Baked Ranch Chicken and Potatoes
This one-pan-meal is perfect when you want something easy and the whole family will love. Baked Ranch Chicken and Potatoes will become a guaranteed favorite!
1/9/2025 Updated post with new images and revised recipe card.
What You’ll Love About Baked Ranch Chicken and Potatoes:
- Simple dump-and bake meal
- Delicious ranch flavor and bacon
- Basic, everyday ingredients
- Family favorite dinner
One-pan-meals are my absolute favorite during the weekdays. I’m usually tired after a day of work and the last thing I want to do is a bunch of dishes after cooking.
This Baked Ranch Chicken and Potatoes meal is always a lifesaver I know my family loves, so it’s an sale for everyone!
Not only is this recipe super delicious, it’s ridiculously easy to throw together. I have this down to nearly 10-minutes of prep. The ingredients are minimal and I usually have everything I need on hand.
I layer sliced onions, then potatoes, chicken pieces, a little bacon, and a super easy ranch sauce that makes this dish so flavorful. Top with a little cheese and green onions to finish, yum!
This chicken and potatoes is comforting and perfect for a cozy night in. Serve with a simple green salad and you’re all set!
You might also enjoy my Crispy Parmesan Chicken Sheet Pan Meal, another one-pan dinner that’s insanely easy to make, or my Dump and Bake Caprese Chicken Casserole. A fresh and light dish, especially made for picky eaters.
Simple Ingredients:
- Onions- The onions are key to offering the whole dish a savory, slightly sweet flavor.
- Potatoes- I like to use russet potatoes or gold potatoes for this recipe without the peel.
- Ranch sauce- Half and half, sour cream, ranch seasoning mix, paprika, salt and pepper.
- Chicken- I use medium size boneless skinless chicken breast.
- Bacon- There are only two slices of bacon for this entire dish but it adds a wonderful smoky flavor. You can use regular pork bacon or turkey bacon.
- Seasonings- Paprika, salt and pepper
- Butter- The butter will add additional flavor as the chicken and potatoes cook.
- Toppings- Cheddar cheese and green onions
Substitutions:
- Ranch- For convenience, you can add prepared ranch dressing to the half and half to create the ranch sauce. Don’t forget to season with paprika, salt and pepper.
- Chicken- If you prefer dark meat you can swap out the chicken breasts for boneless, skinless chicken thighs.
- Seasonings & dried herbs- Add in other seasonings like garlic powder, onion powder, all-purpose seasoning blend, or use dried herbs like thyme, oregano, or Italian seasoning.
How To Make Baked Ranch Chicken and Potatoes:
See full instructions in recipe card below
Step One. Preheat oven to 350℉ and spray a large baking dish with non-stick spray, then prepare ranch sauce. Combine half and half, sour cream, ranch seasoning, paprika, salt and pepper.
Step Two. Layer onions and potatoes. In an even layer spread out onions in the bottom of prepared baking dish. Add potatoes and season with salt and pepper. Drizzle half the ranch sauce over the potatoes. Do not stir anything together.
Step Three. Place chicken breasts on top of the potatoes and season with salt and pepper. Drizzle the remaining sauce over the chicken then dot with butter and bacon pieces.
Step Four. Cover baking dish tightly with foil and place in the oven for 1-hour. Remove the foil and turn the broiler to high. Broil the top for 5 minutes or until golden and bacon is crisp. Remove baking dish from the oven and turn off the heat. Sprinkle cheese over the top of chicken and potatoes and place back in the oven for 10-minutes to melt the cheese. Top with green onions and serve.
Tips:
- 💡Make sure to cut potatoes in bite size pieces. To ensure the potatoes cook evenly and become fork tender, cut in bite size pieces and make sure they are not too big.
- 💡Chicken pieces. Choose medium size chicken breast, about 1/2 inch thick, or slice in half if they are too thick. This will also ensure even cooking time.
Common Questions:
If your potatoes need more cooking time, transfer chicken to a plate and cover with foil. Place potatoes back in the oven covered with foil and cook until fork tender. Add the chicken back to the pan and proceed with the recipe instructions.
It is not recommended to cut the chicken in smaller pieces. The potatoes need a full hour and if the chicken is bite size it will be overcooked and dry.
Yes! Prep all the ingredients and layer in your prepared baking dish. You can place in the refrigerator covered and unbaked up to 8 hours in advance. When ready to bake allow to set out on the counter for 30-minutes before placing in the oven to bake. Keep note you may need to bake it longer.
No. Freezing the chicken and potatoes for this recipe will drastically change the texture. The potatoes will be watery and the chicken won’t have the same tenderness as if freshly baked.
Other Recipes You Might Enjoy:
- French Onion Potatoes
- Dump-and-Bake Pork Chops and Rice
- Sunday Chicken Casserole
- One-Pan Lemony Chicken and Rice
- Creamy and Cheesy Broccoli Rice Casserole
- Chicken Noodle Casserole
Baked Ranch Chicken and Potatoes
Equipment
- 1 9×13-inch baking dish
Ingredients
Chicken and Potatoes:
- 1 small yellow onion cut in slices
- 3-4 russet potatoes, peeled and cut in 1-inch pieces (about 3 1/2 cups)
- 3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breast, or 4-5 small boneless chicken thighs, fat trimmed
- 2 slices uncooked bacon cut in small pieces
- 1 tbsp butter
- 3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 2 green onions, sliced
- salt and pepper to taste
- paprika to taste
Ranch Sauce:
- 1/4 cup half & half or heavy cream
- 1 tbsp sour cream
- 2 tsp ranch seasoning mix
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°F and spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with non-stick spray.
- Combine all the ranch sauce ingredients in a small bowl and set aside. 1/4 cup half and half, 1 tbsp sour cream, 2 tsp ranch seasoning mix, 1/2 tsp paprika, 1/2 tsp kosher salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper.
- Scatter 1 small sliced onion in the bottom of prepared baking dish. Top with 3 1/2 cups small diced potatoes. Season the potatoes with salt and pepper, about 1/2 tsp each. Do not stir potatoes. Drizzle half of the prepared ranch sauce over the potatoes.
- Place 3-4 chicken breasts on top of the potatoes, pushing the chicken down into the potatoes and onions as best you can. Lightly season the top of each chicken piece with salt, pepper, and paprika. Drizzle the remaining sauce over the chicken, then dot the top of the chicken and potatoes with 1 tbsp butter and bacon pieces.
- Cover baking dish tightly with foil and place in the oven for 1-hour. Remove the foil and turn on the broiler to high. Broil a few inches from the heat source, about 4-5 minutes or until golden and bacon is crisp.
- Remove baking dish from the oven and turn off the heat. Sprinkle 3/4 cup cheese evenly over the top of chicken and potatoes, then place back in the oven for 10-minutes with the oven off to melt the cheese. Top with green onions and serve.
Notes
- Make sure to cut potatoes in bite size pieces. To ensure the potatoes cook evenly and become fork tender, cut in bite size pieces and make sure they are not too big.
- Chicken pieces. Choose medium size chicken breast, about 1/2 inch thick, or slice in half if they are too thick. This will also ensure even cooking time.
- Ranch- For convenience, you can add prepared ranch dressing to the half and half to create the ranch sauce. Don’t forget to season with paprika, salt and pepper.
- Chicken- If you prefer dark meat you can swap out the chicken breasts for boneless, skinless chicken thighs.
- Seasonings & dried herbs- Add in other seasonings like garlic powder, onion powder, all-purpose seasoning blend, or use dried herbs like thyme, oregano, or Italian seasoning.
Nutrition
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I am excited to make this and go less carb. My changes will be- cauliflower for potatoes, turkey bacon for the bacon, Greek yogurt for sour cream, and almond milk for heavy cream. I will keep you posted on how it goes😃
I’m excited to hear how the changes go!
Do you cook the bacon first and then cut it into pieces or do you use uncooked bacon?
Hi Lala! The bacon is uncooked. I revised the instructions to make it more clear.😊 I hope you enjoy the recipe! You’ll have to let me know what you think.
This was easy and delicious! The whole family loved it!
Thank you Elie for the review! Glad you and the family enjoyed it.
I did not have any having whipping cream on hand nor did I have sour cream. So I substituted regular milk for the whipping cream and mayonnaise for the sour cream. And it turned out great.
That’s great! Thank you for sharing your changes for others that might need options!