Texas Ranch Chicken

I have a recipe almost identical to this one. For those who had problems or disappointments; This is what you do: Season all sides of chicken pieces(and yes bone in chicken works!!) with salt pepper and garlic powder; or use your fave seasonings. Place in shallow dish or bowl; and use the dressing as a Marinade! and marinate for at least one hour. Then line a baking dish with foil(dull side up)remove chicken from dressing and place in foil lined pan. Then top each piece with cheese after about 45 minutes..parmesan works best for me, and return to oven for 15 minutes until lightly golden brown. Prepared this way makes it a 5 star! PS>>remove skin from bone-in chicken pieces**

After some modifications, we really enjoyed this recipe. The first time I made it, I followed the recipe exactly, and we weren't very fond of it. We thought it was rather greasy and the ranch taste was pretty strong. However, I liked the idea of it, thought it was a good blend of flavors, so I decided to attempt it again. The second time, I poured enough ranch dressing into a skillet to coat the bottom, then placed the chicken in the pan and cooked it fully on top of the stove first. Then I put the chicken in an ungreased baking dish and covered it with mozzarella cheese and placed it under the broiler until it melted. This time we had a winner!!!! We really enjoyed the meal and will have it again!!

I make this recipe once a week, combining many of the suggestions of other raters. I use a quick spray of Pam, then put chicken breast tenders in my baking dish, or if I'm cooking for more than my husband and myself, I use whole chicken breasts, which I flatten by pounding. I sprinkle powdered ranch dressing (Hidden Valley makes one) over the chicken, and thanks to someone's idea, put Hormel Real Crumbled Bacon on top of that. My husband loves spicy stuff, so I chop up jalapenos and put that on top of the bacon bits. I cover my chicken with foil and bake at 325 for 45 minutes, uncover and top with a combination of mozzerella and cheddar cheese, then put back in the oven, uncovered, for another 15 minutes. This is the easiest dinner to fix, and it's so delicious. The chicken is so tender and juicy. I just made it, without the jalapenos, for my 80 year old mother and my 96 year old grandmother, and they loved it!

REALLY GOOD w/ a few changes. Spray w/Pam, not oil . Before I added Cheddar, I layed a slice of Armour Dried Beef(in the small jar). It made for a real boost in taste. Use 1/2 sour cream/Ranch. The grave/sauce is wonderful. This is an easy,good recipe w/much potential to "do your own thing". I also like it w/green pepper slices & a little garlic powder. Thanks for the keeper recipe,Jan!

I have always made a recipe similar to this using 4 to 6 boneless skinless chicken breast. I fry my chicken in a skillet on top of the stove with ranch dressing poured on top. I don't measure anything. It only takes a few minutes. I top it off with mozzarella or fresh grated parmesan. Doesn't need the oil. It's great! My kids also like to eat it on a nice hard roll for sandwiches. I work in the food business and sometimes have to create recipes and believe it or not this also tastes great on talapia fish. I melt butter and garlic and add the ranch dressing to make a sauce, then add the fish and top with more ranch dressing and parm. or mozz. cheese or no cheese at all. Fry till it flakes easily. You wouldn't believe how much it sells when made like this!!! Ranch dressing is great on alot of things! Thanks!

This was a very EASY & tasty dish! I took a suggestion from the other reviewers and used a bit of cooking spray to coat the pan rather than olive oil. I also used turkey tenderloins instead of chicken and used a Light Ranch dressing. My kids and husband devoured it and I will definitely be making this again!

I thought that this recipe was pretty good. I think next time I make it I will change it up just a little though. I recommend using pretty small/thin chicken pieces, I used breasts and they were really too thick for this recipe. I would probably try the sour cream version as well even though I did like the ranch okay. One thing I did do differently was I topped it with crushed season croutons and it made for an awesome topping!!! I also used Italian cheese blend and cut back a little on the olive oil. It was pretty good for the amount of ingredients and time to prepare.

Good taste and very easy to make. I use low-fat ranch and skim mozarella, otherwise the recipe is LOADED with fat!

After reading the recipe, I thought it needed some color (everything was white) so I browned the chicken just a bit on both sides, and threw in some green pepers and 1/2 jalepeno to saute with the chicken. I then mix a bit of tabasco with the ranch for an added kick, and added a bit of cheddar for extra color. This recipe was sooo easy, and VERY good!

I am soo glad to have a recipe that takes so little time and tastes so good! My 3 year old queen of the fussy loves this dish! It is the magical dish that got her to eat chicken (well -drumsticks only)! I have shared it with my fellow moms as well as this web site! My husband (who my daughter got her fussiness from) loved it also! It is a new family favorite and great for those days that I just don't have time to make a long to make meal! One suggestion: I pan fried the chicken first and it made it even tastier.

Loved It!! This will be a regular dish at my home since it was so good and easy. I took the suggestions of others and after spreading the ranch over chicken, I coated the chicken in italian seasoned bread crumbs and parmasan. Used Pam on baking dish. Baked at 350 for 30min (covered) then added the motz. cheese (uncovered) for almost 10min till it was melted. It turned out very juicey! Served with Egg Noodles. Great dish! Thanks!

Yummmmmmy and Easy!!!! I used a "lite" ranch dressing which might have kept it from being too strong (a good thing) and also used Pizza shredded cheese - mozzarella and cheddar. My boyfriend loved this too. The chicken was VERY moist but fully cooked. This is surely a future repeat!!!

Tastes like the inside of a chicken enchilada. My husband and I both loved it. For two people, this is how I made it: sprayed 8x8 with Pam (no oil), 2 chicken breast halves, mixed 1/2 c lite ranch w 1/4 c lite sour cream, handful of mozzarella and cheddar on top. Used suggested cooking time with no problem. This is a great Atkins or South Beach meal with very little carbs/sugar.

I cut this recipe down to serve two- I did this with chicken tenders in a 9x9" casserole. I also topped the chicken with bread crumbs based on another review. It was really good- it had a great creamy texture. I served it with pasta, although next time I might make some crusty bread with it. Thanks for sharing this recipe!

Yum! I made this recipe last night - but with a few modifications. I seasoned the chicken with pepper and garlic powder, covered the chicken with ranch dressing (only about 1/2 a cup for one breast), baked it for 15 mins, then added some shredded cheddar and baked for another 5 mins! It was yummy!! Next time I'll add some chopped veggies! Thanks for the great idea!

I took the recipes suggestion of sour cream -- mixed it half and half with the ranch dressing. It really toned down the ranchy flavor a little and yet left it creamy & moist. EASY, busy day dinner and anything ranch flavor is always a hit with my kids. They inhaled this! THANKYOU!

Definately an A1 meal for a busy tiring day. I would recommend cheddar cheese, however, it has more flavor than mozzarella. I used a combination and it worked out great. THANKS!!

Awesome. Easy. Quick. What more can you want. I made this for my husband and he couldn't get enough. I am always looking for a new way to shake up a chicken dinner and this was excellent. Note - I added carrots and broccoli so as to assure my husband got his veggies and served the whole thing with egg noodles that were mixed in butter and salt - Two thumbs up! Next time I might throw in some potatoes with the chicken and veggies for a complete all in one meal w/ no excesss pots to clean (lazy man route however egg noodles being so easy really are the way to go).

This was great and easy! It was the first time in a long time we were able to eat quickly after work yet have it be something hot (new baby at home). I did not use the oil, but I did use half sour cream and half ranch dressing. I also added the bread crumbs and garlic on top of the dressing before baking. I cut back on the amount of dressing and cheese used, but would increase it the next time and serve the sauce over egg noodles. Thanks Jan!

I'm glad I didn't use the olive oil for the bottom of the pan, the cheddar/mozz. cheese added enough oil to the dish. Overall, a good dish to serve over rice.

This was a great, easy recipe!! At first, when my kids saw me put ranch dressing on the chicken, they refused to try it. My daughter said "that goes on salad!!". BUT, when I took the dish out of the oven, it smelled so good, they began to consider it. Then, I cut one chicken breast up, put it in a flour tortilla, put more cheese on top and heated it up in the microwave for my daughter. Now, this recipe is one of our favorite! She loved it!!...in or out of a tortilla!!

This recipe was fabulous! It is the best of 3 worlds - cheap, easy, and yummy! I was leary of ot being too "ranchy", but with the cheese that wasn't the case. I cooked it until browned and bubbly and also added some bread crumbs to the top. I served it over egg noodles and my husband and I thought it DELICIOUS!

Very quick and easy meal after a long day at work. I also used 3/4 cup ranch dressing and 3/4 cup pace picante sauce for a spicy kick.

How fabulous! This was a super simple, family friendly, very easy recipe. A big hit with my family who's ages range from 5 to 87 yrs. old. Serve this over wild rice (beautiful presentation) and with your favorite veggie. This has moved to the top of our request list!

This is soooo good. I made it a couple of weeks ago and actually craved it today. the whole family loves it. I used buttermilk ranch dressing and not the olive oil.

I was leary of this recipe as I don't care for ranch dressing, however I needed something quick & easy and it sounded simple. I was cooking for a group of about 50. Not only was it very easy to make, it was also a smash hit! It didn't taste like it was flavored with ranch dressing. It was just good, good, good! I mixed the mozzerella cheese with chedder and jack cheese.

Loved it! My husband is (again) out of town on business, so I decided to try it as he doesn't like cheese anyway. I used the ranch dressing II, from this site, because it is really thick, and I skipped the oil, using pam cooking spray in it's place. I also added broccoli & carrots to the dish & it looked as good as it tasted! Thanks Jan!

This was absolutely excellent!! It was the most tender baked chicken I have ever made. The only changes I made: 1 Tbsp olive oil, 6 oz. mozzarella, and used a 8x8 baking dish. A definate keeper, and I'm passing it on to my friends. I plan on trying the leftovers on pasta as some have suggested. Yum, yum, yum!!!

Anyone who reads this, do NOT be afraid to try this easy and wonderful recipe! I'm not a huge fan of ranch dressing, but decided to try this anyway, (and in spite of some of the negative reviews). This was sooo tasty! Yes, I did make a few personal additions though. I used whole breasts, which I seasoned with a salt-free garlic/herb seasoning. To offset the lack of color noted in reviews, I spread sliced black olives and sliced pimiento peppers over the breasts too. I only had peppercorn ranch dressing in the house, so I used that over the breasts. I used another reviewers idea of sprinkling bread crumbs over it all too. I used monterey jack for the cheese during the final 10 minutes. I garnished the meal with snipped pieces of green onion and served it over egg noodles. The end result was a very tasty, colorful, and easy meal! Thanks for a wonderful recipe Jan!

One word: AWESOME. The family loved it. Hubby even said "It tastes like more!" Thanks for sharing. Will make again, and again and again.

This was wonderful. I made modifications, I used the packets of ranch dressing and instead of using mayo I used sour cream and non fat milk. I used one packet as a marinade and the other packet to cook the chicken in. When preparing the ranch dressing for baking, I also added some of this howlin horseradish dip mix I had to the ranch and the chicken turned out awesome! I sprayed a 9X13 pan with Pam and baked it for 30 minutes at 350 and then took it out and topped with shredded Mozzarella cheese and put it back in for another 10-15 minutes or until the cheese was melted. Served it over white rice and everyone loved it! Will definitely make again and will just keep modifying! Want to try it with different cheese and a bacon topping! Definitely a keeper!

Blah. For this to taste better, it would need too many changes. Not worth repeating.

WONDERFUL, Great Tasting and VERY SIMPLE!!! I used a Peppercorn Ranch dressing, sprinkled with cheddar cheese and added some Parm cheese at the end right before serving. The whole family loved it, including my husband who is very picky!

Thought this was awasome. I used what I had so I put the chicken with regular ranch topped with bread crumbs and a mix of cheddar and monterey cheese. Tasted great. A keeper

Simple to make , even better to eat. YUMMY!

Surprisingly good....next time will add sauteed mushrooms to the top before melting the cheese. Thanks for an easy dinner recipe.

Awesome!!!!!!!!! I had no cheese in my house but parmasean cheese so I topped with bread crumns and some parm cheese...boy was it good. We served it a top a spiral noodle cut it into chunks and mixed it all together with some mixed vegetables making it a full plate. Very good will definitly make this again!

This recipe was so good. I needed to cook more chicken we didn't have enough it was so good. We changed nothing it was very good. It was so good it would be great with the chicken cut up in the ranch and baked and then poured over noodles too. Or a very great dipping sauce too for vegetables or bread while eatting your chicken. Highly recommend.

My cheese never got golden so this wasn't a pretty dish but it was very tasty and definitly easy.

made this the first night and it was ok. For leftovers I added a little garlic powder and put over spaghetti. Wow, what a difference, it was great.

This was great! I threw this together on a weeknight when I did'nt have alot of time to make dinner. Husband and daughter enjoyed this.Quite tasty!

This was ok...and that is about it. My mom made this for us tonight, and she followed the directions (except no olive oil) the ranch dressing ran off to the bottom of the pan, this is while the chicken was as close to eachother as possible (what the recipe said to do). All in all, it was not anything really different in my book...the chicken was kinda tasteless, and dry. But thanks for the recipe Jan.

The first time I made this, I used half ranch and half sour cream. The sauce broke but it was still good. This last time, I used half buttermilk ranch and half bacon ranch. I topped it with a blend of cheeses, scallions, black olives and crumbled bacon. Even my picky granddaughter loved it. I will make it again.

As far as quick meals go, this was one of the best! It was extremely simple and the ranch/mozzarella gave the chicken a fantastic flavor.

I haven't actually made this recipe myself. I'm giving it 5 stars because I gave this recipe to a friend who can't cook to save his life. He cooked this recipe multiple times, and even once made it when he had friends over. If it's simple enough that a non-cook can make, enjoy, and share with others, it deserves 5 stars!

This one is easy and tasty! Great for those nights when you need a wholesome meal without the effort.

I thought this meal had a wonderful taste and would taste really good over a nice salad. However my husband didn't like it one bit. He said it smelled funny and tasted worse. I would make this again for me, but in a slow cooker, but not for him.

This is a great recipe with a few changes. I use non-stick cooking spray on the pan instead of oil. I mix equal parts of ranch dressing and sour cream and add about 1 1/4t of chicken boullion granules to add some flavor - tastes almost like a chicken stroganoff. I also season each side of the chicken breasts with salt and pepper and use cheddar cheese. It's fantastic over egg noodles... my husband regularly requests it!

Tasted really good but there was so much oil covering the chicken after it came out of the oven. We had to pour out at least 1/2 a cup of oil. But once we did that it tasted yummy!

It's exactly what it says. Good quick and easy! And it's something that most already have in the house. :o) Yummy!

I went against my better judgement and used fat-free dressing and really regretted it. Fat free is never good. The rest of the family didn't think it was too bad, but I thought it was awful. I don't know if I'll try this one again or notbut a bacon ranch dressing might be good, maybe if you used cheddar and topped it with tomatoes. But definitely don't use fat-free.

WhoooooooooHoooooooooo........a quick and easy winner!!!! I too am a single mother and this was the perfect meal...I served it with egg noodles and garlic bread...my daughter and her girlfriend gave it two thumbs up!

I can make something! - A college student

We cooked this on the grill (no oil) and it was SO GOOD. I used shredded mozzarella and cheddar and Kraft ranch dressing. Will definately try this in the oven to see the difference.

VERY good recipe. I have my own version of this recipe, and it is wonderful! All you will need in addition to this recipe is parm cheese, cheddar cheese, and bacon. No oil necessary. Here it is: 1. Coat the chicken breast, on both sides, in ranch dressing. 2. Also coat the chicken breast, on both sides, with shredded parmesan cheese, place in an ungreased dish. 3. Bake for 25 minutes on 350, preheated. 4. While chicken is baking, fry a few pieces of bacon. Set aside. 5. Remove chicken from oven and top with shredded cheddar, to your liking. I top it off completely. 6. Tear bacon into large pieces and place on top of chicken and cheese 7. Bake for an additional 10 minutes, until cheddar cheese is melted and lightly browned.

This is a quick an elegant recipe. I it to a church dinner and it disappeared.

It was okay, but I dont know if I would make this again.

My husband is a VERY picky eater and he gobbled it down despite the two mistakes I made with this recipe. 1)the lower fat dressings work better and 2)be careful not to cook longer than the time alotted as the dressing will break down. My sister also made this for her family and they loved it!

My daughter loved this recipe. I did misread the recipe and thought I was to add Cheddar cheese instead of mozzerella. She LOVES ranch dressing and eats on sandwiches, salads and of course chicken. I decided at the last minute to add in 1/4 cup BBQ. There wasn't any chicken left.

Whatever you do DO NOT use FAT FREE cheese! I accidentally picked up FF Cheddar, and didn't have anything else in the house with which to substitute. Even so, I gave this recipe 5 stars because my husband and I could definitely taste the potential. I also threw in a couple of TBLs of bacon bits to add an extra dimension of flavor-Yum! Thanks for this easy, tasty, FAST main course.

This is very good, although I changed it up a little after reading the reviews. I seasoned the chicken w/ garlic powder & pepper & then browned in a skillet a little. Then I used 1/2 Ranch dressing (from a bottle) & 1/2 sour cream. At the end, I topped w/ Cheddar cheese. My husband absolutely loved it & said he likes it better than any other chicken dish I've cooked.

Neccessity is the mother of invention!! Everyone in my family loved this. I was really tired and looking for somthing easy, and this was just the thing I needed to made a great easy meal. Thanks for the recipe!! (Leftovers also taste great:)

loved it

My husband and son loved this chicken! I used boneless skinless chicken piceces and it worked great. Next time I am going to prepare some rice in my rice cooker and spoon the chicken over the top because the recipe made so much gravy.

It was simple to make and pretty good.

This has a very nice appearance and good taste, except that it is too salty. I am going to try it again with a different brand dressing or adding some sour cream as part of the dressing. We all thought it was worth another try.

I marinaded the chicken in the rancg dressing for a few hours baked 20 mins topped with bacon and cheese and baked for 10 min....It was good but not fantastic

Kids like this too. Serve with rice. The juices are great poured over the rice.

This recipe was very quick and easy to make, and my husband really liked it. I marinated the chicken in the ranch about 20 minutes before putting it in the oven.

Very yummy and quick to throw together.

Made this with cheddar cheese, so simple, quick, cheap and perfect for kids!

Unfortunately, I found it very fattening. It was heavy on the tummy after eating it. I suggest reducing the cheese to half and adding seasonings; however, I will not make this again.

A very tasty surprise.

This is my first review and I love this recipe. My husband loves it also (and he's very fussy!) I first made the recipe as stated, but feel it deserves these changes: sprinkle the chicken breasts with garlic powder, salt and fresh ground black pepper and brown it first (as some other reviewers suggest.)And add 1/2 cup sour cream mixed with the ranch dressing. I feel it is very important to add the pine nuts for crunch!! Yummy !

If you love ranch, this is a very easy and yummy chicken recipe. You really have to love ranch and cheese though (as I do)..

Very easy and tasty

This was just as simple and tasty as promised! I used fat-free ranch dressing, and this did not seem to compromise the taste or tenderness. I served this with pasta, but I think I would like it best with herbed rice or rice pilaf. It is going to become a "company" dish because of its simplicity and excellent flavor - thanks!

This is simply wonderful and so easy to make. The whole family loved it!

Very good, quick & easy to make!

My 16 year old is really picky when it comes to chicken (preferring it breaded and deep fat fried over any other preparation). She begged me to add this to my recipe collection! It's easy to make, has a creamy sauce, and is great over noodles. We substituted cheddar for extra flavor.

I found the ranch a bit strong but other than that it was quite tasty. I will make it again when I have little time to prepare a meal cause it's so quick and easy!

This is a fairly good recipe, the chicken turned out very tender and juicy but the ranch dressing left a little flavor behind, my husband mixed the gravy/ drippings with pasta and he loved it.

Good recipe - my husband raved. In the baking pan there is a large amount of grease, but it's fine if you transfer the pieces of chicken to a serving dish before presenting to the table.

Pretty good! Added sour cream as someone suggested, yum. Only usesd 3 boneless breasts but still took longer cook time than said. Used co-jack cheese.

Great quick recipe! I was looking for an easy recipe for some chicken breasts and this was it. I did season the breasts with garlic salt, onion powder, and fresh ground pepper before adding the Ranch dressing. I only put enough dressing to lightly coat the breasts, no where near what was in the recipe. Cooked for 30 minutes, added the Mozzerella and some Sharp Cheddar until it looked like enough and let it melt. Husband and son both liked this recipe. I, the one who prefers dark meat chicken, actually ate two of the very juicy breasts...the first time I've ever actually finished a chicken breast in my 42 years!

Delicious! I followed a couple of reviewers' suggestions and added a couple dabs of sour cream to the mix, as well as a little rosemary and garlic powder. It turned out beautifully! A great way to get rid of ranch dressing you discover you don't like.

I added bacon bits and used a mixture of shredded feta, mozzarella, and provolone cheeses instead of just mozaarella. My husband and I both found it quite tasty, and it's so easy to make!

Good but uninspiring. This recipe works well when your pressed for time and ingrediants but we were all only so-so on this. I did add some minced green onion for color and taste. It IS good but I wasn't wowed either...

I sprayed the pan with pam instead of the oil. I used boneless skinless chicken breasts. Otherwise I followed the recipe exactly and added nothing. I've already made this twice because it is such an easy dinner. My hubby isn't a huge ranch fan and he wolfed it down both times. The ranch makes the chicken really tender and surprisingly it doesn't taste that strongly of ranch to me when it's done. What a quick great dinner idea!

I made this last night using cheddar vs. mozzerella. My 8 year-old daughter told me she was glad I was her mom because it was such a good dinner!!! Thanks - it was a great meal!!!!

My husband enjoyed this recipe a lot more than I did. Simple to make and tastes good, but slightly bland for me. I think next time I will take others' suggestions of coating with bread crumbs.

This was a pretty tasty recipe. I made a few changes ~ like a few other reviewers, I mixed half sour cream and half ranch dressing and then brushed it on the chicken. Before doing that I added some of my favorite spices to the chicken. Also, I didn't use olive oil and used Pam spray. I used cheddar cheese instead of mozzarella. Everyone in the family enjoyed it. I would have given it 4 stars but I thought the chicken was kind of dry. I will make this again, though.

Delicious! We needed a fast dinner following a recent high school graduation. I made this ahead and it re-heated in the microwave beautifully. I added strips of red bell peppers and served over white rice.

I really liked the recipe. I used chicken wings instead so the wings should be cooked about 20-25 mins before adding the Ranch dressing on top to ensure the wings are throughly cooked.

This was exceptional in taste. I would of never dreamed of using Ranch dressing and it added a nice zest to the chicken. Was quite tender as well.

I love ranch salad dressing, but I have to admit I was a little nervous about this recipe. Not any more! It was so delicious. Even my sister, who generally doesn't like chicken, enjoyed it. This is a wonderful recipe and one that I will make again and again.

This recipe is a must have..quck, simple, and very tasty. I changed the ingredients & cooking directions. I went ahead and used chicken breasts & threw them in a ziplock bag w/ ranch dressing. I marinated them for a good hour to an hour & a 1/2. I salt and peppered each side and put them on the barbecuer for a good 10-15 minutes per side. During the last few minutes I turned off the barbecuer & sprinkled the breasts w/ shredded mozzarella. They were outstanding and a huge hit! I will forever keep this recipe & can't wait to make them again!

Great dish! Put on lots of cheese and brown it. It make a great crust on the chicken. YUMMY!!!

this was amazing, we didn't find that the ranch was overpowering but just right. I'm not sure if I actually used the full 1 1/2 cups of ranch I just poured out of the bottle (didn't want to dirty a measuring cup) till i could cover the chicken. Before I added the cheese I also added some bacon which gave this a great flavour, and as I had some left over old cheddar I also added this to the recipe along with the mozza. The cheeses melted in the with ranch to make a nice thick sauce, we thoroughly enjoyed this recipe thanks so much!!