Spicy Ranch Chicken Nuggets

You have to pick one: ketchup, BBQ sauce, honey mustard, or ranch. Which one do you pick?!

For me, while I love them all, ranch will always win.

I grew up in the Midwest, where ranch is pretty much its own food group. Chicken nuggets? Dip in ranch. Pizza? You can also dip in ranch. And fries? The BEST dip is ranch.

If you love ranch like I do, it just made sense to make chicken nuggets that also use ranch as the marinade. Genius, I know.

The result is a nugget that retains that delicious ranch flavor with a little bit of spice, all rolled in a crunchy Cornflake coating.

These are so great to meal prep, too.

Recently, I noticed that I need to be a little more intentional about my own meals. I plan all of my kids’ meals in advance, but when it comes to making myself food, I wasn’t putting in the same effort.

Making meals in advance – or honestly, just having some kind of plan ahead of time, has been a huge game changer for me.

We ALL feel our best when eating regular, balanced meals. And even when life is busy, we still deserve that nourishment. It’s a form of self-care!

Something like these chicken nuggets are the perfect solution. They’re a quick recipe and great to make ahead of time.

I love having these in my fridge for the week. That way, I know I’ve got a delicious, high protein meal add-on ready to go.

Of course, these are amazing with fries. But I also love them with roasted potato wedges. And don’t sleep on adding them on top of a salad! SO good.

Whether you’re like me and consider ranch its own food group or not, I know you’re going to love these.

Notes

• Chicken: Chicken tenders work best as they’re thinner and easiest to cut. You can also use boneless, skinless chicken breast. Cut into 1-inch pieces.
• Spicy ranch: I used Marzetti’s new Spicy Ranch in this recipe. If you can’t find any, try mixing the following: 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt, 2-3 teaspoon sriracha, 1/2 teaspoon each of: garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, dried dill, and salt.
• Cornflakes: Crushed Cornflakes are key for that crunch! Add the Cornflakes to a large Ziploc bag and crush using your hands or a rolling pin.
• Storage and reheating: Store chicken nuggets in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4-5 days. To reheat, I recommend broiling in the oven for a few minutes until crispy again. In a pinch, you can also microwave the nuggets quickly.
• Dipping: These nuggets are delicious dipped in spicy ranch, regular ranch, ketchup, or honey mustard.

Spicy Ranch Chicken Nuggets

Sammi Brondo

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Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 20 minutes mins

Ingredients  

• 1 ½ lb chicken tenders
• ¾ cup spicy ranch*
• 2 ½ cups Cornflakes cereal
• Olive oil

Instructions 

• Preheat the oven to 400 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Cut the chicken into 1 to 1-1/2 inch pieces. Add to a bowl with the spicy ranch and mix well, until all the chicken is fully coated with the ranch.
• Add the Cornflakes to a large Ziploc bag and, using a rolling pin or your hands, crush until small pieces and fine crumbs remain. Add to a separate large, shallow bowl.
• Using a fork, dip the coated chicken into the Cornflakes, making sure each piece is fully covered.
• Place chicken on the lined baking sheet in an even layer, making sure the nuggets don’t overlap. Drizzle olive oil on top and bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes.
• Flip the chicken over, drizzle again with olive oil, and bake for another 5 minutes or or until an internal temperature of 165 F is reached.

Notes

*I used Marzetti’s new Spicy Ranch in this recipe. If you can’t find any, try mixing the following: 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt, 2-3 teaspoon sriracha, 1/2 teaspoon each of: garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, dried dill, and salt.

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