Name: Baked Crispy Ranch Chicken
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 55 min
Ingredients: 6 pieces chicken thighs and legs; 1 pkg dried ranch dressing; 1/8 c bread crumbs

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Crispy Chicken Goodness

Baked crispy ranch chicken is a nice change of pace from fried chicken that tastes absolutely amazing, and is incredibly easy to make. Baked chicken is a much much healthier alternative to fried chicken. The key to making baked chicken is to use a dried package of ranch dressing. This adds the flavor and keeps the chicken crispy as it bakes. My mother used to use salad dressing for many different recipes other than salads. Mom often did this because of the simplicity of adding all the spices from one little packet that made life a little easier when you were trying to handle four young children. Plus, it tasted really good and we all loved it.

Crispy ranch baked chicken

Mixing Crispy Ranch Chicken

When I make this crispy ranch chicken I like to use a paper or small produce bag, toss the seasoning into the bag with the breadcrumbs, and then add the chicken a few pieces at a time. Then I shake the heck out of the bag until every last morsel of each chicken is covered with the seasoning. It then gets placed on a rack on a baking sheet. This is so much easier than trying to dip the chicken in the seasoning from a dish. When you are done, just toss the soiled bag in the trash to keep clean up a snap.

This is a great dish to bake in a Dutch oven. Just make sure you place a rack between the chicken and the bottom of the Dutch oven so that the chicken sits on the bottom and does not stew in its own juices. To reach 400°, place about 19 coals on outside bottom of the oven and 10 on top of the lid and bake for specified time.

Baked chicken

To try this recipe in a Dutch oven, be sure to place a rack on the bottom of the oven. This will help to keep it crispy and keep it out of the fat to keep away from the chicken. Also, be sure you do not layer the chicken on top of each other. Use about 17 coals on top and 8 on the bottom for about 45 minutes. Cook until the juices run clear and the internal temp is at least 165° F.