Skillet Chicken with Cheddar Ranch Sauce
This cheddar ranch chicken is an easy 30-minute dinner recipe! Tender and juicy boneless, skinless chicken breasts simmered in a super easy cheddar ranch sauce. Add your favorite veggie on the side and some bread to soak up that delicious sauce.
Sometimes you need some ranch, ya know? And today, I’ve got an easy way to satisfy that craving: chicken with cheddar ranch sauce!
You don’t need a bunch of ingredients to pull this one together. We’re using a packet of ranch seasoning and a few other ingredients to make the velvety sauce. If you love ranch, I think you’ll love this recipe.
Ingredients
- Boneless, skinless chicken breasts: I like to slice them in half lengthwise so they cook faster and more evenly.
- Ranch seasoning mix: All you need is a one-ounce packet.
- Chicken broth: Choose a brand that has a low-sodium option.
- Sour cream: This adds a bit of a tangy flavor and makes the sauce creamy.
- Heavy cream: You don’t need much, just a 1/4 cup.
- Shredded cheddar cheese
- Black pepper
- Olive oil
- Chopped parsley: You know me, I love a parsley garnish!
How to Make Cheddar Ranch Chicken
☑️ Brown the Chicken
Season the chicken with half the black pepper and half the ranch seasoning. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
Cook the chicken on both sides until it’s browned and cooked through. It will only take about eight minutes or so. Once cooked, remove them from the pan and set them aside.
☑️ Make the Sauce
Mix the rest of the pepper and ranch seasoning with the sour cream, heavy cream, and chicken broth. Pour the sauce into the same pan that you cooked the chicken.
Whisk the sauce as it warms, scraping up all the browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Whisk in the shredded cheese once the sauce is lightly simmering (not boiling). Whisk until the sauce is smooth.
The sauce should be thick enough to lightly coat a spoon. Simmer the sauce a few minutes longer to thicken it up if needed.
☑️ Simmer the Chicken
Place the cooked chicken breasts in the sauce. Spoon the sauce over the top and simmer the chicken for a few minutes or until warm.
Garnish with parsley for serving.
Recipe Tips
You can also use chicken tenderloins or boneless, skinless chicken thighs for this recipe. You will need to adjust the cooking time if you do. Tenderloins won’t take as long, and chicken thighs will take a few minutes longer.
Leftover ranch chicken will keep in the refrigerator for two to three days. I don’t recommend freezing the leftovers because the sauce won’t hold up well. It may separate when you reheat it from frozen.
I love that this dish goes with lots of sides. Try it with mashed potatoes, roasted potatoes, green beans, or roasted broccoli. Some garlic toast on the side makes it easy to soak up all the extra sauce.
More 30-Minute Chicken Dinners
Cheddar Ranch Chicken
Browned chicken breasts simmered in a cheddar ranch sauce is an easy 30-minute main dish. It pairs well with lots of side dishes, but I love it with some bread on the side to soak up all the sauce.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stove
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts sliced in half lengthwise
- 1 (1-ounce) packet ranch seasoning
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ cup sour cream
- ¾ cup low-sodium chicken broth
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- Chopped fresh parsley for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Season the chicken breasts with half of the ranch seasoning and black pepper.
- Place the remaining ranch seasoning and pepper in a small mixing bowl. Add the sour cream and stir to combine. Whisk in the chicken broth and cream.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken breasts and cook for three to four minutes. Turn them over and cook for three to four minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked (165°F internal temperature). Remove them from the pan and set aside.
- Pour the ranch sauce into the pan and adjust the heat to medium. Whisk the sauce while scraping up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Once the sauce is simmering hot (not boiling), whisk in the shredded cheese until it’s melted and the sauce is smooth.
- Place the cooked chicken in the sauce to warm it up. Spoon the sauce over the chicken as it warms. Garnish the chicken and sauce with the parsley for serving.
Notes
If you prefer a thicker sauce, simmer it for a few extra minutes until it reaches your desired consistency.
Store the leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for two to three days. The sauce may thicken as it chills, so add a splash of cream or chicken broth when you warm it up.
Nutrition
- Calories: 388
- Sugar: 1.4g
- Sodium: 924.4mg
- Fat: 24.4g
- Saturated Fat: 11.2g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2.5g
- Trans Fat: 0.6g
- Carbohydrates: 3.1g
- Fiber: 0.1g
- Protein: 33.8g
- Cholesterol: 136.1mg
The nutrition is an estimate only. It was calculated using Nutrifox, an online nutrition calculator.
More Recipe Ideas with Ranch
- Sheet Pan Chicken Bacon Ranch Quesadillas
- Ranch Pasta Salad
- Santa Fe Salad
- Homemade Buttermilk Ranch Dressing
I hope you try this ranch chicken recipe soon!
Happy cooking
This is so good! I love the sauce, it’s delicious. This came together really quickly but didn’t taste like it did, that is a nice feeling on a busy weeknight.