Made with just four simple ingredients, this easy cornflake chicken recipe is coated with a crunchy cornflake and ranch mixture that everyone loves!
Baked Cornflake Chicken Recipe
Have you ever noticed that when you cook with your kids they open up and talk more? What about how much more willing they are to eat what you made for dinner? Or that they start to figure out math, adding, subtracting and fractions? And of course there’s that they are learning a skill that no matter who they become or what careers they choose they absolutely will need.
Most important of all, have you ever noticed how much less fighting and stress there is when a family takes a deep breath and just creates food together? Suddenly you’re sharing in moments and creating memories. That’s going to last far longer than insisting that they pick up their room. Love brings them back when they push away and cooking helps them to feel it.
This quick and easy cornflake ranch chicken recipe only requires a few ingredients and it’s one of the best recipes for teaching kids to cook. The chicken is rolled in a simple cornflake and ranch seasoning mixture, then baked to a crispy, golden perfection in just 30-40 minutes. This is a great recipe to get your kids involved with!
Baked Cornflake Chicken Ingredients
Like I mentioned above, this easy cornflake baked ranch chicken recipe requires just four simple ingredients:
- Chicken Breasts: boneless, skinless
- Unsalted Butter: I prefer the unsalted so that the dish isn’t overly salty since ranch dressing powder contains quite a bit of salt.
- Ranch Dressing Mix Packet: found with all the salad dressings
- Crushed Cornflakes: found with all the other cereal on the cereal aisle
The measurements for each ingredient can be found in the recipe card at the end of the post.
How to Make Cornflake Chicken
This baked ranch chicken with a crunchy cornflake coating couldn’t be simpler to make. Here’s how we make this cornflake baked chicken at home:
- Grab the cornflakes and crush them in a blender or use a meat mallet, or even a simple rolling pin.
- Place this in a shallow dish and add the ranch dressing seasoning packet. Mix this all together and add the chicken.
- Coat the chicken well and place in a baking dish.
- Drizzle butter all over the chicken and place in a 375 degree F oven.
- Bake until golden and crunchy.
Scroll down to the recipe card for all the details.
What to Serve with Cornflake Chicken
My first question after figuring out dinner is, what am I going to serve on the side? If you’re the same way and wondering what to serve with our quick and easy cornflake ranch chicken, let me point you to your children.
Cornflake chicken is similar to fried chicken but without all of the oil, and kids love a simple fried chicken so ask them what they want on the side. Getting kids involved in dinner is the best thing you can do as a parent.
A simple green salad doesn’t compete with the flavor of the chicken so it’s a great option, whereas cornbread or rolls can create a heavier meal. My mom often served green beans and these Honey Roasted Red Potatoes. You could also go for steakhouse-style smashed potatoes, classic mashed potatoes, coleslaw, or cheesy basil vegetables.
Can I Use Ranch Dressing Instead of the Dry Mix?
No, this will not work in this recipe. If you want a creamy ranch chicken, then try our ranch melt in your mouth baked chicken recipe.
Can I Use Chicken Thighs Instead of Chicken Breasts?
If that’s what you have on hand, then yes! Just keep in mind that chicken thighs may need to bake for a different amount of time than chicken breasts.
Can I Make This Dairy-Free?
If you can’t eat butter, you’re welcome to use melted margarine instead of melted butter. Ranch seasoning typically contains dried buttermilk, so you’ll also need to purchase a dairy-free ranch seasoning mix.
Tips for Making Cornflake Chicken
When we sit down to write these blog posts we try to be mindful of what readers really need. Sometimes it’s strictly the recipe, other times it’s lots of information to help answer questions. And then there are the posts about the tender moments, the good, the bad and sometimes even the ugly. Like when we wrote about our battle with Hyperemesis Gravidarum, or the horrible things people said and what it taught us, or when we shared our story of how we became a family.
Here are a few extra tips for making this baked ranch chicken the best ever:
- I don’t like it when the cornflakes become a powder. You want a little crunch action so when crushing the cornflakes up, think about it being more like the texture of panko breadcrumbs or thick breadcrumbs.
- Make sure to use unsalted butter since ranch seasoning is already quite salty.
- Baked cornflake chicken is best the day it’s made since the coating loses its crunchiness in the fridge.
Storing and Reheating
Leftovers should be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container. They will keep for 4-5 days. You can reheat it in the microwave for a quick option, but if you want to keep the crunchiness on the chicken, reheat it in the oven at 350 degrees F for 10-15 minutes.
This delicious and easy-to-make chicken recipe features a crispy cornflake crust and a tangy ranch seasoning. Perfect for a quick weeknight dinner!
More Easy Chicken Dinner Recipes
Looking for more chicken recipes? We always are too, so make sure you try these:
- Chicken Milanese
- Cheesy Chicken Bacon Ranch Macaroni and Cheese
- One Skillet BBQ Chicken and Potatoes
- Garlic Butter Chicken
- Citrus Greek Chicken
- Easy Teriyaki Chicken
- Better Than Grandma’s Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup
- BBQ Instant Pot Whole Chicken
- Quick and Easy 15-Minute Chicken Stir-Fry
To see all of our family dinner recipes, head here! These are a few of our favorites…
Ranch Cornflake Chicken
Description
Equipment
- meas
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ Cups Cornflakes, crushed, (the finer the better, but don't make it into powder)
- 1 Packet Ranch Dressing Seasoning Mix
- 4 Chicken Breasts, boneless, skinless
- 1/4 Cup Butter, unsalted, melted
Instructions
- In a bowl, mix together the cornflakes and ranch seasoning.1 ¼ Cups Cornflakes, 1 Packet Ranch Dressing Seasoning Mix
- Heat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Place the cornflakes and ranch in a shallow dish and add the chicken, one at a time. Press the mixture all over the chicken, flip and press again.4 Chicken Breasts
- Place the chicken in a baking dish and drizzle with butter.1/4 Cup Butter
- Bake the chicken for 30-40 minutes or until golden and cooked through.
Notes
Nutrition
Recommended Products
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Jen
Do the cornflake crumbs actually stick to the raw chicken without anything wet to bind it? Cornflake Chicken is one of my family’s favorite, but I always dip it in some evaporated milk (or melted butter) first to help the cornflake crumbs stick to the chicken. I’ve never added a ranch packet, but I like that idea.
Sweet Basil
Hi Jen! I’ve never had a problem with them sticking, but you could definitely dip them in egg or evaporated milk first to help them stick better. I hope you enjoy this recipe!
Bianca Cordova
Do you make the ranch dressing? Or just use the dry seasoning?
Sweet Basil
We just used the store bought ranch packets.
Brittany Audra @ Audra’s Appetite
Ahh love how this almost looks and tastes fried since it’s so crispy, but healthier since it’s baked instead! 🙂
Sweet Basil
Totally! I love fried but I don’t love that it isn’t good for me so this is great!
Jerilyn Werner
King Ranch Chicken is a delicious casserole using chopped cooked chicken, cream of chicken soup, cream of mushroom soup, a can of diced tomato and green chiles, onions, bell pepper, chili powder, salt, garlic powder, and pepper, corn tortillas and or course lot of cheese! There are many recipes available on the internet for this.