Next Post
This post may contain affiliate links, please see our privacy policy for details.
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
Loved it! Got raving reviews from friends and heated up really well for leftovers throughout the week. I watched your Instagram video so I didn’t have trouble with the “tossing” directions and the chicken was PERFECTLY cooked for the first time in my life!
Hey Molly,
Happy Friday!! Thanks so much for trying this recipe, I love to hear that it turned out well for you! xx
Not my favorite. Cream cheese never melts or mixes in well unless I am not doing it right?. Onions didn’t soften as much as I would have liked so should have cooked them long. Bummed.
Hi Kim,
Thanks for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback, sorry to hear this was not enjoyed. What kind of cream cheese are you using? I would recommend a cream cheese block rather than the stuff in a container. I hope this helps! xT
My family really liked this over rive. Thanks!
Love to hear this Kate!! Thanks a lot for trying this recipe and your feedback! Happy Friday! xT
My 6 year old says “this is delicious!”
Took closer to 45 mins to cook all the way through with chopped up chicken. Will make again 🙂
Hey Leah,
Fantastic!! I love to hear that this recipe turned out well for you and appreciate you making it! Xx
I have made many, many of Tieghan’s recipes, but this one was the best so far. Absolutely delicious and quite easy to make. I used the optional pickled jalapeños which gave it a really nice mild heat. I also warmed the creamed cheese mixture so I could coat the chicken before adding the rest of the ingredients. Every plate at the table was cleaned right off. My 92 year old mother said it was a “do again”
Aww love to hear this Stuart!! Thanks a lot for making so many recipes and your feedback! Love that this was such a hit! xT
Hi! When you say toss the chicken in the cream cheese and spices , do you mean mix the cream cheese and spices together and then coat the chicken front and back? I’m just not sure I’m following that part . thank you!
Hi Ashley,
Sure, you could do that! I really just mixed everything in the baking dish with the chicken, nothing fancy:) I hope you love this dish! xT
So delicious! My husband and I both loved it! Thank you, Tieghan!
Hi Tammy,
Thanks so much for trying this dish and your feedback, so glad to hear that it turned out well for you! Xx
Several weeks ago you mentioned editing this part to “clear up any confusion”. People are definitely still confused.
“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.”
This was the best chicken I’ve ever eaten. As you say, the Salsa Verde was a special touch that made the dish. The only problem was the finished dish had quite a bit of extra liquid — it’s like the sauce broke, which we dumped out reconstituted with extra cream and Parmesan for an extra sauce topping. Next version to try is using this sauce is to make Enchiladas blanco con pollo. Yum.
Hey Will,
Love this!! Thanks a lot for trying this recipe and your feedback! So glad it was enjoyed:) Xx
Hi. Do you cut the chicken up or just leave the whole piece?
Hi Shelley,
I left my chicken whole for this recipe:) Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
Like, how is something THIS good. I’ve never tried anything less than delicious from you, Tieghan, but this one blew my mind! So dang easy, and so incredibly good. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t lick the plate lol. The whole family loved it. Sent link to all of my friends and told them to try immediately. Followed recipe exactly and it turned out PERFECT.
Aww, thank you so much for your kind message Kelley! I’m so glad to hear that this dish was so yummy for you! Thanks for making it! xT
Hello! I’m making this tonight! So excited. Just want to confirm you don’t salt the chicken or add salt to the ranch spice mixture? I usually salt my chicken a little. Maybe the salsa verde is salty? I don’t want to ruin it by adding salt. Also, I have trouble finding your salsa verde brand. Do you have a “second best” that you use? Thanks so much!
Hi Meredith,
You are going to salt and pepper the chicken in step 2:) I like Whole Foods 365 brand salsa verde. I hope this helps, please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
Hi
The ranch dressing is only mentioned in your description NOT IN THE RECIPE. Since always follow your recipes I must the that ingredient
However it was likedby my guests
Mike
Hi Mike,
Thanks for trying this recipe. The ranch part comes into play with all of the herbs…dried parsley, dried chives, dried dill, garlic powder, and paprika all make up the ranch seasoning. I didn’t actually use ranch dressing:) I hope this makes more sense! xx
Did you leave out the homemade Ranch seasoning spice mix in the recipe? You reference it in the description but not in the actual recipe. I made this last night. It was good but there was no hint of Ranch flavor and my sauce didn’t thicken. Just trying to figure out where it went wrong.
Hi Kimberly,
Thanks for trying this dish. You can follow the directions exactly as written…the dried parsley, chives, dill, garlic powder, and paprika all make up the ranch seasoning:) Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
I had to cook this a lot longer than what it said in order to get the chicken cooked through, maybe I just used too big pieces of chicken!
Looked so good I had to make it. It was delish!!
Thanks so much Denise!! Love to hear that this dish was enjoyed, I appreciate you making it:) xT