The Pioneer Woman Tasty Kitchen
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Ranch Chicken and Potatoes

3.00 Mitt(s) 3 Rating(s)3 votes, average: 3.00 out of 53 votes, average: 3.00 out of 53 votes, average: 3.00 out of 53 votes, average: 3.00 out of 53 votes, average: 3.00 out of 5

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Level: Easy

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Description

This is my (healthier) version of Outback Steakhouse’s Alice Springs Chicken, Bacon Cheesefries, and ranch dipping sauce – all in one dish! This is a very popular recipe on my blog.

Ingredients

  • FOR THE RANCH DIP:
  • 8 ounces, fluid Light Sour Cream (or Regular)
  • 1-½ Tablespoon Ranch Dip Mix (from A 1 Oz Packet)
  • FOR THE MARINADE:
  • 2 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
  • 1 teaspoon Ranch Dip Mix
  • 3 Tablespoons Prepared Ranch Dip As Prepared Above
  • FOR THE MUSHROOM TOPPING:
  • 1-½ Tablespoon Butter
  • 8 ounces, weight White Mushrooms, Sliced
  • 1 Large Shallot, Minced
  • 2 cloves Garlic, Minced
  • ¼ teaspoons Dried Thyme
  • 1 Tablespoon Water
  • 2 teaspoons Soy Sauce
  • Black Pepper To Taste
  • FOR THE RANCH POTATOES:
  • 2 cups Cubed Hash Brown Potatoes (such As Ore-Ida Southern-style Hash Browns), Thawed
  • ½ Tablespoons Oil
  • The Remaining Ranch Dip Mix
  • ADDITIONAL TOPPINGS
  • 4 ounces, weight 2-percent Cheddar (or Regular), Freshly Grated
  • 3 Tablespoons Real Bacon Bits (found In The Salad Dressing Aisle)
  • 1 Scallion (white And Light Green Parts), Chopped

Preparation

Prepare the ranch dip by mixing the sour cream with 1 1/2 tablespoons of the ranch dip mix.

Add one teaspoon of the powdered ranch dip mix to the chicken breasts and massage into the meat. Place the chicken in a sealable bag and add 3 tablespoons of the prepared ranch dip to the breasts. Seal and use your hands to massage the dip all over the chicken, then refrigerate for 3 hours. Cover the remaining prepared dip and refrigerate it until it is needed later. Reserve the remaining powdered mix for use on the potatoes.

After the chicken has marinated for three hours, preheat the oven to 400F. Start the mushroom topping by heating a large skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add the butter. As soon as it melts, add the mushrooms and flatten them into an even layer. Sprinkle the shallot over the mushrooms and sauté for three minutes without stirring. After three minutes, reduce the heat to medium, stir, and heat an additional three minutes. After three minutes, stir again, and heat an additional three minutes. Add the garlic, thyme, and some pepper then cook for one minute longer. Add the water and soy sauce, stir, and allow the liquids to evaporate (about 30 to 45 seconds longer). Spoon the mushrooms onto a clean plate.

While the mushrooms are cooking, add the frozen cubed potatoes to a microwave-safe bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and heat for two to three minutes, stirring them once during heating. Add 1/2 tablespoon of oil to the heated potatoes and toss. Sprinkle the leftover powdered dip mix over the potatoes and some black pepper to taste. Stir to combine. Taste for salt and adjust as needed.

After the mushrooms have finished cooking, wipe out the skillet, add one tablespoon of oil, and increase the heat to medium-high. When the oil is hot, add the marinated chicken. Add some pepper to the top of the each breast. Sauté on the first side for two minutes, flip, then sauté the other side for one minute longer. Place the chicken into two individual au gratin dishes or two small pyrex dishes (or add both pieces to one 8×8″ glass dish). The chicken will not be fully cooked after three minutes, but will finish cooking in the oven.

Add one cup of the potatoes around the sides of each chicken breast. Spread 2 tablespoons of the prepared ranch dip on top of each breast. Pile some of the mushrooms on each of the dip-covered breasts. You may have some of the mushrooms leftover. If so, use them for another purpose.

Add two ounces of cheese in a heaping pile to each of the chicken breasts. If any of the cheese gets on the potatoes, don’t worry. Bake for 17 minutes. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of the bacon bits to top of the chicken and potatoes in each dish. Bake another 3 minutes. Remove from the oven and garnish each chicken breast with a dollop of the prepared ranch dip and some of the chopped scallion.

For more recipes, check out Cooking Ventures at http://cookingventures.blogspot.com.

15 Comments

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AMC on 3.22.2010

oh I love outback’s alice springs chicken!!!! I make it all the time, but I am really excited to try it this way!!!!! thanks for sharing!!

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5 Forks on 2.18.2010

Just added this to my recipe box I can’t wait to try it!!

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dragonflykitchen on 2.18.2010

i made this for my boyfriend on valentine’s day and he absolutely loved it! it was amazing! thanks for sharing!!

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knkennelly on 10.5.2009

This was absolutely delicious!! My kids even loved it. Thank you for posting this great recipe!!

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Trish in MO on 9.30.2009

ANOTHER keeper from you! Yay! I will need to double it for my family of four, though

3 Reviews

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lovelybaker on 10.28.2010

I loved this so much! It was the perfect meal for a rainy day. I was worried about the ranch flavor being overpowering or not blending well with the soy sauce in the mushrooms but it was delicious! Cheesy, creamy goodness in a dish!

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girlcancook on 6.2.2010

A little too heavy of a meal for my family.

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Andrea on 5.23.2010

The flavor of this was okay, but I thought the way the recipe was written (especially the mushrooms) was confusing and cumbersome. I think streamlining the instructions would improve things greatly. I didn’t feel like the end product was quite worth the amount of work it took. Still, the flavor combination itself was pretty good. I would probably make something similar again with a few tweaks.

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