Recipe: BBQ Ranch Chicken Bites

Christine Gallary
Christine GallarySenior Recipe Editor at The Kitchn
I grew up in a Chinese food-loving family, eating my first restaurant meals in Oakland's vibrant Chinatown. My love of food but lack of cooking experience led to me Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, where I graduated with a Diplôme de Cuisine in French cooking. After culinary school, I learned how to test and edit recipes in test kitchens at Cook's Illustrated and CHOW, falling in love with the process of rigorously testing recipes to make sure they were foolproof for the home cook. I've worked with thousands of recipes over the past 15 years, including developing recipes for the James Beard-award winning Mister Jiu's in Chinatown cookbook. Living in the delicious diversity of San Francisco, I never get tired of finding new ingredients or cuisines to try. My favorite type is Cantonese home cooking — I'm on a quest to recreate the dishes my grandmother used to make. All the food I test at home is eagerly tasted and enjoyed by my husband, Hayden, and daughter, Sophie, while our little dog, Mochi, looks wistfully on.
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updated Jan 21, 2020
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Credit: Joe Lingeman

All you need is chicken, ranch dressing, and barbecue sauce to reach BBQ ranch nirvana.

Serves4 to 6

Prep5 minutes

Cook30 minutes

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(Image credit: Joe Lingeman)

When creamy ranch dressing and tangy BBQ sauce join forces, you end up with the perfect marinade (and dipping sauce) for boneless, skinless chicken breasts. This isn’t a new concept — we’re simply passing along a good idea and making it even better.

Our take threads the chicken onto skewers for super-quick broiling (or grilling!) and ease of eating, and the tender chunks of chicken make for a superb dinner or addition to your lunch salad tomorrow.

Store-Bought Condiments Make This Recipe a Breeze

While you can certainly use homemade ranch dressing or BBQ sauce here, store-bought ones are highly encouraged and a great way to use up what’s hanging out in the door of your refrigerator. Check out our taste tests for ranch dressing and BBQ sauce and give our favorites a try, if you’d like. I liked the combination of Whole Foods 365 Organic Ranch Dressing and Stubb’s BBQ Sauce, but am also partial to Sweet Baby Ray’s.

(Image credit: Joe Lingeman)
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BBQ Ranch Chicken Bites

All you need is chicken, ranch dressing, and barbecue sauce to reach BBQ ranch nirvana.

Prep time 5 minutes

Cook time 30 minutes

Serves 4 to 6

Nutritional Info

Ingredients

  • 2/3 cup

    ranch dressing

  • 1/3 cup

    BBQ sauce

  • 2 pounds

    boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces

  • Cooking spray

  • 1 tablespoon

    finely chopped fresh chives (optional)

  • 10

    (9- to 12-inch) skewers

Equipment

Instructions

  1. Place the ranch dressing and BBQ sauce in a large bowl and stir to combine. Transfer half to a small serving bowl, cover, and refrigerate. Add the chicken to the remaining sauce and toss to combine. Marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes or cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. (The ideal time is about 2 hours. At 24 hours, the chicken is very tender but starts to break down slightly.)

  2. When ready to cook, arrange a rack 4 to 5 inches from the heating element and heat the oven to broil. Meanwhile, if using wooden skewers, soak in water at least 15 minutes. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and coat with cooking spray.

  3. Thread the chicken onto the skewers, 6 to 7 pieces per skewer. Place the skewers in a single layer on the baking sheet. Broil until charred in spots and cooked through, about 8 minutes. Top with chives, if using, and serve with the reserved sauce for dipping.

Recipe Notes

Grilling instructions: Heat an outdoor grill to medium-high (about 400°F). Place the skewers on the grill (work in 2 batches if needed), cover the grill, and cook undisturbed until grill marks appear on the chicken, 3 to 4 minutes. Using tongs, flip the skewers, cover the grill, and grill until the chicken is cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes more.

Storage: Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

Filed in:
appetizer
autumn
Chicken
children
Cooking Methods
dinner