Tomatillo Ranch Chicken (Printable Version)
Marinated chicken breasts baked with tomatillo-cilantro ranch sauce, brightened with lime and jalapeño.
# What You Need:
→ Marinade and Sauce
01 - 1 cup tomatillos, husked, washed, and roughly chopped
02 - ½ cup gluten-free ranch dressing
03 - ¼ cup fresh cilantro leaves
04 - 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and chopped
05 - 2 garlic cloves, peeled
06 - 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
07 - ½ teaspoon ground cumin
08 - ½ teaspoon kosher salt
09 - ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
→ Chicken
10 - 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
11 - 1 tablespoon olive oil
12 - Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
# How To Make:
01 - Preheat oven to 400°F. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with olive oil or cooking spray.
02 - In a blender or food processor, combine the tomatillos, ranch dressing, cilantro, jalapeño, garlic, lime juice, cumin, salt, and black pepper. Blend until completely smooth, scraping down the sides as needed.
03 - Place the chicken breasts in a large bowl or gallon-size zip-top bag. Pour half of the tomatillo ranch sauce over the chicken, reserving the remaining sauce for serving. Seal and marinate for at least 15 minutes, or up to 2 hours in the refrigerator for deeper flavor.
04 - Remove the chicken from the marinade and discard any used marinade. Transfer the chicken to the prepared baking dish. Drizzle with olive oil and season lightly with salt and pepper.
05 - Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F and the juices run clear when pierced with a fork.
06 - Remove from the oven and let the chicken rest for 5 minutes. Slice or serve whole, spooning the reserved tomatillo ranch sauce generously over the top. Garnish with additional fresh cilantro if desired.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- The sauce does double duty as both marinade and finishing drizzle, so you get flavor layered on flavor without extra work.
- It converts anyone who thinks healthy chicken dinners are boring, thanks to that tangy, slightly spicy ranch punch.
02 -
- Never reuse the marinade that touched raw chicken as a finishing sauce, which is why you reserve half the blended mixture before any contact.
- The sauce thickens as it sits in the fridge, so if you make it ahead, let it come to room temperature and stir before drizzling.
03 -
- Let the blended sauce sit for ten minutes before tasting for salt, because the flavors settle and shift as the acid from the lime permeates everything.
- A quick broil for two minutes at the end gives the chicken edges a golden char that makes the whole dish look like it came from a restaurant kitchen.