This ranch chicken recipe has tender pan-fried chicken breasts smothered in a delicious ranch-flavored pan sauce. It comes together fast and uses everyday ingredients!
I'm not quite sure where I got the idea for this one, but I like how it turned out after a few attempts (I did not want to give up on this one!). It's basically gravy with a twist, and I love me some gravy. I could eat that sauce all day with mashed potatoes. And I did. Oh, I did.
This is a weeknight winner. It's super comforting, and it's not too heavy on the calories either.
Recipe notes & tips:
- I use Hidden Valley ranch seasoning. You could try making a homemade ranch seasoning if you can't find it for whatever reason.
- This recipe is fairly salty, so if you're on a low-sodium diet, you may want to skip it. I strongly recommend using the low-sodium chicken broth, and you could probably get away with using half the recommended amount of ranch seasoning if you still want to try it.
- I recommend using an instant read thermometer to ensure that chicken is perfectly cooked every time (165F ensures juicy chicken that's not uncooked or overcooked and dry).
- You could sub chicken thighs for chicken breasts if you prefer.
What to serve with this recipe?
It's delicious with mashed potatoes, rice, or pasta/egg noodles. For veggie sides, pretty much anything will work, but I'd try broccoli, carrots, sweet corn, or green beans.
Can't get enough ranch? Try these recipes:
- Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta
- Ranch Chicken and Rice Casserole
- Homemade Ranch Dressing
- Bacon Ranch Mashed Potatoes
Will you give this easy chicken recipe a try? I love the sauce!! Tag me #saltandlavender on Instagram if you've made one of my recipes.
Easy Ranch Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts cut in half lengthwise
- Pepper to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 tablespoons butter divided
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1 1/4 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon ranch seasoning (I used Hidden Valley)
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley chopped (optional but recommended)
Instructions
- Cut the chicken in half lengthwise so you've got 4 thinner cutlets. Season each piece with pepper and the garlic powder.
- Add the olive oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter to a skillet over medium-high heat. Let the pan heat up for a few minutes.
- Add the chicken to the pan and cook for about 4-5 minutes/side until golden. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside.
- Reduce the heat to medium. Add the remaining butter to the skillet, and once it's melted, stir in the flour and cook for about a minute.
- Slowly whisk in the broth until the flour has fully dissolved.
- Whisk in the ranch seasoning.
- Add the chicken back to the skillet and cook for another 4-5 minutes or until it has finished cooking through (165F) and the sauce has thickened up a bit more. You may need to turn the head down again so it's gently bubbling (you don't want the sauce to get too thick before the chicken is cooked through).
Notes
- Use an instant read meat thermometer to ensure that chicken isn't overcooked or undercooked.
- This recipe is quite salty due to the ranch seasoning and chicken broth. If you're particularly sensitive to salt but still want to make this recipe, use low (or no sodium) chicken broth, halve the amount of ranch, or make your own homemade ranch seasoning.
- Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only and should be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Salt & Lavender makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information.
Sheila says
I don’t have ranch dry mix. Has anyone substituted onion dry mix for ranch? Or does anyone think this would be a good substitute?
Natasha says
Hi! I linked a recipe for homemade ranch within the blog post - maybe that could help? You could try the dry onion mix, but I guess it'll be a different flavor... probably still tasty, though.
Cassie says
Great recipe. My family enjoyed it! Only change I made was adding onion to the gravy.
Miranda @ Salt & Lavender says
Sounds good to me! Glad the whole family enjoyed it, Cassie!
Ruthie says
OMG!!! The seasoning was perfect. The gravy was out of this world. My husband and son had double helpings and went back for more. This recipe is outrageously FANTASTIC!!!!
Natasha says
I'm so happy to hear that!! 🙂 Thanks so much, Ruthie!!
Katherine says
So yummy!!! Saving this one. Liked with green onions sprinkled on top.
Natasha says
Excellent!! So happy you enjoyed it. 🙂
Laura says
Really delicious! Made it tonight with green beans amandine and it made for a fancy-feeling but easy week night dinner. I think this one is good enough to go on a card in the recipe box!
Natasha says
So glad you liked it, Laura! Thanks for taking the time to write me a review. 🙂
Macy says
This was delicious! The gravy was amazing. None of your recipes have failed me yet, thank you!
Natasha says
I'm so happy you enjoyed it, Macy!! Thank you for taking the time to comment... I'm glad you're enjoying the recipes! XO
Jenn says
This was ridiculously easy to make, the rice I made to go with it took longer. 🙂 And while I'm a little biased because I love anything ranch, this was incredibly tasty. I will definitely be making this again.
Natasha says
Thank you so much! I'm so glad you enjoyed it! 😀
Rosemary says
This recipe is so easy to make and delicious. We had it with garlic mashed potatoes and my family loved it!
Natasha says
Awesome!! I'm so happy it was a hit! Thanks for commenting!