontally with a sharp knife for better portion sizes, easier cooking, and more ranch coating to chicken ratio.
- Cornflakes: This is the secret ingredient for the crunchiest coating! Other great options would be crushed tortilla chips, goldfish crackers, or even panko breadcrumbs.
- Ranch seasoning: Who doesn't love the herby, zesty flavor of ranch dressing? This recipe uses 1 packet or 2 tablespoons of homemade ranch seasoning mix.
- Melted butter: Not only does this help the crunchy coating stick to the chicken breasts, but it adds delicious flavor and keeps the chicken super moist.
- Parmesan cheese: We prefer using freshly grated or powdered parmesan cheese for the coating because it sticks better.
How to Make Baked Ranch Chicken
This is a step-by-step overview of the process, which isn't difficult at all. Be sure to see the recipe card for full ingredients and instructions.
- Make the crunchy coating. Start by combining crushed cornflakes, parmesan cheese, and dry ranch dressing mix in a large resealable bag or shallow dish. Shake it up so everything is evenly dispersed.
- Dredge chicken. Dip each chicken breast in the butter first, then place it in the coating mixture and seal the bag. Shake well to evenly coat the chicken, then transfer to a baking sheet and repeat with the other chicken pieces.
- Bake until done. Arrange the ranch chicken breasts on a baking sheet, spaced out so that there is some room between each of them. Bake for 25-30 minutes until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165 degrees F. Keep in mind that the temperature will continue to go up by about 5 degrees when you remove the chicken from the oven. If you don't have a digital meat thermometer, the juices should run clear and there should be no pink when you slice into one of the chicken breasts.
Pro Tip
Depending on the thickness and size of your chicken breasts you might need slightly more or less time to reach 165°F, which is the correct temperature for perfectly cooked chicken.
- Rest, then serve. Don't slice into the chicken as soon as it comes out of the oven! Let it rest for 5 minutes for the juices to redistribute for the juiciest, most tender result.
Recipe FAQ's
Absolutely. Try making this recipe with crushed tortilla chips, pretzels, Ritz crackers, or even goldfish crackers. Anything crunchy like that would make a great coating.
This depends on a few factors like how hot your oven temperature is and the thickness and size of the chicken, but generally at 400 degrees F it takes 25-30 minutes to bake chicken breasts. A lower temperature like 375 degrees F will take slightly longer running the risk of drying out the chicken, while a higher temperature like 425 degrees F will take longer and you risk overcooking the outside while the middle still isn't quite done.
Top Tips
- Great on pork chops or fish too! You can use the same coating on bone-in or boneless pork chops or a firm white fish and it is also delicious. You will just need to adjust the cooking time slightly for the different proteins.
- Press extra crumbs on top. If we have any leftover cornflake mixture, we will sprinkle some on top of the chicken before putting it in the oven to make sure there is a nice, thick layer of the crunchy coating.
- Use a digital thermometer. You can get fairly inexpensive ones that work great and it guarantees perfectly moist, tender chicken every time without the guesswork.
What goes well with Ranch Chicken?
This yummy chicken goes well with all kinds of vegetable sides (we especially like it with green beans) or a good salad and a starch like our Roasted Ranch Potatoes. Or serve it with buttery mashed potatoes instead! Here are a few more ideas of dishes that taste great with ranch chicken.
- Apple Salad with Walnuts & Poppy Seed Dressing
- Air Fryer Asparagus
- Buttered noodles
- Jell-o (haters gonna hate, but we love serving Jell-o with dinner)
Storage & Reheating
Leftovers will keep well in the fridge for 3-4 days. To reheat, warm for 10 minutes or so in a 350°F oven or in the air fryer for 4-5 minutes to help crisp up the outside. You can also warm in the microwave, but the coating won't be as crunchy.
You can freeze for 1-2 months, then thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating.
More Baked Chicken Recipes
- Salsa Chicken
- Spinach Stuffed Chicken Breasts
- Sheet Pan Sticky Sesame Chicken
- Oven Baked Chicken Quesadillas
Did you make this recipe? Leave a star rating and I'd love to hear from you in the comments below.
Sign up for my email newsletter so you don't miss any recipes.
Baked Ranch Chicken
Ingredients
- 4 small boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or 2 large breasts sliced in half horizontally)
- ½ cup salted butter, melted
- 1 (1-ounce) packet dry Ranch dressing mix (2 tablespoons)
- 1 ½ cups crushed cornflakes
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Combine ranch dressing mix, crushed cornflakes, and parmesan cheese in a shall down or bowl.
- Dip chicken breasts in the melted butter, shaking off excess, then dredge in the cornflake mixture. Transfer to a large baking sheet.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes until the chicken reaches 165°F when tested with a digital meat thermometer.
Notes
- Storage: Leftovers will keep well in the fridge for 3-4 days. To reheat, warm for 10 minutes or so in a 350°F oven or in the air fryer for 4-5 minutes to help crisp up the outside. You can also warm in the microwave, but the coating won't be as crunchy.
- Great on pork chops or fish too! You can use the same coating on bone-in or boneless pork chops or a firm white fish and it is also delicious. You will just need to adjust the cooking time slightly for the different proteins.
- Press extra crumbs on top. If we have any leftover cornflake mixture, we will sprinkle some on top of the chicken before putting it in the oven to make sure there is a nice, thick layer of the crunchy coating.
- Use a digital thermometer. You can get fairly inexpensive ones that work great and it guarantees perfectly moist, tender chicken every time without the guesswork.
Roxana
I love the taste of ranch. And the recipe here is so so simple and that to made with chicken, my favorite. I am bookmarking it.
Beth
I LOVE getting all that crunch in the texture without having to fry the chicken. And of course, ranch makes everything better!
Cyndy
Loved these and the kids did too. I made your homemade ranch mix and it was so easy and much more flavorful, so thanks for that recipe!
I love the idea of using goldfish crackers too so may need to try that next time!
Cam
I can't even explain how delicious this chicken is!!! I love the ranch flavor and the crust on it was super crunchy. I served it with some mashed potatoes and green beans for dinner!
Tayler
We had this chicken for dinner last night and my whole family raved about it! Thanks so much for sharing the recipe!