With only 4 ingredients and 30 minutes, this Ranch Ritz Cracker Chicken is the perfect easy weeknight chicken breast recipe. Tender chicken breasts are coated in a creamy ranch-mayo mixture and crushed, buttery Ritz Crackers to create a crispy, juicy, and flavorful chicken the entire family will devour!
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Crispy Ritz Cracker Chicken Recipe
This easy Ritz Cracker Chicken recipe is quickly becoming one of our favorite ways to make baked chicken breasts. They come out so juicy, and the crushed cracker coating makes for a golden-brown, crispy exterior that provides the perfect amount of crunch in each bite.
The best part? You can have this meal prepped and ready for the oven in 10 minutes, and have dinner on the table 20 minutes later. This easy baked chicken only requires 4 ingredients: chicken breasts, mayonnaise, ritz crackers, and ranch seasoning. Don’t worry if you don’t like mayo, neither do we! You can not taste it, we promise! It is the key to keeping your baked chicken extra juicy.
Quick, zesty ritz cracker chicken is the ideal dinner for busy weeknights when you need to be in and out of the kitchen, and it’s also great if you have picky eaters. It’s pretty hard to turn down a plate of tender, crispy chicken!
Love when a recipe combines ranch flavors and chicken? Make sure to try our favorite easy Crockpot Ranch Chicken and this one-pot Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta!
Why You’ll Love This Ranch Chicken
Where to begin? We could go on for quite a while about how tasty this ritz cracker chicken recipe is, but we’ll try to keep it brief:
- Extra Juicy Chicken: The chicken breasts are coated in a mayonnaise and Ranch seasoning mix that keeps the chicken extra tender and juicy while baking in the oven.
- Kid Friendly: Every kid we have served this dinner to has loved it! They also love helping prep this recipe since they get to crush the ritz crackers. You haven’t seen a happier kid than one with a mallet and a bag of crackers needing crushing!
- Fantastic Flavor: The zesty, tangy ranch seasoning provides a truly delightful pop of flavor to this chicken dinner.
- Budget Friendly: With only 4 ingredients, these chicken breasts are a breeze to assemble and bake. Besides the chicken, the other 3 ingredients are pantry staples that you can keep on hand for an easy dinner any time.
- Easy Clean-Up: Clean-up is a breeze with ritz chicken. All you have to do is throw away the ziplock bag and put the bowl in the dishwasher, and you’re practically done.
What You’ll Need
Let’s run through the short list of ingredients for this meal really quickly. (You can find the precise amounts for each one in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this page.)
- Chicken: We like to use skinless boneless chicken breasts, but you can use chicken thighs instead if you like (make sure to adjust the cooking time accordingly, though).
- Mayonnaise: This will keep the chicken from drying out while it cooks, and will also help the cracker coating stick to it.
- Ranch Buttermilk Seasoning Mix: To add a rich, herb-y, and zesty flavor! However you could also use a simple mix of salt and pepper if you prefer.
- Crackers: We used crushed ritz crackers, but you could also use saltines if you have those on hand instead.
How to Make Ranch Ritz Cracker Chicken
The directions for this crispy chicken recipe are very easy to follow, even if you’re just starting out in the kitchen. Here’s the step-by-step guide:
- Preheat the Oven to 350°F: Spray a baking dish or cookie sheet with nonstick spray, and set it aside. (You can also line it with parchment paper for easier clean-up.)
- Mix the Mayo and Ranch Seasoning: In a small bowl, whisk to combine the mayonnaise and ranch seasoning mix together.
- Make Sure That Your Chicken Is Dry, Then Coat It: If needed, pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Coat a chicken breast with the mayo and ranch mixture, and then press it into the crushed ritz crackers. (You can also complete the coating process by placing the ritz crackers in a ziplock bag, coating the chicken in the mayo, and then tossing it into the ziplock bag with the ritz crackers.)
- Repeat the Process: Place the coated breast onto the prepared baking dish. Continue with the remaining chicken breasts.
- Bake the Chicken: Bake your chicken uncovered for 30 to 40 minutes, until it’s cooked through and an instant read meat thermometer reaches 165°F. Serve immediately.
Tips for Success
See how simple these baked chicken breasts are? You’ll be a crispy chicken connoisseur in no time.
At any rate, here are a couple of more tips that you might find helpful:
- How to Crush the Crackers: Ritz crackers crush extremely easily. You can use your hand to crush them in the wrapper or use a rolling pin. Or, save yourself the extra step, and purchase already crushed ritz crackers (they sell them in the same aisle as the crackers usually, or with the breadcrumbs).
- Tenderize the Breast Before Coating: This is optional, but will ensure that the chicken cooks evenly in the allotted time.
- More Chicken Breast Substitutions: You could also use thin chicken breasts or chicken tenders for this recipe, and they will cook in half the time. Pork chops or cube steak can also be substituted.
- Cracker Substitutions: While we love ritz crackers the best for this recipe, there are a few options you can use to coat your chicken.
- Cheez-It Crackers: Give your chicken a cheesy flavor by using Cheez-It crackers.
- Saltine Crackers: Another good option! We like the buttery flavor of ritz, but saltines work well too.
- Corn Flakes: You can even use unsweetened corn flakes! We recommend crushing them lightly, so they keep a little of their texture.
What Goes With This Crispy Baked Chicken?
Need some suggestions on what to serve with your crunchy ritz cracker chicken? Here are some of our go-to choices:
- Mashed Potatoes: Creamy Mashed Potatoes or these Garlic Mashed Potatoes are the perfect side for these crispy chicken breasts.
- Vegetables: Roasted Broccoli, Bacon Brussels Sprouts, or Fried Potatoes and Onions would all be great choices!
- Salad: Something simple like this Easy Cucumber Tomato Salad works great in the summer time!
- Gravy: And while you might be a little surprised by this, my kiddos love this chicken topped with a little Homemade White Gravy!
How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
Another great thing about this ranch chicken recipe is that you can make it ahead if you want! Whether you decide to serve it immediately or to save it for later once cooked, here’s how to store and reheat your chicken:
- To Store: Keep your leftover chicken in an airtight container, in the fridge, for up to 7 days.
- To Reheat: Simply microwave the chicken in 30 second intervals, or heat it in the oven until warmed through.
Can I Freeze Ritz Cracker Chicken?
Yes! Once the chicken has cooled to room temperature, freeze it on a sheet pan in a single layer for a couple of hours. When it is frozen through, place it in a tightly-sealed freezer bag or in an airtight container, and freeze for 2-3 months.
More Easy Chicken Dinner Ideas
You can never have too many quick, simple chicken dinner recipes on hand. We highly recommend giving these ones a try, as well:
- Crockpot Salsa Chicken
- Lemon Pepper Chicken Wings
- Air Fryer Chicken Thighs
- Crispy Air Fryer Chicken Cutlets
- Crockpot Ranch Tacos
- Garlic Parmesan Chicken
Best Ranch Ritz Cracker Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 lbs skinless boneless chicken breast
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 1 4 oz package Ranch Buttermilk Seasoning Mix
- 30 ritz crackers, crushed
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a baking dish or cookie sheet with nonstick spray, set aside. (You can also line it with parchment paper for an easier clean up.)
- In a small bowl, whisk to combine the mayonnaise and ranch together.
- Make sure that your chicken is dry without any water on it (if needed, pat it dry with paper towels). Coat the chicken breast one at a time with the mayo and ranch mixture and then press into the crushed ritz crackers. (You can do this by placing the ritz crackers in a ziplock bag, coat the chicken in the mayo and then toss it into the ziplock bag with the ritz crackers. Or, you can place the crushed ritz crackers in a shallow bowl and press then chicken into the crackers.)
- Place the coated breast onto the prepared baking dish. Continue with the remaining chicken breasts.
- Bake uncovered for 30 to 40 minutes, until cooked through and an internal meat thermometer reaches 165°F. Serve immediately.
Notes
- To Store: Keep your leftover chicken in an airtight container, in the fridge, for up to 7 days.
- To Reheat: Simply microwave the chicken in 30 second intervals, or heat it in the oven until warmed through.
- To Freeze: Once the chicken has cooled to room temperature, freeze it on a sheet pan in a single layer for a couple of hours. When it is frozen through, place it in a tightly-sealed freezer bag or in an airtight container, and freeze for 2-3 months.
Try with baby rays sweet and spicy bbq sauce instead of ranch and sour cream.