We love this Grilled Ranch Chicken all year long. My ranch yogurt marinade is one of our favorite marinades for grilled chicken. It is one of our favorite main dishes because the chicken has so much flavor and only 5 ingredients. This easy recipe is low carb, keto, gluten-free, grain-free, sugar-free, and Trim Healthy Mama friendly.
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I buy fresh chicken tenders and freeze them in a gallon Ziploc bag with this ranch chicken marinade. When we are ready to have them for dinner I defrost and grill. My grilled ranch chicken tenders are moist, tender, flavorful, and delicious.
Trying to feed my family of 8 without breaking the bank means that I buy staples in bulk when they go on sale. Whenever I find chicken tenderloins for a good price I buy at least 3 or 4 packs. Chicken tenderloins are the perfect portion size for small children.
What is the difference between a chicken breast and a chicken tenderloin?
The tenderloin isn't a big chicken breast cut into pieces (even though you can do that in a pinch). It is the smaller piece that lies behind the breast. It really is more tender and is harder to overcook than an entire large boneless skinless chicken breast. The tenderloins tend to be a little more expensive than skinless chicken breasts but you save on time because they don't require you to cut off fat or pound thinner to make them cook evenly.
If you prefer to use boneless skinless chicken thighs go for it! Those work well in this ranch grilled chicken recipe too. You can also just cut up chicken breasts if that is your preference.
How to Make Grilled Ranch Chicken
Making this ranch chicken recipe is very easy and you do not need bottled ranch dressing. I prefer to use a blend of herbs and spices to make a homemade ranch flavor without all the additives and soybean oil found in most bottled dressings.
Simply combine yogurt with garlic, onion, dill, parsley, and salt and you have the flavors of ranch dressing for your grilled ranch chicken!
Why use yogurt in a chicken marinade?
Yogurt works well to tenderize meat. It is a common ingredient used to marinate meat in many cultures. Since yogurt is mildly acidic it naturally tenderizes the chicken. There are some carbs in yogurt but not many and when using it as a marinade vs eating a big bowl of it the carbs are minimal.
And with my homemade ranch seasoning blend, you don't need bottled Hidden Valley ranch dressing or flavoring packets.
Next up, try my delicious keto steak marinade.
Tips & Tweaks for Grilled Ranch Chicken
Garlic Ranch Chicken - Add in 2-3 minced cloves of fresh garlic to boost the garlic flavor.
Grilled Chicken Breasts - Yes, you can use this on breasts instead of tenderloins.
BBQ Ranch - Mix in a little bbq sauce to the marinade for barbecue ranch flavor.
Make-Ahead Freezer Recipes
I love having a few easy meals in the freezer for nights I don't feel like cooking. And on days I've spent hours in the kitchen developing a new recipe I'm generally tired of cooking when dinner rolls around. My freezer staples are cooked taco meat, cooked meatballs, and raw chicken tenders frozen in a marinade. I can get any of those from freezer to table in 30 minutes.
Recipes using Chicken Tenders
While we love this grilled ranch chicken recipe I do try to change things up. When I get a good deal on chicken tenderloins I stock up.
I also use chicken tenders in my Tuscan Chicken Casserole, Five Minute Garlic Parmesan Chicken Tenders, Stuffed Chicken with Asparagus & Bacon, and Bacon Wrapped Chicken Tenders with Ranch Dip.
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Ingredients
Ranch Marinade:
- ⅓ cup plain yogurt
- 1 tablespoon dried dill
- 1 tablespoon parsley
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
Grilled Ranch Chicken:
- ranch yogurt marinade
- 2.5 lbs chicken tenderloins
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients in a bowl or gallon size ziploc bag. Add 2.5 lbs of chicken tenders. Marinade in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours before grilling.
- Heat the grill to medium high. Grill the chicken for 5 minutes, flip and grill for an additional 5 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 160.
Notes
Nutrition
Originally published May 20, 2016. Updated and Republished on April 23, 2019.
Dean Reiss says
Seems like an awful high amount of sodium (615 mg) per serving. What ingredient(s) make it that high? I need to restrict my sodium intake.
Taryn says
One teaspoon of salt has 2,345 mg of sodium. Chicken also has some sodium naturally. If you omit the added salt a serving will have 240mg sodium, instead of 615. A rule of thumb when cooking is to use 1/2-1 tsp of salt per pound of meat. This actually calls for less than that. You can always adjust to your preference.
Dayna says
Could you throw the marinade and all in a crock pot? Was curious if this would work?
Taryn says
I think it would end up soupy. My suggestion would be to partially cook the chicken, drain any liquid, and then add the marinade.
TF says
Hi! Excited to try this tomorrow. Are you using fresh herbs or dried?
Taryn says
I normally just use dried. If you have fresh on hand you are welcome to use those instead.
Carol says
I'm not a big fan of the dill flavor but this looks yummy. Is there another spice I could substitute that would work? Also, if all I have are chicken breasts, do you pound them and then silce thinly?
Taryn says
You can just leave out the dill. For chicken breasts, you can slice thin or cut into strips.
Christa says
Can you put this in a air fryer if so how long
Taryn says
I'm sorry, I'm not familiar with air fryer cooking. If you look up another recipe for the cut of chicken for the air fryer I'm sure you could use this marinade instead.
Embeya says
Woooow.....Homemade!!! It’s the only thing that taste good!
I think I will look for these and try your recipe this weekend. Thank you for sharing!
Dang Thai from Embeya!
Ellen says
How do you defrost this chicken in order to get it on the table so fast? Also, can this ranch be mixed up in bulk to have on hand?
Taryn says
You can just cook these from frozen if you use the small chicken tenders. The dry ranch seasoning will keep for up to a year. When you mix in the yogurt I'd use the ranch within a week.
Noelle says
This marinade is delicious! I love all the flavors it brings to the chicken
Sandi says
Yogurt is the best secret to this recipe...my whole family loved the creaminess.
Judy says
Can this be baked instead of grilling? If so how long would you recommend to bake?
Taryn says
Yes. If you are using tenders I would bake for 15 minutes at 400 and then check them every 5 min. They cook quickly.
Wendy says
Mine was also very thick and holy moly was the flavour strong!!! I added some milk to thin it out a bit and to tone down the overpowering garlic flavour. Are the measurements correct? A tablespoon of garlic and onion powder? Also for the dill and parsley, you don't specify fresh or dried.
Taryn says
This isn't meant to be tasted on its own. The measurements are correct. This covers a lot of chicken tenders. I think my 2.5 lb package had about twenty. It is thick. I just toss the chicken in it but you could brush it on. I used dried herbs. You could use fresh if you have them.
anna says
is this plain greek yogurt?
Taryn says
Yes
KC says
so I'm assuming this is 0% plain Greek yogurt? Sorry may be dumb question...
Taryn says
Not a dumb question. Yes, I use 0% plain Greek yogurt.
Theresa Blackstone says
I'm looking forward to trying this, but I mixed it up and although it tastes great, it's so thick! Not like a traditional"marinade" at all. It's hard to imagine it really being able to infuse the chicken with flavor because it's so thick (the consistency of greek yogurt but with added "dryness" from the seasonings...) I'm trusting you that this will work, but am also wondering if anyone's ever added any extra liquid--- water? cream?
Thanks for so many tasty recipes 🙂
-Theresa
Taryn says
As long as all the chicken gets coated it will be flavorful. Just toss it until it's coated evenly.
MD says
Yay! A recipe that doesn't use obscene amount of cheese and cream etc!!! I am pretty stoked, thank you. Will definitely try this:)
Taryn says
I do love cream. And cheese. And butter too. But I have several other 'lighter' recipes if you want suggestions 😉