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Get It NowThis easy baked ranch chicken recipe is sure to become a family favorite. Chicken breasts are topped with homeamde ranch, mozzarella cheese, and crispy bacon. What’s not to love about that? And the best part is that this creamy ranch chicken needs just 4 common ingredients (that you probably have in your fridge) and takes minutes to prep. Win-win.
Ranch chicken recipes are definitely reader favorites here at Wholesome Yum (who doesn’t like a chicken bacon ranch or crack chicken?!), so this one fits right in. With such a popular flavor combo, the whole family is going to love this dish.
Why You’ll Love This Ranch Chicken Recipe
- Cheesy bacon ranch flavors
- Tender and juicy chicken
- Just 4 simple ingredients (plus salt and pepper)
- Fast 10 minute prep time
- Healthy, naturally low carb, and gluten-free
- Family-friendly and loved by all ages
Ingredients & Substitutions
This section explains how to choose the best ingredients for baked ranch chicken, what each one does in the recipe, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card below.
- Chicken – I use boneless skinless chicken breasts, but you can use chicken thighs if you like. You may need to adjust the cooking time depending on their thickness, and whether you use bone-in chicken thighs or boneless.
- Sea Salt & Black Pepper
- Ranch Dressing – This is the main component for flavor and makes the creamy ranch chicken sauce. I like to make my own homemade ranch dressing for the best flavor, but you can use store-bought as well. For an extra ranch flavor, sprinkle the chicken with homemade ranch seasoning mix or a store-bought packet.
- Fresh Mozzarella Cheese – The fresh variety gets perfectly melty, but you can also use low-moisture shredded mozzarella instead. Feel free to esperiment with other cheeses. Cheddar, parmesan, or Monterey Jack would also be delicious here.
- Cooked Bacon – My favorite way to cook bacon is in the oven, but you can cook bacon in the air fryer, on the stovetop, or make microwave bacon. It does need to be precooked to be crispy in the final dish. For a shortcut, use 6 tablespoons of store-bought bacon bits instead.
How To Make Ranch Chicken
This section shows how to make baked ranch chicken, with step-by-step photos and details about the technique, to help you visualize it. For full instructions, including amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card below.
- Season the chicken. Sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper. Place the chicken into a large baking dish or on a baking sheet.
- Add the ranch and cheese. Spread the ranch dressing over each chicken breast, then top each one with slices of fresh mozzarella.
- Bake covered. Cover the baking dish with foil, making sure that the foil is not touching the cheese. Bake the creamy ranch chicken recipe until it’s just slightly undercooked.
- Add bacon. Remove the foil. Sprinkle chopped bacon on top of the chicken. Bake until the chicken is cooked through.
- Rest and garnish. Let the chicken rest, then drizzle with more ranch and a sprinkle of parsley, if you like.
Tips For The Best Ranch Chicken
- Don’t crowd the baking dish. It’s okay if the pieces touch a little, but they shouldn’t be too crowded, or they’ll take too long to cook and can have dry spots.
- Delay adding the bacon, so that it doesn’t slide off. I tested this ranch chicken recipe with the bacon on there from the start, and much of it ended up off the chicken. You can definitely put it back on after if you want, but by adding it closer to the end of baking, it stays on better.
- Use a meat thermometer. For the juiciest results, use an instant read meat thermometer, or a probe thermometer (this will beep when it reaches the right temperature!). The chicken is done when it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F, or you can remove it from the oven at 162-165 degrees F, because the temperature will rise a few degrees when it rests.
- Don’t skip the resting step. This lets the juices settle inside the meat, so that they don’t leak out when you slice it.
Storage Instructions
- Store: Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.
- Meal prep: You can prep ahead for lunch by making the entire dish ahead of time and portioning into meal prep containers with your favorite healthy side dish. If you want to meal prep baked ranch chicken for dinner, make the ranch dressing and cook bacon in the oven, and keep them in the fridge. Assemble and bake right before serving.
- Reheat: This chicken stays pretty juicy even when reheated in the microwave, but it tastes even better if you reheat in a 350 degree F oven.
- Freeze: I don’t recommend freezing this dish, since the texture of the ranch will change.
What To Serve With Baked Ranch Chicken
This creamy ranch chicken feels like comfort food, so it goes well with starches, but it’s also very rich, so veggies and low carb side dishes are good ways to balance that out. Try it with:
- Noodles – Make your favorite pasta to soak up all that creamy sauce! For a healthier alternative, try zucchini noodles or spaghetti squash.
- Rice – Choose from white rice, brown rice, or cauliflower rice. Like noodles, these are great options to soak up the sauce.
- Roasted Veggies – You can make roasted brussels sprouts or roasted cauliflower in the oven at the same time as the ranch chicken, since the cook times are similar. (Just swap the positions of the pans halfway through, and take the veggies out a little earlier if needed.) If you’d rather roast your veggies separately, quicker options like roasted green beans with garlic or asparagus in the oven work well.
- Sauteed Veggies – Prepare sauteed broccoli or sauteed zucchini on the stovetop while cooking ranch chicken breast in the oven.
- Salads – If you have extra bacon, use it to top a classic wedge salad or crunchy broccoli salad with bacon.
More Cheesy Chicken Recipes
From gooey melted cheese toppings to creamy sauce, these chicken recipes will add a little something special to your dinner:
Tools For This Recipe
- Baking Dish – It heats evenly and is pretty, so you can take creamy ranch chicken straight from oven to table.
- Meat Thermometer – You can use an instant-read thermometer, or a probe thermometer (my fave) for less hassle.
Ranch Chicken Recipe (4 Ingredients!)
This easy, creamy baked ranch chicken recipe needs just 4 ingredients + 10 minutes prep! The whole family will love this flavor combination.
Instructions
Tap on the times in the instructions below to start a kitchen timer while you cook.
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Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (204 degrees C).
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Season both sides of the chicken breasts with salt and pepper.
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Place the chicken into a baking dish, so that the pieces are just barely touching, but not crowded. Spread 1 tablespoon ranch dressing over each chicken breast. Top each with 2 slices of fresh mozzarella.
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Cover the baking dish with foil, so that the foil is not touching the cheese. Bake for 20 minutes.
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Remove the foil. Sprinkle chopped bacon on top of the chicken. Bake, uncovered, for 10-15 more minutes, until chicken is cooked through.
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Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes before serving. Drizzle the remaining 2 tablespoons of ranch over the chicken.
Did You Like It?
Leave a rating to help other readers (this also helps me continue to provide free recipes on my site), or get the recipe sent to your inbox.
Recipe Notes
Serving size: 1 ranch chicken breast
Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see our nutrition policy.
© Copyright Maya Krampf for Wholesome Yum. Please DO NOT SCREENSHOT OR COPY/PASTE recipes to social media or websites. We’d LOVE for you to share a link with photo instead. 🙂
37 Comments
Deb P.
0We liked this very much. I had chicken thighs in the freezer so thawed and used them up. Will make this often.
Stephanie
0I made this for some friends last night, and everyone devoured it. The chicken was moist and perfectly cooked, and all that cheesy goodness — perfection!
Kerri
0My family absolutely loved this ranch chicken! Even my pickiest eater devoured it. I loved that it was only 4 ingredients and easy to make on a weeknight!
Elaine
0This recipe is so good! We have made it 3 times in the past month and so I thought I should leave a review. It’s delicious my kids love it, and I love it because of how easy it is. Definitely a recipe for the weekly dinner rotation.
Amy
0What an amazing flavor this had! Thank you so much for the recipe, I’ll be making this again for sure.
Cynthia
0The combination of ranch seasoning and chicken is always a winner. Made this lunch and the whole family enjoyed it. thanks so much!
Karen Atkinson
0Hi Maya,
Another terrific recipe!! My husband has become a true fan of Keto. I thought you might appreciate the fact that my Congo African Gray parrot, who gets a small portion of everything we eat has also become a huge fan and gobbles up all your recipes. She is a great talker and before you know it she will probably say “bring on the Keto”.
Brad
0Maya,
I don’t have a Stoneware Dish. Will a glass casserole dish work just as well or would i need to adjust the cook time and temp.?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Brad, A glass dish will also work.
Frances
0This recipe is so good. Cheese with lot’s of flavor. Best part is it’s quick and easy on those busy days.
Susan McKeon
0So easy & SO Delicious! My husband and son, also loved it.
Christine DeIasi
0Great Recipe. Quick and easy weeknight meal. I used shredded jack and cheddar and I felt it went great with the ranch and bacon. I only had bone-in chicken and it was so moist and delicious.
Susan
0Simply DELICIOUS!! The ranch dressing & foil makes this chicken SO moist and flavorful. Thanks Maya!
Joe
0This is a new favorite in my house I cut back on the cheese 2 slices were a little much thank you.
Mary
0Thank you for sharing. The recipe looks very delicious. I shall prepare this dish shortly once I have all the ingredients.
K wilson
0This was scrumptious! I made the homemade ranch dressing and it was easy and delicious. I used shredded mozzarella as didn’t have slices. Also added a little extra ranch on top of the raw chicken and after the chicken was cooked, I removed the pieces, added some pasta water and parmesan to the sauce left in the pan, stirred it up and mixed it with the pasta. I didn’t add extra ranch at the end as per the recipe. Next time might add some garlic to the pasta also. Keeper recipe!!
Elnora Harness
0this looked so good and the smell was wonderful, but when I served it the chicken was tough what did I do wrong? They were large breasts but all I could find, they were so large it took one for 2 people to get full I still have 3 left can they be frozen for next week? my star rating is for this one only taste is a 4 being able to eat 2 help me I am going to leave a 3 so sorry
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Elnora, Sorry this recipe didn’t turn out as expected. This recipe was developed using medium chicken breasts, they may have been lacking flavor using large. When using larger-sized breasts, I like to brine them first, which helps to tenderize the protein. The method I use for brining can be found in my tutorial on juicy baked chicken breast. I hope this helps!
Amanda G.
0Unfortunately, this recipe did not work out for me. The chicken was still raw, even after following cooking times, and the cheese slid off in the oven. Hoping I can get it right on my next try!
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Amanda, Sounds like you used larger chicken breasts for your meal. I used medium-sized breasts, which are about 5-6 ounces. If you used larger breasts, then you will need to increase the cook time.
A. Runnels
0This one didn’t work out for me. I was excited to try it but the chicken came out raw even following cooking times, and the cheese fell off during cooking.
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi A. Runnels, Sounds like you used larger chicken breasts for your meal. I used medium-sized breasts, which are about 5-6 ounces. If you used larger breasts, then you will need to increase the cook time.
Melody
0This recipe satisfies the whole family. No need to make something different if you are the only one low carbing.This chicken melts in your mouth. I would order it at a restaurant it’s so good. My family loved it. They said a few times,”mmm this is good.” That’s always nice to hear. Thanks Maya for easy quick dinners even those picky eaters may love.
ann
0Would this recipe work in a crock pot and could it be made with cut up cooked chicken leftovers?’
Looks amazing!
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Ann, I have not tried this in a crock pot. It may work, but you will probably want to reserve the mozzarella to add in the last hour or so of cooking. Please share how it turns out if you decide to try it!
Melody
0I made this for the first time tonight for my family. They really enjoyed it. I’m trying to transition all of us over into eating a keto type of diet. Your wisdom, recipes, and we have teaching is going to make that much easier. Thank you for the fantastic recipe.
Angel
0My whole family loves this didlsh. Even my mother, who dislikes chicken!
Jane
0This is the first recipe I’ve made from your website. It was fabulous! I look forward to telling you that again, and again, and again. I especially appreciated your side dish suggestions and how to handle leftovers.
Lynda Pedersen
0This was amazing!! Even hubby raved about it. I made mashed potatoes for him and your zucchini french fries for me as side dishes, along with a side salad. I did make your ranch dressing which was so good, will leave a separate review for that.
Judy Banas
0This recipe was easy to make, mouth-watering to look at and even better tasting. The ranch dressing was amazing.
Corrie
0This was delicious. Really easy to make. At the end I added more ranch, more cheese and some bacon and let it rest in the oven. A new staple in our house. My husband and I really enjoyed it.
I have gotten so many recipes from this site!
Robin Skulina
0This dish is AMAZING!! My husband loved it too. So easy to make and I shredded the leftovers into a tasty chicken salad.
DAwn
0This was very good. I highly recommend making the ranch from scratch. I used organic bottled ranch in a pinch and it was good, but the recipe for ranch is so much better. And don’t be shy with the salt and pepper on both sides. Will definitely make this again, but with smaller chicken breasts – I only had large.
Jen
0This was DELICIOUS!
wilhelmina
0This was an instant family favorite! So very delicious and easy to put together!
Sandi
0My kids love anything ranch and they absolutely loved this chicken.
Lauren Kleiman
0I love that this only has 4 ingredients, making this a perfect recipe for a busy weekday.