Description
Creamy Ranch Chicken is a comforting and flavorful main dish featuring tender seared chicken breasts smothered in a rich ranch-infused cream sauce. Perfect for a wholesome family dinner, this recipe combines simple ingredients with a luscious sauce seasoned with garlic, onion, and Italian herbs.
Ingredients
Scale
Chicken
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (5–8 oz. each)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 3 tablespoons butter, divided
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon flour
- Fresh parsley, for garnish (optional)
Sauce
- 1 cup low sodium chicken broth
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/4 cup full-fat sour cream
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 (1 oz.) packet ranch seasoning mix
Instructions
- Prepare Chicken: Pound the chicken breasts to an even 1 inch thickness using a meat mallet or rolling pin. Season both sides generously with salt and pepper to taste.
- Sear Chicken: Heat 1 tablespoon of butter and olive oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Once hot, add the chicken breasts and cook until golden brown on each side, about 5 minutes per side. Remove chicken from the pan and set aside on a plate.
- Make Roux: Reduce heat to low. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in the pan. Stir in the flour and cook for about 1 minute, stirring constantly to form a roux without browning.
- Create Sauce Base: Gradually pour in the chicken broth while scraping up any browned bits stuck to the pan. Stir until combined.
- Add Dairy and Seasonings: Stir in the milk, sour cream, onion powder, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and ranch seasoning mix. Continue stirring until the sour cream and ranch mix fully dissolve into a creamy sauce.
- Simmer Chicken in Sauce: Return the seared chicken and any accumulated juices back to the pan. Spoon the sauce over the chicken and let it simmer gently until the chicken is heated through and the sauce thickens slightly, about 5-7 minutes.
- Serve: Plate the chicken and spoon extra sauce over top. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley if desired. Serve hot and enjoy!
Notes
- Use smaller chicken breasts (5–8 oz) for even cooking; if using larger breasts, cut two in half lengthwise to make four cutlets.
- Full-fat sour cream is preferred to prevent curdling and achieve a creamy texture.
- For extra flavor, add crispy bacon bits on top of the finished dish or stir them into the sauce.
- Ensure to scrape browned bits from the pan to boost the sauce’s flavor depth.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 chicken breast with sauce
- Calories: 450 kcal
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 600 mg
- Fat: 30 g
- Saturated Fat: 15 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 12 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 8 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 35 g
- Cholesterol: 110 mg
