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Home » Course » Main Dishes

Main Dishes

Creamy Ranch Chicken

Published: September 25, 2022   |   Updated: April 24, 2023   |   174 Comments

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4.8 from 44 reviews
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This creamy ranch chicken recipe is comforting and delicious with juicy pan-seared chicken breasts in a zesty and flavorful cream sauce. Serve it with some mashed potatoes, rice, or egg noodles to soak up all that rich gravy.

Creamy ranch chicken in a stainless steel skillet smothered in sauce and topped with chopped fresh parsley.

Today we’re making some creamy ranch chicken that’s an easy skillet meal with simple ingredients but incredible flavor. Ranch seasoning is the star of the show and elevates the humble chicken breast giving you savory comfort food with a ton of sauce to go around. Spoon it over mashed potatoes, serve it on a bed of white rice, or ladle it generously over a bowl of warm buttered egg noodles.

It’s a simple, must-try recipe if you’re looking for a way to dress up plain chicken. The chicken is seasoned and pan-seared in some butter until crisp and golden. A creamy ranch sauce is made from a combination of chicken broth, milk, ranch, sour cream, onion and garlic powder, and Italian seasoning. Serve this at the dinner table for a ranch-flavored meal the whole family will enjoy, like this well-loved bacon ranch pasta salad.

For more chicken recipes with a delicious sauce, try this chicken Lazone, creamy mushroom chicken, honey garlic chicken, or slow cooker chicken and gravy.

How To Make Creamy Ranch Chicken (1 Min Video)

Ingredients in Creamy Ranch Chicken

Ingredients to make creamy ranch chicken in prep bowls.

CREAMY RANCH CHICKEN RECIPE TIPS

  • Chicken – Pound the chicken breasts to an even thickness so it cooks evenly. A mounded center usually means the ends will be drier by the time the thicker part finishes cooking. You can use a meat mallet and place the chicken breasts between some plastic wrap, parchment paper, or in a Ziploc bag.
  • Two-hand seasoning method – The easiest way to minimize hand washing while seasoning meat is to use the dry and wet hand method. Use your dominant hand to sprinkle seasoning onto the meat and use your other hand to pat in seasonings and flip the chicken.
  • Seasoning – Work the salt and pepper into the chicken breasts by massaging them in.
Two side by side preparation shots of how to make creamy ranch chicken.
Four preparation shots of how to make creamy ranch chicken.
  • Butter – I like using Land O Lakes butter. The half sticks are perfect for slicing off into cubes and they come with measurements by the tablespoon or cup written onto the packaging so you can skip measuring spoonfuls of butter.
  • Flour – This helps thicken the sauce. After adding it to the melted butter, the mixture will bubble a little while cooking.
  • Chicken broth – Use low-sodium chicken broth since there’s already enough sodium from the ranch seasoning packet.
Creamy ranch chicken in a stainless steel skillet smothered in sauce and topped with chopped fresh parsley.
  • Sour cream – This adds more flavor and thickens the sauce a little. I used 1/4 cup of sour cream to balance out the flavors so it tastes more like ranch dressing than sour cream. If you prefer a stronger sour cream flavor, feel free to increase this amount to about 1/2 cup. Use full-fat sour cream so it doesn’t curdle in the sauce.
  • Ranch dip seasoning mix – I used one (1 oz.) packet of Hidden Valley Ranch dry seasoning. If you’re uncomfortable with the amount of sodium, try using half a packet of ranch seasoning instead. You might also be able to substitute the dry mix with regular ranch dressing from the bottle but I have not personally tested this.
Creamy ranch chicken on a white plate over mashed potatoes and a side of green beans.
  • Leftovers – Leftovers will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days.
  • Reheat – Reheat this in the microwave or in a pan over low heat. Add a splash of milk if needed to loosen up the sauce when reheating.

Customize It!

  • Add more flavor – Top the chicken with some chunky bacon bits before serving or add them into the sauce.
Creamy ranch chicken sliced into bite-sized pieces and smothered in sauce and topped with chopped fresh parsley.

What to Serve with Creamy Ranch Chicken

Serve this creamy chicken with some starch that will absorb all that yummy sauce. The chicken pairs wonderfully with mashed potatoes, rice, or noodles. Add some veggies to balance out the meal like green beans, garlic Parmesan roasted broccoli, lemon pepper asparagus, or some garlic butter mushrooms.

And that’s about it. Enjoy your meal and let me know how you liked it, what substitutions you made and what you paired it with in the comments below!

This post was originally published on November 19, 2017 and updated on September 25, 2022.

MORE CHICKEN BREAST RECIPES TO TRY

  • Easy Oven-Baked Chicken
  • Garlic Butter Baked Chicken Breast
  • Baked Parmesan Crusted Chicken
  • Honey Garlic Butter Chicken
  • Chicken with Lemon Garlic Cream Sauce

Did you make this recipe? Rate it!

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Creamy ranch chicken in a stainless steel skillet smothered in sauce and topped with chopped fresh parsley.

Creamy Ranch Chicken


5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

4.8 from 44 reviews

  • Author: The Cooking Jar
  • Total Time: 40 minutes
  • Yield: 4 1x
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Description

This creamy ranch chicken recipe is comforting and delicious with juicy pan-seared chicken breasts in a zesty and flavorful cream sauce.


Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (5–8 oz. each)
  • Salt and pepper
  • 3 tablespoons butter, divided
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon flour
  • Fresh parsley, to garnish (optional)

SAUCE

  • 1 cup low sodium chicken broth
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1/4 cup sour cream
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • 1 (1 oz.) packet Ranch seasoning mix

Instructions

  1. Pound the chicken breasts to an even 1” thickness using a meat mallet and season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper.
  2. In a skillet over medium-high heat, melt 1 tablespoon of butter and add olive oil. Sear the chicken on each side until golden brown, about 4-5 minutes per side. Remove to a plate and set aside.
  3. Reduce heat to low and add the remaining butter. Stir in flour and cook for about one minute.
  4. Pour in chicken broth and scrape up the browned bits stuck to the pan.
  5. Add milk, sour cream, onion powder, garlic powder, Italian seasoning and ranch seasoning mix. Stir to combine until the sour cream and ranch seasoning has fully dissolved into the sauce.
  6. Add chicken and plate juices back to the pan and spoon the sauce over the chicken. Simmer in the sauce until the chicken is heated through and the sauce has reduced slightly.
  7. Dish and serve hot topped with fresh parsley (optional).
  8. Enjoy!

Notes

  • I used boneless, skinless chicken breasts on the smaller side (about 5-8 oz. each). If you have large chicken breasts, cut 2 breasts in half lengthwise to get 4 chicken cutlets.
  • Use full-fat sour cream so it doesn’t curdle in the sauce.
  • Add more flavor – Top the chicken with some chunky bacon bits before serving or add them into the sauce.
  • Scroll up to RECIPE TIPS for more useful tips, suggestions and ingredient substitutions.
  • Prep Time: 10 mins
  • Cook Time: 30 mins

Did you make this recipe?

Let me know how you liked it, what substitutions you made, or what you paired it with in the comments below. If you enjoyed it, help me out with a  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ star rating!

Leave A Review

posted in: Chicken, Main Dishes, Popular Recipes, Stovetop

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    Comments & Reviews

  1. Sarah A. says

    January 28, 2025

    Could I substitute low-fat cream cheese for the sour cream?

    Reply
    • The Cooking Jar says

      February 11, 2025

      Yes, you can use cream cheese instead of sour cream – it will help make things creamier but will miss out on the slight tang that sour cream gives. I would use low heat when adding and simmering since it’s low-fat and runs a higher risk of curdling over high heat.

      Reply
  2. Camren Strande says

    January 25, 2025

    Bombbbb

    Reply
    • The Cooking Jar says

      February 11, 2025

      Thanks, Camren! I’ll take a bomb comment with the extra ‘b’s for just how bomb it is 😁

      Reply
  3. Donna Adams says

    January 22, 2025

    Yummy!! This is so flavorful! I did season the chicken breasts with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. I served it over egg noodles and there were no leftovers. It was easy to make too.

    Reply
    • The Cooking Jar says

      February 11, 2025

      Thanks for sharing your additions, Donna. I bet that garlic powder made it super delicious!

      Reply
  4. Rachel says

    January 12, 2025

    Loved!! Super easy and delicious.

    Reply
    • The Cooking Jar says

      January 13, 2025

      Happy to hear it, Rachel. Thank you for taking the time to try out the recipe and for letting me know 🙂

      Reply
  5. Rachel says

    January 12, 2025

    Loved!! Super easy and delicious.

    Reply
    • The Cooking Jar says

      February 11, 2025

      Thanks Rachel! I’m really happy you enjoyed the recipe 🙂

      Reply
  6. Payton says

    January 5, 2025

    I tried this the first time and loved it. Made it a second time and chopped the chicken up and put it over pasta and added the sauce it was really good. Thank you for the recipe !

    Reply
    • The Cooking Jar says

      January 13, 2025

      You’re very welcome, Payton. I’m glad you liked the recipe enough to make it twice, and I hope you enjoy it as much if you ever end up making it again. Thanks!

      Reply
  7. Sarahann Stutzman says

    December 20, 2024

    Would this work ok to make a day before and heat up in a crockpot?

    Reply
    • The Cooking Jar says

      December 21, 2024

      You could make it the day before, but I’m not sure I would want to heat it in the crockpot. The milk in the sauce might make it curdle, even on low setting. For cream-based crockpot recipes, I always advise adding heavy cream (higher fat content than milk so less likely to curdle) towards the tail end of the cooking time to prevent curdling. Most crockpot brands these days also tend to run hot.

      Reply
  8. Orange treecali says

    November 19, 2024

    Can I sub heavy cream for milk and sour cream.?

    Reply
    • The Cooking Jar says

      December 21, 2024

      Absolutely! Heavy cream is a good base for the ranch sauce. You’ll just miss out on a little tanginess from the sour cream.

      Reply
      • Julie Mancuso says

        March 6, 2025

        I can’t wait to make this. Can I freeze the leftovers?

        Reply
        • The Cooking Jar says

          March 7, 2025

          Sure, as long as you’re okay with the possibility that the sour cream in this recipe might change a little in texture and become watery and separated. To fix this, you could add a splash of milk or heavy cream and mix it up when reheating the sauce to freshen it up a little.

  9. Tricia says

    November 16, 2024

    Quick, Easy and delicious. Sauce is great to spoon over mashed potatoes.

    Reply
    • The Cooking Jar says

      November 19, 2024

      Yum! Mashed potatoes and a good sauce or gravy is the best! I’m happy this worked out so well for you and thanks for sharing, Tricia.

      Reply
    • Julie says

      February 3, 2025

      Can you freeze this chicken dish?

      Reply
  10. Monique says

    October 17, 2024

    Flavors were great .I actually didn’t have chicken broth and only beef but it still worked perfectly! Seemed a little more rich so it went well with mashed potatoes. I also made macaroni cause that’s a no fail incase the kids didn’t like it but everyone loved it.

    Reply
    • The Cooking Jar says

      November 19, 2024

      I think it should be a minor change in flavor but not enough to break the recipe or drastically alter the flavor. I’m glad you were able to overcome and adapt and that the macaroni was not needed 😉 All that cream sauce over mashed potatoes is the best way to enjoy this!

      Reply
  11. Tami Matthews says

    October 14, 2024

    Made this recipe and it was delicious 😋!!!! My husband said it was one of his favorite chicken recipes. I will definitely be making this alot!

    Reply
    • The Cooking Jar says

      November 19, 2024

      That’s quite a compliment and I bet it felt great! Thanks for sharing how this is a new favorite and I hope you guys enjoy it just as much the next time round. Share what your sides are next time!

      Reply
  12. Christina Lyons says

    October 7, 2024

    Came out delicious!

    Reply
    • The Cooking Jar says

      November 19, 2024

      Glad to hear it worked out so well for you, Christina! Thanks for letting me know 🙂

      Reply
  13. Kathy says

    October 3, 2024

    Pretty easy and super delicious! The whole family liked it! It has been requested as repeat offender!

    Reply
    • The Cooking Jar says

      November 19, 2024

      Haha, I hope your usual suspects enjoy it just as much the next time!

      Reply
  14. Clara says

    June 30, 2024

    Pretty good! Family enjoyed it and we had enough sauce for 5 chicken breasts. Served with garlic risotto and Caesar salad.

    Reply
    • The Cooking Jar says

      July 2, 2024

      Those sound like delicious sides! Thank you for sharing, Clara 🙂

      Reply
  15. Amanda says

    June 18, 2024

    Oh yeah, I also added crushed red chili flakes and fresh dill!

    Reply
    • The Cooking Jar says

      June 18, 2024

      Great additions! I love fresh dill 🙂

      Reply
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