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Weeknight-easy and crowd-pleasing—this creamy ranch chicken bakes up with creamy ranch-seasoned chicken, a salsa verde kick, tender broccoli, and plenty of parmesan. Just mix, bake, and spoon everything over rice or potatoes for a cozy dinner with hardly any dishes. You’ll have the perfect dinner that can be enjoyed on busy weeknights.
The ranch seasoning is homemade (so much fresher), the sauce is rich with a touch of cream, and the leftovers are even better the next day.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- One dish, minimal prep, family-friendly flavor.
- Creamy, tangy ranch sauce with a little heat from salsa verde and jalapeños.
- Flexible: use chicken breasts or thighs and serve with rice, orzo, or potatoes.
Ingredient Notes
Chicken: Use either boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs here. Either one is great. My mom loves chicken breasts, but my brothers enjoy the thighs. I’ll usually use a mix of the two! Cut into even pieces for consistent bake.
Homemade ranch seasoning: Dried parsley, chives, dill, garlic powder, paprika.
Cream cheese + cream: Bring both to room temp so they fold in smoothly and reduce curdling risk.
Salsa verde: Tomatillo-based; choose mild or medium heat. A thicker, chunky style yields a richer sauce.
Pickled jalapeños: Add tangy heat; dice small to distribute.
Broccoli: Small florets cook through in the stated bake window; very large florets can stay firm.
Recipe Inspiration
I’m finally sharing one of our favorite dishes of the month: my baked ranch chicken recipe! This has become a favorite with my family, it’s just simple, delicious food. It’s not fancy, it’s not complicated, and it’s definitely not the prettiest dish in the world. But it sure is yummy!
This recipe began with my idea to create a dinner with my favorite homemade ranch seasoning mix. It’s sounded so yummy!
Growing up, ranch dressing was always my favorite. I often snacked on carrots and ranch dressing after school. It’s the yummiest!
The details
Coat the chicken well: Toss until every piece is evenly coated with softened cream cheese and ranch spices—no dry spots.
Now, toss the chicken with cream cheese and my homemade ranch seasoning spice mix. Then add dried parsley, dried chives, dried dill, garlic powder, and paprika. Toss well to really coat the chicken. Make sure the cream cheese is at room temperature or it will not mix easily.
Layer smart: Next, add the onion, then salsa verde, pickled jalapeños, and cream. Or try using canned coconut milk, yum. Mix in the parmesan, then arrange broccoli on top so it steams and stays bright.
The salsa verde is the secret here. It adds just the right amount of spice to the sauce. We love the flavor!
Bake to “just done”: And now you bake. In about 30 to 40 minutes, you’ll have perfectly cooked spicy ranch chicken and broccoli in a very deliciously creamy sauce.
Pull when chicken is opaque and tender and the sauce is bubbling around the edges.
Stir everything together before serving to coat the broccoli.
All you have to add is steamed rice. Orzo pasta would be really nice too. I also love serving this with my honey beer bread on the side.
Sauce texture: If sauce looks thinner than you’d like, let the pan rest a few minutes; it thickens as it stands. A handful of parmesan off-heat also adds body.
How are the leftovers?
They taste even better the following day. The flavors have time to mend, and the sauce is that much more intense. Just store in an airtight container.
You could even add some crispy bacon to the top. I’m sure that would be so great too!
Can I use frozen broccoli?
Yes, add it straight from frozen on top so it steams; expect a slightly softer texture and a bit more moisture in the sauce.
My sauce looks separated..what happened?
Cream sauces can split if boiled hard. Stir well after baking, let rest a couple minutes, and whisk in a small splash of cream to bring it back together.
Breasts or thighs—what’s best here?
Both work. Breasts are lean and slice neatly; thighs stay extra juicy and are more forgiving if slightly overbaked.
How spicy is this?
It depends on your salsa verde and jalapeños. Choose mild salsa and skip (or seed) the jalapeños for a gentler sauce; add more for extra heat.
Looking for other easy family dinners? Here are a few ideas:
Crockpot Buffalo Chicken and Broccoli
One Pot Buffalo Chicken “Helper”
Healthier Homemade One Pot Hamburger Helper
Broccoli Cheddar Chicken and Rice Casserole
One Pan Autumn Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole
Easy Southern Style Baked Mac and Cheese
Pumpkin Cheese Stuffed Pasta Bolognese Bake
One Skillet Cheesy Broccoli Cheddar Orzo Bake
Lastly, if you make this One Pan Creamy Parmesan Ranch Chicken, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And, of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
One Pan Creamy Parmesan Ranch Chicken
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 534 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds small boneless chicken breasts or thighs
- 4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley
- 1 tablespoon dried chives
- 2 teaspoons dried dill
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 1 cup salsa verde
- 2 tablespoons pickled jalapeños (optional)
- 1 cup heavy cream, or canned coconut milk
- 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons cold, salted butter, sliced
- 3 cups chopped broccoli
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.2. In a baking dish, toss together the chicken, cream cheese, parsley, chives, dill, garlic powder, and paprika. Season well with salt and pepper. 3. To the chicken, add the onion, then pour over the salsa verde, jalapeños, and cream/milk. Add 1/2 cup parmesan. Stir until creamy and well-mixed. Arrange the butter, then broccoli on top. Bake for 30-40 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. Gently stir to combine. Top with 1/2 cup parmesan. 4. Serve the chicken and sauce over steamed rice or orzo for a complete meal. Enjoy!
This post was originally published on February 21, 2024
Great recipe. It was a bit soupy. Maybe I added too much coconut milk. But still good and so so easy. I didn’t know it had ranch seasoning in it til I was reading thru the commentary before the actual recipe. You might want to edit the recipe to include it! But it was still very flavorful. I’ll definitely have it again with the added ranch seasoning!!
After reading thru all the comments I realize that all the spices make up the ranch seasoning! Also, if left uncovered it might not be so soupy. I covered mine to bake.
Hi Kimm,
Thanks so much for making this dish and sharing your feedback!! This is nothing to edit, the ranch seasoning is all of the herbs already included in the recipe:) So glad to hear it was enjoyed! xT
We thought this was delicious, although I did change up the directions pretty completely. Like a previous reviewer, I thought chicken chunks would better, and instead of mixing the ingredients in the baking dish, which I find to be awkward (especially with something like softened cream cheese, which doesn’t mix easily), I just combined everything in a bowl and poured it into the dish ready to bake, except for putting the broccoli on top (which did cook well, contrary to my concerns about that). The final result seemed a bit too liquid-y, but in the end was perfect when served on rice. Definitely one I’ll be making again with my modifications!
Hi Helen,
That’s awesome! I’m so glad you were able to make adjustments to your liking and love to hear that this dish was enjoyed! Thanks for making it! xT
Made this last night, I was a bit confused about what I was supposed to do with the raw chicken, so I cut it into big bite-size pieces, which was so much nicer than leaving it whole IMO. I will add more jalapenos next time, and probably look for the diced ones if available, so there is more in each bite. We loved it! So this is another one of your super easy and full-flavor recipes we will have on rotation. I will also add all of the broccoli, I don’t think I added it all, and next time I will, I forgot they would shrink up. Thanks for another tasty recipe! My leftovers for lunch today were AWESOME!
Hey Michelle,
Fantastic!! Love to hear that this dish was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it and sharing what worked well for you! xT
This was amazing and even better the next day! My Hubs went back for seconds. This is definitely a keeper! Will be making this again and again.
Love to hear this Jennifer! Thanks so much for making this recipe and your comment! xT
Can’t wait to try this one! Do you think I can do this in the crock pot??
Hey Heather,
Sure, I don’t see why not! Let me know if you give this dish a try, I hope you love it! xT
Made this tonight after seeing it on insta – the whole fam LOVED it! Was surprised at the mix of spices and how well the flavor turned out. Will definitely be adding it to the regular rotation!
Thanks so much Melly! Love to hear this dish turned out well for you:) Have a great week! xx
After reading the comments I cut my chicken into bit size pieces. It wasn’t cooked after 40 min. I upped the temp to 425 and added more time. It smells delicious though.
Thanks for trying this recipe Laura! Sorry to hear your chicken took longer than expected to cook. I hope it turned out well! xx
Can you use fresh herbs for this instead of dried?
Of course, that will work well for you!!
I am making this tonight for Sunday dinner! Staple ingredients in my kitchen so no grocery run. Looks delish & can’t wait !
Love to hear this Becky!! I hope you love this dish! xT
This is delicious!
Thanks so much Karen!!
Nice switch up as my husband and I have been cooking a lot of Asian dishes as well. I substituted the salsa verde with 505 green chili because I had an opened jar in the fridge. I also added bacon that I cooked separately in the oven. When I make this again I would only use half an onion. I love onion but it overpowered in my final dish.
Hi Nikki,
Awesome! So glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe, thanks for making it:) xT
You talk about the homemade ranch mix in the steps, but it is not in the recipe. Could you clarify the amount? Is it in addition to the other spices?
Hi Cindy,
The homemade ranch is the mix of all of the seasonings/herbs…the dried parsley, chives, dill, garlic powder, and paprika all make up the ranch seasoning:) You can follow the recipe exactly as written. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
Does anyone else have a hard time with the one pan recipes time being correct? Everytime I’ve cooked a pan recipe like this from HBH, my meat is pretty raw at the end. The meat is thawed and the oven has preheated. Either the timing is off or I need a new oven.
Yes, I just made this recipe and my chicken was raw!! To get the chicken cooked, my broccoli burned. Very difficult to toss chicken with room temp cream cheese.
Hi Cara,
So sorry to hear you are having issues with the one pan recipes. Any chance you are just using much larger pieces of chicken than I am? Let me know how I can help! xx
I had really thick chicken breast so I threw them in the oven while I prepped everything else to get them a head start.
I plan to make tonight! I’m tight on time; can I do this in instaPot? If so, what instructions would you recommend?
Hi Haley,
Sure! I would do 8 minutes high pressure and add the cream cheese after cooking. I hope you love this dish! xx
No, mine was perfect baked. I think I did 30 min and was completely cooked. And I didn’t cut up my thighs.
Covered? Or uncovered?
Hi Leah,
You can bake this uncovered. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
Made this last night and it was delicious and very easy! I had people over for dinner, it was my first time making it, and it was a huge hit! I would definitely make it again and probably add more jalapeños just because my family likes heat.
Hey Leslie,
Happy Sunday! I am thrilled to hear this dish turned out well for you, thanks a lot for trying it out! Xx