Incredibly crispy baked chicken, coated in ranch dressing and rolled in crunchy seasoned cornflakes! Easy to make, and customize!
So I have to know… are you a ranch dressing fan? I live in a family of ranch dressing LOVERS, and I don’t actually care for it. I know right… a Midwesterner… who doesn’t like ranch?! I’m more of an Italian or French dressing person. BUT, when I was testing this recipe, which I basically created out of sheer determination to get the kids to eat something I made for dinner, I actually liked the flavor here!
This isn’t your standard cornflake baked chicken recipe, I promise. The chicken is coated in ranch dressing, then pressed into a cornflake mixture that’s spiced up so it’s full of crunchy flavor.
HOW DO YOU MAKE CORNFLAKE CHICKEN?
It’s actually one of my favorite method for breading chicken breasts, because it’s just two steps. Just dip the chicken into ranch dressing and then directly into a bowl full of crushed cornflakes. After that it’s time to bake them until the juices run clear and a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast reads 165 F degrees.
CAN YOU MAKE CORNFLAKE BAKED CHICKEN TENDERS?
Absolutely! Or even chicken nuggets! Use the same method for breading, and just bake for less time 🙂 For chicken tenders, bake for about 15 minutes, and for nuggets, bake for approximately 8-10 minutes.
WHAT IF YOU’RE NOT A RANCH DRESSING FAN?
No worries there… you can make a similar recipe by using 1 cup of mayonnaise mixed with a little grated parmesan cheese and pepper. Use the same breading method and recipe and bake as directed.
IS CORNFLAKE BAKED CHICKEN HEALTHY?
Well technically no… since the ranch dressing isn’t the healthiest… but these tenders are baked instead of fried. That helps reduce the fat and calories without sacrificing any of the tasty crunch-factor of traditional fried chicken.
WHAT TO SERVE WITH CORNFLAKE BAKED CHICKEN?
Here are a few of our favorites:
- Stick of Butter Rice
- Crispy Cheesy Broccoli
- Low Carb Cheesy Brussels Sprouts Bake
- Buttery Crockpot Ranch Mushrooms
- Slow Cooker Roasted Carrots
PRO TIPS FOR MAKING CORNFLAKE BAKED CHICKEN:
- Trim the chicken breasts. In addition to trimming off the extra fat, I like to trim off the flap of chicken tender that’s attached to the back of the breast. This not only gives you bonus chicken tenders (yay!!), it makes the chicken breasts all roughly the same size, so they’ll bake evenly.
- For more even coverage when breading, use a mix of finely and coarsely crushed cornflakes. My grocery store actually sold a box of crushed cornflakes that were similar in consistency to panko breadcrumbs. I use those and some cornflakes that I’ve put in a ziploc bag and crushed with my hands so they’re a little larger pieces.
- Use one hand for the ranch dressing dipping, and the other hand for the cornflakes. This helps you not “bread” your fingers and end up with a big mess to clean. Better yet, wear disposable gloves!
- Go crazy with the dipping sauces! We usually like bbq sauce, but honey mustard, ranch, or something with a little spice to it would be great too.
SHOP THE RECIPE:
- 9×13″ baking dish – I love the durability of this dish.
- Cornflake crumbs – makes the breading process even easier!
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @the_chunky_chef on Facebook and Instagram!
Ingredients
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, trimmed of excess fat
- 1 cup ranch dressing
- 3 cups crushed cornflakes
- 1 1/2 Tbsp dried Italian seasoning
- 1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 F degrees. Lightly grease a 9x13" baking dish or rimmed baking sheet and set aside.
- In a shallow bowl, add ranch dressing. In a separate shallow bowl, add cornflakes, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, paprika and salt and pepper.
- Dip chicken in ranch dressing, shaking off any excess, then dip in cornflake mixture. I pat the cornflake crumbs into the chicken to make sure they're well coated.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes, until juices run clear and a meat thermometer reads 165 F degrees.
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Nutrition Disclaimer
The Chunky Chef is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Shar says
I can’t seem to get all the flakes on the chicken! Doesn’t matter how much I put of dressing on them. What am I doing wrong?
The Chunky Chef says
You’re likely not doing anything wrong 🙂 There will still be leftover cornflakes, as with any breaded recipe. As long as they’re mostly coated, you’ll be fine. You can also gently press the chicken into the cornflakes, using light pressure, to really get them to adhere.
Judy Chapman says
I make this with coating chicken in french dressing and then the corn flakes. My family loves it. I will try the ranch one soon.
Fran says
I made this for the family and the loved it. It was crispy and delicious!!
Tracy says
this looks delish and i took chicken out for tonight. However, they are thin breasts. would it still work just adjust the time??
The Chunky Chef says
Yes the recipe will still work with thinner chicken 🙂
Rhonda Baker says
Looks delicious trying tonight for dinner do I need to flip the breasts at any point during cooking
The Chunky Chef says
Nope, no need to flip, they’ll cook evenly 🙂
Jane says
Great recipe, my all time favourite. I also add a little finely grated Asiago or Parmesan cheese and dried parsley. Yum!
Darrin says
Hi there…my partner is none too fussy on cornflakes, what would be a suitable alternative?
The Chunky Chef says
You could use crushed up potato chips, crushed Ritz crackers, or plain panko breadcrumbs if you’d like 🙂
Darrin says
Thank you! I’m thinking either Ritz crackers or panko crumbs are the best options. I think potato chips would add too much sodium.
Samantha says
I ended up making the tenders and my family LOVES this recipe. It’s DELICIOUS!!
biffers94 says
Can I make these in the air fryer instead? If so, how long and what temp would you suggest?
Amanda says
I’ve only tested this recipe as written. So without testing and retesting it myself, I can’t say for certain how it would convert. If you try it, I’d love to know how it turns out!
Rosalie says
Problem with all spices settling to bottom of flakes. Had to sprinkle on after all the cornflakes were used. But it was wonderful so tender and sooo yummy.
Christine almond says
Awesome easy the rave of dinner
Laura Groff says
I know you have the list of zero point food items on your blog, but I’m wondering if these dinners have low points as well?
Thank you!
The Chunky Chef says
Hi Laura 🙂 I don’t calculate points for all my recipes, but I do have a special section for healthier meals. https://www.thechunkychef.com/healthy-recipes/weight-watchers/
Therese Mensah says
Is it 3 cups of corn flakes crushed or enough crushed Corn Flakes to make 3 cups?
The Chunky Chef says
I like to error on the side of extra crumbs (rather than run out during the breading process), so 3 cups of the crushed cornflakes.
Erin | Dinners,Dishes and Dessert says
This needs to happen at my house very soon!!
Toni | Boulder Locavore says
It looks so yummy! My family will love this for dinner any night of the week!
Melanie Bauer says
Looks insanely delicious! Our whole family would go crazy for this, this is a winner!
Dee says
That chicken looks gorgeous! I never thought of using cornflakes like that…
Paula says
That looks so crunchy and delicious!
Jamielyn says
This chicken is one of my favorites! It has the perfect crunch and is so flavorful!
Meghan says
This looks like the best go-to dinner during the week! Love the use of cornflakes!