Last week I was non-blog-meal planning and realized there is a severe shortage of chicken breast recipes out there. There’s a ton of chicken recipes using chicken breasts, but a lot of them call for chopping, shredding, or altering them in some way first. When chicken-dinner-time is of the essence I don’t want to do a whole lot to get a great meal on the table, which is why I came up with Crunchy Stuffed Buffalo Chicken Breasts with Ranch Roasted Potatoes!
Pockets sliced into the side of chicken breasts (which takes like, 5 seconds) are stuffed with a mixture of crumbly feta cheese and crispy green onions then slathered with homemade buffalo hummus and topped with crunchy gluten-free (or regular!) bread crumbs being being baked. Since every good dinner needs a great side dish, chopped red potatoes are tossed with homemade Ranch Dip Seasoning Mix then roasted at the same temperature as the chicken. The WHOLE THING is ready in 30 minutes. YES!
I mean, buffalo and ranch go together like, well, meat and potatoes. Ding, ding, ding!!
If you’ve never had roasted chicken breasts before then you’re in for a treat. They stay super juicy and the pop of flavor from the melty feta cheese and green onions in the center is just what plain chicken needs to give it a little somethin’ somethin’. The breakout star of this dish though is the roasted ranch potatoes.
CAN’T STOP WON’T STOP.
I had the leftovers out to feed Lincoln for dinner on Saturday night and my Dad started picking at them. Hey, what are these? Dad get a fork. Hey, wow, these are really good! Dad! Mitts off! I’ll just have a few more… Yoink. Game over.
That is to say they are tremendous. I was going to toss red potatoes with store-bought ranch dip seasoning mix but learned it has MSG in it which I’m just like, dude, no. Why? The homemade stuff takes 1 minute to mix together and you’ll never know the difference. Roasted to a dark-golden, ultra-toasty state, these potatoes will rock your world!
Start by making the aforementioned homemade Ranch Dip Seasoning Mix. Speaking of great blogger friends – this recipe is from Ali at Gimme Some Oven who lives in Kansas City and with whom I got to hang out with all ChoppedCon long – SUCH a treat! We met several years ago and became instant friends. Love her to pieces and not just because her homemade Ranch dip seasoning mix is on point or because she has the cutest dog ever named Henry that I held hostage in my arms for an hour on Friday night. Ahem. Anyway I halved her recipe, which calls for seasonings and spices including dill weed, chives, garlic powder, onion powder, etc and then added a bit more salt.
Add the seasonings to 2lbs chopped red baby potatoes with 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil then toss with your hands to evenly coat and spread out onto a nonstick sprayed, foil lined baking sheet.
Pop into the oven then roast for 15 minutes at 425 degrees. Honestly I could smell these spices coming to life the instant the heat hit ’em in the oven.
Meanwhile, prep the crunchy stuffed buffalo chicken which will roast at the same temperature as the potatoes. Cut pockets into the sides of 4 chicken breasts then place them on another nonstick sprayed, foil lined baking sheet. Stuff the pockets with a mixture of 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese and 2 chopped green onions then press down firmly on the tops of the chicken breasts to make them as flat as possible. Pat dry then season liberally with salt and pepper.
Next mix the homemade buffalo hummus that’s not only going to season the chicken with a mouthwatering buffalo flavor, but also act like glue to keep the crunchy bread crumbs on top. Mix together 1/4 cup regular hummus with 2 Tablespoons buffalo wing sauce (not hot sauce,) and 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or more or less.) Sabra actually has a buffalo style hummus but I couldn’t find it at the grocery store so I just made my own!
Spread the tops and sides of the chicken with buffalo hummus (it will melt off if slathered on too thick,) then sprinkle either 1/2 cup pulverized Rice Chex to make gluten-free breadcrumbs, or 1/4 cup panko bread crumbs on top. Finally, add a heavy dash smoked paprika to the top of each chicken breast then mist or spray with extra virgin olive oil or nonstick spray.
Pop the chicken into the oven with the potatoes then roast for 15-20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and potatoes are roasty toasty. Serve with extra buffalo hummus for dipping, then dig in!
Crunchy Stuffed Buffalo Chicken Breasts with Ranch Roasted Potatoes
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts 6-8oz each
- 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
- 2 green onions chopped
- salt and pepper
- 1/4 cup hummus
- 2 Tablespoons buffalo wing sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper or more or less
- 1/2 cup Rice Chex pulverized OR 1/4 cup GF panko-style bread crumbs
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika optional
For the Ranch Roasted Potatoes:
- 2 lbs red potatoes chopped
- 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 Tablespoon dried parsley
- 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh chives OR 1/2 teaspoon dried chives
- 3/4 teaspoon dried dill weed
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon dried onion flakes
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees then line two baking sheets with foil, spray with nonstick spray, and then set aside. Toss potatoes with oil and seasonings in a large bowl then spread out onto one of the prepared baking sheets and roast for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, combine feta and green onions together in a small bowl then set aside. Mix hummus with buffalo wing sauce and cayenne pepper in another small bowl then set aside. Cut a pocket into the side of each chicken breast then place on second prepared baking sheet. Stuff each pocket with a quarter of the feta/green onion mixture then press down firmly on top to make sure chicken breasts are as flat as possible. Pat the chicken dry, season the tops liberally with salt and pepper, and then spread the buffalo hummus all over the chicken (if you spread it on too thick it will melt off in the oven.) Sprinkle each chicken breast with a quarter of the pulverized rice chex or panko bread crumbs, sprinkle smoked paprika on top, and then mist or spray tops with extra virgin olive oil or nonstick spray.
- Place chicken into the oven after the potatoes have been roasting for 15 minutes then roast the chicken and potatoes together for 15-20 minutes or until potatoes are golden brown and chicken is cooked through (potatoes will roast for 30 minutes total.)
Nutrition
This is such a simple yet flavor-packed dinner to make any night of the week. I just love that you can bake a full meal at the same temperature in under 30 minutes. Repeater, for sure (and oh, those potatoes!) Enjoy!
Lisa 11.04.2014
Love your recipes! Keepp the good work!
Chinatown Hops | Barr & Table 11.03.2014
[…] – Crunchy stuffed buffalo chicken with ranch roasted potatoes & broccoli Monday – Lemon tarragon turkey burgers with baked onion rings Tuesday – […]
Jim 11.02.2014
Love your recipes & the links — but, Why is it that every time I print what should be a one page recipe, I get a second page with a header, footer and one line — usually “Recipe by ….. ??? It is such a waste of paper is there a way to correct this ? Thank you, Jim
BTW, can’t wait to try that Crunchy Stuffed Buffalo Chicken Breast with Ranch Roasted Potatoes. I think the Potatoes are on for tonight.
Kristin 11.03.2014
Hey Jim, I’m sorry to hear the recipe print option is causing you trouble! Can you tell me which recipe is printing on two pages when you think it should be on just one? The directions for this recipe go down to page two which makes me think you’re talking about a different recipe. Thanks!
Five Things Friday 10/31 | Chelcie's Food Files 10.31.2014
[…] this meal from Iowa Girl Eats has my brother’s name written ALL OVER IT. […]
Joan 10.31.2014
I cooked the chicken last night (not the potatoes). The chicken was great, and I loved that it was so quick and easy!
Beth 10.29.2014
I made this tonight and asked my husband if he thought it was going to be good as I put everything in the oven. He said, “Heck yea! It’s from Iowa Girl, right? It’s gonna be spectacular!”. And it was! Thanks again for another fresh dinner idea. And a special thanks, because I’m 9 weeks pregnant and can’t stomach very many things right now but this totally agreed with me.
Emily 10.29.2014
Kristin, dumb question but: I don’t need to pound the chicken breasts like I normally do, right?
Kristin 10.29.2014
Not a dumb question at all! You’re right – you do not need to pound the chicken breasts like you’d normally do if you were just sauteing them. Great question!
Emily 10.29.2014
Thanks! I made them tonight and they were DELISH! I had leftover feta (from buffalo chicken meatballs!) and green onions (from enchiladas!) so this was a perfect way to use them up!
Chelsea @ Designs on Dinner 10.29.2014
Ranch powder is one of the few mixes I always buy instead of make (I’m actually not an MSG hater), but now that I know how easy it is to make, I might have to try it!
Danielle 10.29.2014
I made this for the man and I last night and we were both SO HAPPY about it. It’s definitely going into the normal dinner rotation. I have never cooked with hummus before but I loved giving that a shot…Have you made other ‘sauces’ before with hummus and tried cooking with them? I’m imagining some kind of version of this gone greek, by adding kalamata olives to the stuffing and switching the hot sauce for balsamic on top with the hummus? And then maybe skipping the panko? I would love to see future recipes cooking with hummus! :)
Kristin 10.29.2014
So glad you guys liked it, Danielle! I have lots of other recipes using hummus, a few involving the Mediterranean flavors you’re describing. Here they all are! https://iowagirleats.com/recipes/?search_term=hummus&ui=402
Miss @ Miss in the Kitchen 10.28.2014
This is my kind of dinner! So much flavor. I was sorry to not get the chance to meet you at the conference, I saw you and was hoping to talk with you but I had to leave right after the conference. Maybe next time!
Amanda 10.28.2014
Made the potatoes tonight. My husband and I agreed, BEST we’ve ever had! They accompanied a slightly different version of buffalo chicken using ingredients I had on hand. Will be making frequently!
Angela 10.28.2014
Making these potatoes for dinner tonight alongside your 1-hour roast beef! Especially excited for the homemade ranch seasoning recipe – thank you!
Melissa @ Bless this Mess 10.28.2014
Seriously, what’s with the MSG? Homemade ranch is awesome and not even hard! Those tators are calling my name!
Heather 10.28.2014
I’m not one to typically leave comments, but I thought it was exciting. I’m in a facebook group for crockpot recipes that has over 18,000 members and someone just posted a link to one of your recipes. :) ive been reading for years. I hope it gains you some more readers!
Ginny 10.28.2014
This looks amazing!!! Thank you so much for making a main and a side dish that can cook at the same time in the same oven. Hard to find on a lot of other blogs. I’m so excited to try this whole meal!!
Carla 10.28.2014
I, too, made this for dinner last night. That picture had me drooling all day and it did not disappoint! In fact, my finished dish even resembled your picture (not often does that happen)! This is on my fave list. It was very easy to adjust for fewer/more servings…
Keira 10.28.2014
Made this last night and my husband and I both agree: we cant think of any other way we like chicken baked in the oven (or potatoes either!) better. This is for sure our new fave week night meal! Thank you!
Kristin 10.28.2014
Woooohoo! So glad to hear you guys loved it! :)
Mary Zamboldi 10.27.2014
Can’t wait to make this for my son when he comes home from school (MSU) for Thanksgiving weekend. Looks delish!
P.S. I see you (Ben) had on the Michigan/Michigan State game…Go Green!
Coty and Mariah@quirksandtwists 10.27.2014
Roasted potatoes are one of my weekly sides. Can’t wait to try this rendition!
Sarah 10.27.2014
um yum! This looks like a meal that me and my husband would love. Definitely putting this one on the meal planning list for next week!