Grilled Rosemary Ranch Chicken

Packed with intense flavor (it’s so delicious!), this rosemary ranch chicken is one of the best ways to cook or grill chicken. So easy! So good!

Don’t let grilling season pass you by without making this delectable rosemary ranch chicken. It is unbelievably delicious!

The marinade is ultra-simple, and the chicken can be grilled whole or cut into small pieces and kabob’d like a grilling rock star.

Rosemary Ranch Marinade

It may seem a bit unorthodox to throw ranch dressing into a chicken marinade, but not only does it provide amazing flavor, but it also helps tenderize the chicken for supreme juiciness. I’ve used both regular ol’ Hidden Valley in this marinade as well as a “fancier” Trader Joe’s ranch. Both worked well (with no noticeable differences in flavor).

Fresh Rosemary for the Win

Even if you already have dried rosemary in the spice cabinet, I highly encourage (dare I say: implore) you to get your hands on fresh rosemary for this recipe.

There is nothing that can quite replicate the aromatic, fragrant deliciousness of fresh rosemary. It doesn’t overpower the other flavors; it enhances the marinade in a delightful way that dried rosemary just won’t be able to do.

This rosemary bread converted me to the charms of fresh rosemary. That bread, and now this chicken, are the sole reasons I plant it in my very humble, quite pathetic vegetable garden.

To the Grill…or Oven

The chicken can be marinaded as chicken breasts (or thighs), or the chicken can be cubed for kabobs and marinaded that way.

I’m lazy. Hence the non-kabob approach.

After the chicken rests in the marinade (the longer the better), it can go on the grill. Or in the oven to cook. The recipe instructions below include grilling directions.

But it can easily be broiled for a few minutes per side…and I bet it would do great cooked in a skillet with the marinade. For a saucy little variation.

One taste of this rosemary ranch chicken and you may never want to go back to any other chicken recipe again. It’s that good.

The flavors of this chicken are intensely delicious but still mainstream enough so that throwing the cooked and sliced chicken into any variety of salad (green or pasta) or other recipe that calls for cooked chicken would be a phenomenal idea.

It’s a great summer meal for that reason. Serve it with any variety of fun side dishes and prepare to make bold declarations like “best meal ever” and “never eating chicken another way again.”

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Rosemary Ranch Chicken

Yield: 6 servings

Prep Time: 8 hours hrs 20 minutes mins

Cook Time: 12 minutes mins

Total Time: 8 hours hrs 32 minutes mins

5 stars (45 ratings)

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Ingredients

• ¼ cup olive oil
• ½ cup ranch salad dressing (see note)
• ¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice or red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 ½ – 2 pounds chicken breasts (see note)

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Instructions 

• For the marinade, whisk together all the ingredients except the chicken until well-combined.
• Place chicken in shallow dish and pour the marinade over the chicken, turning the chicken to coat evenly. Cover the dish and refrigerate for 8-12 hours.
• Grill the chicken on medium-high, about 3-4 minutes per side (exact time will depend on the thickness of the chicken) until cooked through and an instant-read thermometer registers 165 degrees F at the thickest part of the chicken. Tent the chicken with foil and let rest for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Notes

Ranch Dressing: I’ve used both Hidden Valley and a Trader Joe’s brand of ranch dressing in this recipe, and both work great (with no noticeable flavor difference). 

Chicken: 1 1/2 to 2 pounds of chicken will be about 5-6 thin chicken breasts. I prefer using thin sliced chicken breasts (if the chicken breasts I’m using are overly thick, I slice them in half lengthwise for thinner cutlets). you can cube the chicken prior to marinating and then thread on kabobs after marinating and grill that way. 

Rosemary: subbing dried rosemary will affect the flavor of the chicken (highly recommend using fresh rosemary for better flavor).

Oven Directions: broil or bake at 350 degrees F on a lightly greased foil-lined baking sheet for 3-4 minutes per side. Add or decrease time, as needed, depending on the thickness of the chicken. 

Author: Mel Gunnell

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Method: Grilled

Serving: 1 serving, Calories: 259kcal, Carbohydrates: 2g, Protein: 32g, Fat: 13g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Cholesterol: 100mg, Sodium: 718mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 1g

Recommended Products

Liquid Measuring Cup

Wire Whisk

8-Inch Chef’s Knife

Bamboo Cutting Board

Recipe Source: adapted from this allrecipes recipe after a reader, Kristi N, emailed me and said it was a must-make (thanks, Kristi!)

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