Kittencal's Ranch-Parmesan Chicken

Well, the use of ranch dip continues. I did a search on food.com the other day for recipes that use ranch dressing and found this delicious chicken dish. Let tell you, anytime you dip something in ranch and/or breading it's gonna be good. This recipe required both. It. was. phenomenal.

Kittencal's Ranch-Parmesan Chicken
From: food.com

Ingredients:
6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 cup dry breadcrumbs (even better, use panko breadcrumbs)
¼-1⁄3; cup parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon seasoning salt
½-1 teaspoon ground black pepper
½-1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 cup prepared ranch salad dressing (use bottled salad dressing, you might need a bit more dressing)
¼ cup melted butter (no substitutes)

Directions:
Set oven to 400° degrees (set oven rack to lowest position).

Lightly grease a 13 x 9-inch baking dish.

In a shallow bowl mix together the dry breadcrumbs with Parmesan cheese, seasoned salt, black pepper and garlic powder.

Dip the chicken into the ranch dressing to coat both sides (allow any excess to drip off).

Coat in the breadcrumb mixture.

Place in a single layer onto a greased baking sheet or line with non-stick foil (do NOT bake in a smaller baking dish or the bottom of the chicken will be soggy).

Lightly drizzle the melted butter over each breast (for low-fat option omit the butter or use a diet alternative).

If desired you can sprinkle black pepper over the chicken pieces .

Bake uncovered for about 30-35 minutes or until the chicken is cooked).



The Result:
Fan-freakin'-tastic! I ended up using some whole wheat, homemade breadcrumbs with a wee bit of flax meal mixed in. I wanted to make them slightly more healthful to ease my guilty conscience. My kids LOVED this chicken. All three of them had second helpings, which is pretty darn amazing. My son is a notoriously difficult eater these days, so getting him to finish anything on his plate is nothing short of amazing. I didn't have to prod or nag to get him to polish his entire dinner off and ask for more. I was a happy mommy!

Blue Cheese (or Ranch) Bacon "Hotburgers"

So, I have a TON of leftover blue cheese and ranch chicken wing dips. What is a mother to do with all the extra, creamy goodness??? Why, incorporate them into the meal plan, of course. I spread my dip(s) over some burgers with a slice of bacon each, and viola...a new burger was born.

My family is divided into blue cheese lovers (me) and non blue cheese lovers (everyone else). Actually, the baby girls seem to be on the fence about blue cheese because they are still so young. I still have time to sway them over to my side, hopefully. Anyway, I used blue cheese dip for mine and the girls and then used the ranch dip for the boys at my table. Everyone was happy with their burgers and it was declared that these were some of the tastiest burgers we have ever consumed. I'll agree...they were awesome!

I put these burgers together and split them in half and served them on hotdog buns. Why, you ask???? Well, I didn't have hamburger buns. (Hey, we had hot dog buns and I wasn't going to make a special trip to the store just for a different-shaped bread item. They taste the same, I tell ya!!!) My son was complaining about the lack of actual hamburger buns, so I took my friend Claire's suggestion and started calling them "hotburgers". Thanks to the clever re-branding scheme, he didn't seem to mind having hamburgers on hot dog buns after that. Tee-hee!

Blue Cheese (or Ranch) Bacon "Hotburgers"

Ingredients:
1 pound of ground beef
2 teaspoon of olive oil
1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard
salt and pepper to taste
5 slices of bacon
1-2 teaspoons of bacon grease
hotdog buns (or hamburger buns, if you want to be boring)(just kidding)
blue cheese or ranch dip(s), your choice (see previous post for recipe)

Directions:
In a mixing bowl, combine beef, Dijon mustard, olive oil, salt and pepper with a fork. Just mix enough to combine the ingredients, but try not to over-mix or handle too much. Divide mixture into 4 balls and form into patties. Set aside.

In a non-stick skillet, fry bacon over medium heat until crisp. Remove to paper towels to drain. Discard most of bacon grease, but leave some in the pan to help cook the burgers. Fry burgers, for about 4 minutes on each side or until cooked medium rare in the middle.

Slather either the blue cheese dip or the ranch dip on both sides of your bun (either hot dog bun or hamburger buns), depending on your preference. If using hot dog buns, cut burger patty in half and arrange meat on the hot dog bun lengthwise. Top with a slice of bacon, close the bun and serve!

(Obviously, if you are using a regular hamburger bun just prepare as you would a normal hamburger & toppings.)

The Result:
These are our new favorite burgers. I must confess, I tried both varieties and did prefer the blue cheese over the ranch. I suggest you try both and see which one your family likes best!

BBQ Ranch Chicken Tostadas with Avocado Corn Salsa

I am a little brain-dead this morning, so I think I will just post this recipe and leave it at that. My baby girls have been battling teething and sinus infections, so it has been a little hectic at my house. Hopefully, they will feel better soon. In the meantime, here is our dinner from two night's ago...this was DELICIOUS!

BBQ Ranch Chicken Tostadas with Avocado Corn Salsa
Adapted From: the Meal Planning 101 blog (originally adapted from Kraft What's Cooking Summer '10)

Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or 4 cups cooked shredded chicken)
1/2 cup BBQ Sauce
8 whole wheat tortillas
1 tsp taco seasoning
fresh baby spinach
1 cup cheddar or jack cheese, shredded
3 tbsp ranch dressing
1 tsp chipotle adobo sauce (or BBQ sauce for a less spicy version)
cooking spray

Avocado Corn Salsa:
1 cup frozen corn, thawed
1 medium tomato, diced
1 avocado, diced
1/4 cup green onion, chopped
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1 tbsp lime juice
salt and pepper
1 tsp taco seasoning
1 (14.5 oz.) can of drained black beans (optional)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place chicken in 9x13 baking dish and season with salt and pepper and pour over BBQ sauce. Bake for 25 minutes, then shred. This can be done one or two days beforehand. Alternatively, you could use leftover shredded chicken heated up with BBQ sauce mixed in.

Take your wheat tortillas and place on a baking sheet. Spray both sides with cooking spray and spread on with a pastry brush. To give the tostadas added flavor, sprinkle with a little bit of taco seasoning. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes, turning halfway through until the tortillas are golden brown and crispy.

While the tostadas are baking make the avocado corn salsa by mixing together all salsa ingredients.

Make the sauce by mixing together the ranch dressing and chipotle adobo sauce.

To serve, put a tostada shell on the plate and top with shredded chicken, shredded cheese, spinach and some avocado corn salsa. Drizzle over BBQ ranch sauce for added flavor.



The Result:
This recipe is probably my favorite variation on tostadas that I have had, so far. We really loved them!!! I just loved the combo of flavors, and the avocado corn salsa was awesome.

Jen's Baked Buffalo Chicken Tenders with Ranch Dipping Sauce & Beth's Broccoli Slaw

I love Friday! It is all about the promise of a fun weekend that I look forward to with child-like enthusiasm. Also, I really look forward to having the husband home for a couple days. Since Friday night is typically fun, I like to serve something for dinner that reflects the mood. I think Buffalo Chicken Tenders does just that. After all, it is a fun dish and not too much of a hassle to make. Hooray for Friday!

Jen's Baked Buffalo Chicken Tenders with Ranch Dipping Sauce

I think I will serve this dish with my friend, Beth's Broccoli Slaw recipe. Yum!!!

Beth's Broccoli Slaw

Both dishes are Friday night winners, for sure.

Jen's Baked Buffalo Chicken Tenders

We have been really busy this weekend with errands and chores. I am going to keep this post short and sweet, so I can get back to work. Originally, I had a new recipe planned, but it got bumped back because I needed something easy and familiar for tonight's meal. The last thing I want to do after cleaning the house and doing laundry all day, is prepare a complicated dinner!

This is a variation on my recipe for Baked Buffalo Chicken Legs. I am all out of legs, so I am going to amend my original recipe to just use some chicken tenders instead. I think we are just going to have some roasted asparagus and baked tater tots to go our chicken. Overall, this is an easy dish to put together, and it is always a crowd-pleaser.

Jen's Baked Buffalo Chicken Tenders

Ingredients:
Cooking Spray
2 packages of chicken tenders (approx. 16 pieces)
1 cup of seasoned bread crumbs
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon parsley flakes
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 egg, beaten
2 Tablespoon of milk
Salt and pepper to taste
3 Tablespoons of melted butter
1/2 to 3/4 cup of Louisiana Hot Sauce (mix with Tapito Hot Sauce for extra spicy)

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place 1-2 cookie/cooling rack(s) on cookie sheet and spray rack(s) with cooking spray. Set aside.
2) Combine breadcrumbs, onion power, garlic powder, paprika, parsley flakes, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper into a bowl.
3) In a separate small bowl beat eggs with milk.
4) Dip chicken pieces separately into egg mixture, then dredge into breadcrumb mixture, coating thoroughly. Repeat process so each piece is double coated. Set breadcrumb coated chicken aside on cookie sheet racks. Spray pieces with small amount of cooking spray.
5) Bake chicken for 30-40 minutes at 400 degrees (or until chicken is no longer pink in center).
6) While chicken is baking combine melted butter with hot sauce into a large bowl.
7) Once chicken is finished, dip each chicken piece into hot sauce mixture and coat thoroughly. Repeat with all chicken piece.
8) Serve immediately with ranch dressing or blue cheese dressing for dipping.



The Result:
This was the first time I tried this recipe with chicken tenders, and it came out just as good as the original! It was so yummy! I would totally make this version again. Another first this time, was that I made my own ranch dipping sauce (recipe below). Again, the ranch dip came out perfectly...thick and creamy with the right amount of ranch tanginess. Yum, yum, yum!

Ranch Dipping Sauce

Ingredients:
1/4 cup of mayo
1/2 cup of sour cream
1/2 package of dry ranch seasoning
splash of milk
small pinch of salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Mix all ingredients in a small bowl. Let stand for 30 minutes in the fridge so it may thicken to proper consistency.

Jen A.'s Slow Cooker Creamy Ranch Chicken

This recipe was emailed to me by my friend Jen A., and I have been waiting to try it for a couple weeks. For one reason or another, this recipe kept getting pushed back. It seems I always had something that needed to be used up right away...some perishable ingredient on the brink of "ick". Every time I planned this dish, and then had to push it back, it made me really sad. I have been looking forward to trying this recipe, since both Jen and Claire have made it, and gave it glowing reviews. I would see it come up on my menu plan, and then when I had to switch it out for something else, I realized that it would not come up again until the following week's menu plan. Ugh. Well, now the cream cheese for this dish is in the "I need to use it right away" category. The expiration date is looming, and I finally have a reason not to push it back again. Really, I am relieved. Also, we all know how much I L-O-V-E my slow cooker. The husband and I are cleaning our carpets today, so it is the perfect occasion to use the slow cooker. Dinner can do it's thing, while we attend to our chores. I think I will serve this over egg noodles and maybe make some steamed broccoli to go with it. I am very, very excited to try this recipe.

Jen's Slow Cooker Creamy Ranch Chicken

Ingredients:
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 Tbs butter, melted
1 can cream of chicken soup
8 oz cream cheese, cubed
1/2 c chicken broth
1 (1oz)packet ranch dressing mix
1/4 tsp minced garlic
1 dash paprika
1/8 tsp dry oregano
1/4 tsp dry parsley flakes
egg noodles or rice, for serving
broccoli (optional)

Directions:
Wash and dry chicken breasts and place them evenly in crock pot. Sprinkle with paprika. Sprinkle ranch salad dressing mix over chicken. Drizzle chicken breasts with 1 tablespoons melted butter. Cover and cook on low for 4 hours.

Melt remaining 1 tablespoon butter with minced garlic and saute slightly. Add cream of chicken soup,cream cheese cubes, 1/2 c chicken broth, dried oregano and dried Parsley flakes. Stir on med til smooth. Add mixture to crock pot, cover again and continue to cook on low for 1 1/2-2 hours. Serve over rice or noodles with broccoli.



The Result:
This was really good. I had the usual issue with my chicken drying out in the slow cooker, but the flavors were yummy. I attribute my dry chicken to my weird, super-fast slow cooker...and the fact that I forgot to adjust down the cooking time. The sauce was creamy, rich, and comforting. This dish reminds me of one of my favorite chicken casserole recipes.
This went really well with the egg noodles and steamed broccoli. The original recipe does not mention broccoli, but I had to add a vegetable. I have guilt if I don't serve something somewhat green and/or healthy during a meal.