Ranch Chicken Croutons

June 27, 2012 8:41 am

So I got a little fancy the other day and made some chicken croutons. I like getting fancy, it’s fun. Sometimes I put on a dressy dress and heels and dance around the kitchen making an amazing dinner and light tall candles and pretend I’m sitting down to a meal with someone fancy… oh, wait, that doesn’t really happen but it would be fun!

Ranch flavored chicken pieces breaded and baked to make chicken croutons to top a big salad for dinner. I used the ranch seasoning on the chicken so I didn’t have to have actual fattening ranch dressing on my salad. I hoped that it would be a great substitute and it was.

_________________________________________________________

Ingredients

2 chicken breasts, cubed
1 teaspoon ranch seasoning
about 1/2 cup buttermilk
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
cooking spray
salt
_________________________________________________________

Preheat the oven to 400°.

Cover the chicken with the ranch seasoning.

Add just enough buttermilk to cover the chicken. Toss to coat and allow to marinate for at least an hour, covered in the fridge.
Sprinkle the breadcrumbs in a dish. Season with a little more ranch and salt. My ranch mix had salt in it but I know that some do not, so use your judgment as to how much salt you will need to add.

Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Individually bread the chicken pieces in the breadcrumbs then place on the baking sheet. Spray the chicken pieces with more cooking spray to promote browning and crispiness.