Fun and Zesty Grilled Chicken with Creamy Ranch Dressing
Happy grilling! These skewers of herb-based marinated grilled chicken with creamy ranch dressing will be the stars of your barbecue!
If foods got awards for flavor, this one would win a gold medal hands down! The zesty pesto marinade goes so perfectly with the creamy ranch dressing. I made this as skewers, because — why not? They’re fun! But feel free to make this as regular cutlets instead; it will work just as well. I like to double the dressing and have extra to use for salads.
During the summer, you can find me at my grill practically 24/6. I grill anything and everything. That wasn’t always the case, but how I got here is a story for another time. It took me a good few years to perfect my grilling technique and now I am happy to be able to give it over to others. When I first started, there was a lot of trial and error. Although I had many people I could’ve asked, I made so many rookie mistakes because it didn’t even occur to me to question what I was doing. Like when I figured that making cutlets in the oven takes 20-25 minutes, so it’s gotta be the same for the grill! That’s a big one — grilling takes a fraction of that time!
Over the years, I’ve learned some tips and tricks when grilling cutlets to maximize flavor and moisture:
- For starters, you need good tongs. Officially, grill tongs are super long, but I hate those. I love my Oxo tongs which I have been using for years in my kitchen and on my grill.
- As soon as you see the rim of the chicken cutlets getting white, it’s time to flip (this can be even 2-3 minutes after you put them on).
- Don’t over-marinate the cutlets or they get rubbery when grilling. Did you know that marinating is a form of cooking?
- As soon as the chicken is done, if you are not immediately serving it, cover tightly with foil — it keeps the moisture and juices in.
- Keep chicken cutlets relatively thin — too thick and the insides don’t get cooked properly; too thin and they dry out.
- I avoid barbecue sauces as they tend to burn before the chicken is cooked.
- If you choose to grill indoors, I have tried so many grill pans over the years and recently fell in love with this All-Clad grill pan. It uses two burners, so you can grill all your food super fast!
I love to grill these chicken cutlets. I usually make some extras, as they are great eaten the next day on their own or diced in a salad.
As mentioned above, ironically I find that the grill does not like barbecue sauce. I used to think the only way to grill was by slathering loads of sauce all over my meats, burgers and chicken, but I never liked that fake smoked flavor and found the sugars from the bbq sauce would get burned so quickly. Then I discovered herb-, garlic- and mustard-based marinades, and I was hooked — especially on this grilled chicken with creamy ranch. I make many versions of these marinated meats and chickens on my grill, so bear with me — you will be seeing a lot of them over the next few months!
These sides will go well with this chicken!
Fun and Zesty Grilled Chicken with Creamy Ranch Dressing
Ingredients
Grilled Chicken Skewers
- 6 frozen basil cubes
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice
- 2 lbs. chicken cutlets, cut into 1-inch cubes (if using skewers, otherwise you can use bigger pieces)
Ranch Dressing
- 1 cup mayo
- 1 Tbsp pareve milk (I use almond milk)
- 1 tsp white wine vinegar
- ½ bunch fresh chives
- 2 tsp dried parsley
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
For the chicken skewers:
- Combine herbs, seasonings and lemon juice in a bowl. Add chicken and mix. Marinate in the fridge for about half an hour.
- Remove chicken cubes from marinade and thread onto skewers (if using).
- Preheat grill to medium-high. Grill chicken skewers for 4 minutes per side (6 if you like your chicken very well done).
- For oven-baking, preheat oven to 400℉. Place marinated chicken on a lined cookie sheet. Bake 20 minutes, flipping after 15 minutes.
For the ranch dressing:
- Blend all dressing ingredients together until smooth and creamy. Serve alongside chicken.
Notes
Recipe by Faigy Murray | https://mykitchenmystudio.com/grilled-chicken-with-creamy-ranch-dressing/
