Description
When you want just a little more than frozen chicken nuggets can deliver, this recipe is for you. Nearly as easy, but with homemade appeal and customization, you can always mix up the seasoning on the chicken, swap broccoli for other veg, or whip up a new sauce (our episode on How Sauces Can Save Your Weeknight cCooking is packed with ideas).
Ingredients
For the chicken:
2 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1 (1-ounce) package Ranch Seasoning and Salad Dressing Mix
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for sprinkling
2 pounds chicken tenders, or 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut crosswise into 1-inch strips
2 cups breadcrumbs
2 large heads broccoli, about 1 1/2 pounds, cut into 1 inch florets OR 2 (10-ounce) bags of pre-cut broccoli
For the sauce:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup BBQ sauce
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
Instructions
- Heat oven to 400ºF. Coat a rimmed baking sheet with olive oil. In the meantime, combine the mayonnaise, ranch seasoning, and egg in a gallon-sized zip-top bag. Seal the bag and massage until the ingredients become a mostly homogenous mixture.
- Add the chicken to the bag with the mayonnaise mixture, seal, and massage to coat each strip well.
- Transfer the breadcrumbs to another gallon-sized zip-top bag. Using tongs, transfer the chicken, piece by piece, to the breadcrumb bag. Seal and shake until the chicken is evenly coated.
- Use the tongs to transfer the coated chicken strips to the prepped baking sheet. Arrange the broccoli around the chicken and season with salt. Place the sheet pan in the oven and bake until the chicken turns golden-brown and is cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes.
- While the chicken bakes, make the sauce: Whisk together the mayo, BBQ sauce, and apple cider vinegar in a small bowl.
- Sprinkle the the warm chicken and broccoli with a final hit of salt and serve with the sauce on the side.