ranch Archives - Ari's Menu

I’m so excited to share this with you today. You see, I’ve been making this chicken for almost 4 years. It was one of the first healthy recipes I ever cooked!

I started making this chicken when no one else in my life was quite used to my new healthier habits. I had gone away to college weighing 23o lbs, eating fast food for every meal, and calling a pint of ice cream one night’s dessert. Of course everyone was happy for me, but it also takes some getting used to when someone comes back with such drastically altered priorities.

I made this recipe for Steve and some of our best friends before I even knew how to cook, but it was so easy and fool-proof that everyone loved it!

Ever since, it’s been Steve’s #1 favorite dish. He always requests it, and I continue to surprise him with it on special occasions. It’s always the simplest things that people seem to love the most. I love to over complicate things, but when it comes down to it, 90% of the time, simple ends up being the way to go.

I love this dish because anyone can make it. It doesn’t require a lot of prep work, or a long list of ingredients. It’s approachable, and it tastes like indulgent comfort food–crispy baked chicken, zesty ranch seasonings browned to perfection. It is one of those healthy meals that makes you love eating healthy, and shows just how easy it can be. If you can boil spaghetti, you can make this chicken. 😉

Crispy Ranch Chicken Strips

barely adapted from Spark People

yield 6 servings

1 and 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into strips
2 egg whites, beaten
1 oz ranch seasoning (store bought or homemade)
2 cups crispy brown rice cereal
1/4 cup reduced fat parmesan cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375. Place a cooling rack inside of a large baking sheet. Line with tinfoil and spray with nonstick spray. Set aside.
Place beaten egg whites in a shallow bowl. In a large separate shallow bowl, combine ranch seasoning, cereal and cheese.
Dip each chicken strip in egg whites, then fully coat in cereal mixture. Place on the lined cooling rack. Repeat with remaining chicken slices.
Bake until golden brown and chicken is cooked throughout, about 30 minutes (depending on how thick you slice the chicken). Serve immediately. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

You know those barbecue bacon cheeseburgers that you can order at all those greasy hamburger restaurants, and then you smother ranch all over it and it’s even more delicious? This is like that. Only healthy 😉

When I was in NYC, we ate at a restaurant called Chelsea Grill per Mac’s suggestion. On the menu they had “Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf”. Now, I am not the type of person that orders that at a restaurant. Lots of healthy eating folks could, but knowing I could make it so much healthier at home would stress me out. So instead, I did just that and oh my gosh, it was so amazing. I would make it again and again and again. The cheese on top got the perfect amount of melty and the bacon on top got perfectly crispy. It was just like the type of cowboy burger you’d order at a restaurant. In fact, if you made it as a burger, it would also be healthy and delicious!

I made 2 meatloaves for 5 peoples plus roasted sweet potatoes and there wasn’t a single bite left at the end of the night. I was totally looking forward to leftovers this week, but I’ll take the lack thereof as a compliment about my awesome cooking!

Barbecue Ranch Bacon Cheeseburger Meatloaf

yield 4-6 servings

1 1/2 lbs extra lean ground beef/turkey (at least 93% lean)
1/2 cup egg substitute
3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
2/3 cup raw oats
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
generous pinch each of salt, garlic pepper, and your favorite burger seasoning
dash ranch reasoning
1/4-1/3 cup reduced fat sharp cheddar cheese
3 slices center cut or turkey bacon

For the sauce:

3/4 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt
3-4 tbs barbecue sauce
1 1/2 tsp ranch seasoning

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400. Line a cookie sheet with tin foil and spray with nonstick spray.
In a large bowl, whisk together egg substitute, almond milk, and seasonings. Mix in onion and oats.
Add meat **this is the fun part!!** and use your hands to thoroughly combine. (Note: you may add the cheese at this time if you wish. I didn’t, but I imagine it would be especially delicious if you mixed it in and put it on top 🙂 )
Using your hands, remove meat mixture from bowl and make a loaf shape on your prepared cookie sheet.
Top with cheese, then bacon slices.
Bake for 1 hour, or until cooked throughout.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together all sauce ingredients. Heat in microwave for 45-60 seconds when meat if ready.
Serve meatloaf and top with barbecue ranch sauce.