Recipes with Ranch Dressing for Lunch and Dinner

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Recipes with ranch dressing remain perennially popular for dinner and lunch because they’re reliably easy, adored by all, and can spice up everyday produce and proteins. At the end of a long day when decision fatigue sets in, grab a bottle of ranch dressing and any vegetables, chicken, pork, or ground turkey you have in the refrigerator and bask in the knowledge that whatever you’re cooking with ranch dressing will get devoured happily.

Scroll to watch our video on four recipes using ranch dressing. Three out of the four recipes include chicken, which provides a neutral-tasting foundation to spotlight the zippy, tangy flavors of our ranch dressing, and all four recipes use bottled ranch dressing.

Some recipes use powdered ranch dressing packets as a dry rub for meats and seasoning for yogurt or sour cream to make dip. We prefer cooking with ranch dressing from a bottle because it adds creamy richness that you can’t get from salty powder.

How to Cook with Ranch Dressing

Can you cook with ranch dressing? Yes, and we highly recommend it. Revive sprouting potatoes, inject life into bland chicken breasts, transform a weeknight casserole, and elevate pork loin to something elegant for dinner.

Check out these ways to cook with a bottle of ranch dressing:

• Ranch roasted vegetables: Add any mostly uniform chunks of veggies to a sheet pan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and drizzle with ranch dressing. Toss with clean hands. Bake in 425ºF oven for 40 minutes for root veggies; 25 minutes for cauliflower, broccoli, or Brussels; 20 minutes for squash or bell peppers; 20 minutes for green beans or asparagus.
• Ranch-basted baked pork loin: Season pork loin with salt and pepper and place in an oven-safe baking dish. Drizzle with ranch dressing. Roast pork at 375ºF for 40–45 minutes, or until its internal temperature reaches 155ºF.
• Ranch pork chops: Place a cast iron skillet on medium-high heat. Cook the sides of the pork chops to render the fat, about one minute. Remove the pork chops and dip each side of the pork chop in ranch dressing. Turn the burner down to medium. Season both sides of the pork chops with salt and pepper. Cook the pork chops for about 4–6 minutes on each side, turning each minute for even cooking. Cook time will vary depending on thickness of the pork chops.
• Ranch fried chicken: Watch how we made Primal- and paleo-friendly fried chicken.
• Ranch baked chicken breasts: Use a similar method for Baked Caesar Chicken Breasts, only swap ranch dressing for Caesar.

4 Recipes with Ranch Dressing for Lunch and Dinner

Perhaps not quite the iconic food pairing like chocolate and peanut butter or cinnamon sugar and apples, but ranch dressing and chicken should become the next all-American flavor combo. Our three chicken recipes using ranch dressing will make you a believer.

Instant Pot Shredded Chicken with Ranch Recipe

Like black heels and red lipstick, shredded chicken matches with just about anything. Inspire myriad easy dinner recipes and leftover chicken lunch recipes by using this versatile shredded chicken recipe on pizzas, sandwiches or wraps, on salads, in tacos, stirred into soups or stews, or as filling for baked potatoes.

Time: 20 minutes

Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 4 chicken thighs, boneless and skinless
• 2 chicken breasts
• 2 Tbsp. Primal Palate Taco Seasoning
• Primal Kitchen Avocado Oil Spray
• 1 cup Primal Kitchen Ranch Dressing

Instructions

• Season both sides of all pieces of chicken with taco seasoning.
• Spray the inside of the Instant Pot bowl with avocado oil spray. Place chicken pieces inside the Instant Pot. Drizzle with ranch dressing.
• Place the Instant Pot top on and cook chicken on poultry setting, or on manual for 15 minutes. Release the pressure naturally.
• Shred chicken with two forks.

Instant Pot Shredded Chicken with Ranch Serving Ideas

Wondrous for weekly meal prep or a lifesaver for feeding a crowd, Instant Pot Shredded Chicken with Ranch reverses bland and boring. Check out our serving ideas:

• Whole30 shredded chicken tacos: Place a spoonful of the shredded chicken on top of a butter lettuce cup. Top with avocado slices, quartered cherry tomatoes, and an extra drizzle of ranch dressing.
• Shredded chicken pizza: Use a pre-made cauliflower pizza crust or sweet potato pizza crust drizzled with olive oil or avocado oil. Preheat oven to 425ºF. Remove crust from the freezer and top with shredded chicken, whole-milk mozzarella (if desired), and chopped sun-dried tomatoes. Bake pizza for 15–18 minutes, or until the crust is golden and the cheese is melted. Top with fresh baby arugula, if desired, before slicing.
• Baked sweet potatoes with shredded chicken: Preheat oven to 425ºF. Poke holes in sweet potatoes and place on a baking sheet. Bake potatoes for 45–50 minutes, or until fork tender. Remove and cool for five minutes. Cut a slit halfway through each sweet potato and load a couple of spoonfuls of shredded chicken inside. Top with more ranch dressing, chopped green onions, and fresh cilantro.

Nutrition info (per serving):

Calories: 383

Carbs: 6 grams

Fat: 26 grams

Protein: 31 grams

Nutrition info calculated using Cronometer.

Chicken Bacon Ranch Collard Wrap Recipe

This handheld salad makes an appetizing rainbow-colored multitasking lunch special. Cook the chicken and bacon ahead of time and this wrap comes together in a snap.

Time: 10 minutes

Servings: 1

Ingredients

• 2 large collard green leaves
• ½ cup chicken, cooked and cubed
• 2 slices bacon, cooked
• ¼ cup shredded carrots
• ¼ cup red bell peppers, sliced
• ¼ cup yellow bell peppers, sliced
• ¼ cup sprouts
• 2 Tbsp. Primal Kitchen Ranch Dressing, plus more for dipping

Instructions

• Cut the stem of each collard leaf and shave off the roughest part of the stem at the bottom of the leaf by angling your knife sideways and slicing downwards.
• Place each collard leaf in boiling water for 30 seconds. Remove collard leaf and place in cold water with ice for 20 seconds.
• Assemble the collard wrap: Place two prepared collard leaves on a cutting board. Add about ½ cup cooked cubed chicken, two slices cooked bacon, ¼ cup shredded carrots, ¼ cup sliced red bell peppers, ¼ cup sliced yellow bell peppers, ¼ cup sprouts. Drizzle with ranch dressing.
• Fold the wrap: Start rolling one side of the collard leaf over the ingredients while you fold in the bottom and top edges. Keep rolling the collard leaf over top of the filling while tucking in the top and bottom parts until completely wrapped.
• Cut wrap in half and serve with more ranch dressing for dipping.

Nutrition info (per serving):

Calories: 416

Carbs: 13 grams

Fat: 25 grams

Protein: 36 grams

Nutrition info calculated using Cronometer.

Wedge Salad with Ranch Dressing Recipe

Cool, creamy, salty, smoky, tangy… the iceberg wedge salad stood the test of time on steakhouse menus for good reason. Sometimes dressed with blue cheese dressing, we opt for our thick ranch dressing and a sparse spattering of blue cheese crumbles.

Time: 10 minutes

Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 1 head iceberg lettuce
• 1 cup Primal Kitchen Ranch Dressing
• 16 cherry tomatoes, quartered
• 8 slices bacon, cooked and sliced
• 4 Tbsp. blue cheese crumbles

Instructions

• Wash and dry the lettuce. Cut the lettuce in half and cut out the stem. Cut each lettuce half in half so you have four wedges.
• Place each iceberg lettuce wedge on a plate. Drizzle with a bit of ranch dressing. Add chopped cherry tomatoes, cooked bacon slices, and blue cheese crumbles. Add a bit more ranch dressing, if desired.

Nutrition info (per serving):

Calories: 423

Carbs: 13 grams

Fat: 39 grams

Protein: 10 grams

Nutrition info calculated using Cronometer. Each serving contains 4 Tbsp. Primal Kitchen Ranch Dressing (use less or more as you like).