Meal prepping is supposed to make life easier, so when I meal prep I make sure to keep it SIMPLE. I use the same simple formula (protein + 2 vegetables + sauce) and change up the seasonings and sauces each time to make it new. Today’s Ranch Chicken Meal Prep is the perfect example of this formula in action. It has simple pan-fried chicken breast, roasted potatoes and broccoli, and a little ranch dressing on top. Simple to prepare and delicious to eat! 🙌
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What’s in This Meal Prep
This meal prep starts with humble chicken breasts seasoned with garlic herb seasoning (you can use homemade or store-bought), with Parmesan roasted potatoes and roasted frozen broccoli on the side, plus a little ranch dressing to drizzle over top of everything. It’s simple, satisfying, and super flexible, so you can make it meet your needs.
Substitutions and Add-ins
As I mentioned above, this meal prep is super flexible. Maybe you want to add a little more to make it extra fancy, or maybe you want to swap out one of the ingredients for something you like better. Here are some ideas for substitutions and add-ins if you want to take this recipe and run with it!
- Add shredded cheddar cheese and bacon bits for a little more flavor.
- Double up on the chicken or add a scoop of cottage cheese for extra protein.
- Swap out the roasted potatoes for rice or couscous cooked in chicken broth.
- Turn it into a salad: use fresh broccoli and swap the roasted potatoes for a bed of greens. Add any other fresh vegetables of your choosing.
- Use boneless chicken thighs in place of the breasts for extra tender meat.
- Add a dollop of hummus and a couple of sliced grape tomatoes.
- Swap the roasted broccoli for creamed spinach or creamed kale.
How to Store and Reheat Ranch Chicken Meal Preps
For the best flavor and texture, consume your ranch chicken meal preps within four days of preparing and make sure to store the ranch dressing separately. Keep the meal preps refrigerated until ready to eat, then reheat in the microwave for 1-2 minutes on high, or until heated through. Pour the ranch dressing over top, then enjoy.
What Containers do You Use?
For this meal prep, I used my favorite 3-cup rectangular Pyrex containers and small metal dipping cups for the ranch dressing. The dipping cups are taller than the depth of the glass container, so I do carry them separately. The cups are shown in the containers in the photos here just to make them all fit in the frame!
Ranch Chicken Meal Prep
Servings 4Ingredients
- 2 lbs. russet potatoes ($1.42)
- 1/3 cup grated Parmesan ($0.48)
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder ($0.05)
- 1/4 tsp paprika ($0.03)
- 3 Tbsp cooking oil, divided ($0.12)
- 1/2 tsp salt, divided ($0.05)
- 1/4 tsp pepper ($0.05)
- 1 lb. broccoli florets* ($3.49)
- 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast ($4.99)
- 1 Tbsp garlic herb seasoning ($0.30)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Clean and dice the potatoes into ¾" pieces.
- In a small bowl, combine the Parmesan, garlic powder, paprika, and ¼ tsp salt. Place the diced potatoes in a bowl, drizzle with 1 Tbsp cooking oil and the seasoned Parmesan, then toss until evenly coated.
- Spread the potatoes out over a parchment-lined baking sheet then transfer to the oven. Roast for 30 minutes, or until golden brown and crispy, stirring once halfway through.
- Place the broccoli florets in a bowl and drizzle with 1 Tbsp cooking, and add a ¼ tsp salt and pepper. Toss until the broccoli is evenly coated.
- Spread the broccoli out onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and roast in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes, or until browned on the edges, stirring once halfway through.
- While the vegetables are roasting, prepare the chicken. Fillet the chicken breast into two thinner pieces to help them cook faster and more evenly. Season both sides of the chicken with garlic herb seasoning.
- Heat a large skillet over medium. Once hot, add 1 Tbsp cooking oil and swirl to coat the surface. Add the chicken breasts and cook for about 5-6 minutes on each side or until well browned and cooked through.
- Remove the chicken to a cutting board and let rest for five minutes. Sliced the chicken breast into strips.
- Divide the roasted potatoes, broccoli, and sliced chicken between four meal prep containers. Fill four small dressing containers with 2 Tbsp ranch dressing each. Refrigerate the meal preps until ready to eat!
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Equipment
Notes
Nutrition
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How to Make Ranch Chicken Meal Prep – Step by Step Photos
Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Clean and dice 2 lbs. russet potatoes into ¾” pieces. In a small bowl, combine ⅓ cup grated Parmesan, ½ tsp garlic powder, and ¼ tsp salt. Drizzle 1 Tbsp cooking oil over the potatoes, then add the seasoned Parmesan, and toss until the potatoes are evenly coated.
Spread the seasoned potatoes out over a parchment-lined baking sheet in a single layer.
Roast the potatoes in the preheated 400ºF oven for about 30 minutes, or until golden brown and tender, stirring halfway through.
Once the potatoes are in the oven, start preparing the broccoli. You can use fresh or frozen broccoli here. Place 1 lb. broccoli florets in a bowl (no need to thaw if using frozen). Drizzle 1 Tbsp cooking oil over top and add ¼ tsp salt and pepper. Toss to coat.
Roast the broccoli in the preheated 400ºF oven for about 20 minutes, or until brown and crispy on the edges, stirring once halfway through.
While the vegetables are in the oven, prepare the chicken breast. Fillet one pound of boneless-skinless chicken breast into two thinner pieces (this helps them cook quickly and evenly). Season the chicken on both sides with about 1 Tbsp garlic herb seasoning (store-bought or homemade).
Heat a skillet over medium. Once hot, add 1 Tbsp cooking oil and swirl to coat the surface. Add the seasoned chicken breast and cook for about 5-6 minutes on each side or until browned and cooked through.
Remove the chicken to a clean cutting board and allow to cool for about 5 minutes before slicing.
Divide the potatoes, broccoli, and sliced chicken between four containers. Fill four small dressing containers with about 2 Tbsp ranch dressing each. Refrigerate until ready to eat!
When ready to eat, reheat your meal prep in the microwave for 1-2 minutes on high, or until heated through. Drizzle the ranch dressing over top and enjoy!
Made this recipe for my work lunches, and it turned out great! I had some ranch powder and added that to the potatoes and chicken, it added great flavor. The food kept well in the fridge and is going to be made again in the future.
I don’t usually leave reviews on food but this is SO good! I’ve been making this on repeat and as a college athlete this saves me so much time and it tastes good too!
Can this be frozen?
You should be able to!
Iam going to try this
Does the calorie count include the ranch dressing?
Thanks
It does not!
How long does it last in the refrigerator? Can I do enough to last a week or enough for a few days
I’d consume your ranch chicken meal preps within four days of preparing and make sure to store the ranch dressing separately.
What size are the containers?
3 cup. :)
Recipe is awesome! Simple which I love as far as food prepping goes. Only thing I’d like to add, the food cost you calculated is far from correct in this day and age. Not sure if you meant per serving or in general. There is no where you can buy 3 pounds of chicken for 4.99.
The recipe says 1 pound for 4.99.
Loved this. I roasted things together since I didn’t make it for meal prep. Also, the paprika is missing from the picture steps.
I’ve made this several times and it’s one of my favorite meal preps! It’s so tasty and satisfying I could eat it everyday.
Lol this takes waaay longer than 20 min prep time. In total, I think this recipe maybe took me 3-4 hours?? It’s good, but wish the prep time and total time was more accurate.
The times were on point for me.