Description
This Dill Pickle Chicken Bake is a flavorful and crispy chicken dish featuring boneless skinless chicken breasts coated with a tangy dill pickle ranch dressing and a parmesan breadcrumb crust, cooked to perfection in an air fryer for a quick, juicy, and delicious meal.
Ingredients
Scale
Chicken and Seasoning
- 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1 ½ pounds), sliced in half horizontally
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon paprika
Dressing and Topping
- ½ cup (120 g) dill pickle ranch dressing, plus more for serving
- 1 cup (100 g) grated Parmesan cheese, divided
- 3 tablespoons plain breadcrumbs
- Fresh dill, chopped, for garnish
Instructions
- Mix Spices: In a small bowl, whisk together the kosher salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika until well combined to create the seasoning blend.
- Season Chicken: Evenly season the chicken breasts on all sides with the prepared spice mixture, ensuring full coverage for optimal flavor.
- Prepare Dressing Layer: In a separate small bowl, combine the dill pickle ranch dressing with half of the grated Parmesan cheese (½ cup). Spread this mixture evenly over the top of each seasoned chicken breast to provide tangy moisture and flavor.
- Prepare Topping: In a third bowl, mix the remaining Parmesan cheese (½ cup) with the plain breadcrumbs. Sprinkle this breadcrumb mixture evenly over the dressing-coated chicken breasts to form a crispy crust when cooked.
- Arrange in Air Fryer: Place each prepared chicken breast into the basket of your air fryer. Depending on the size of your air fryer basket, you may cook the chicken in batches to avoid overcrowding.
- Air Fry Chicken: Air fry the chicken at 375°F (190°C) for 8 to 10 minutes, checking at 8 minutes. Cook until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C) to ensure it is fully cooked and safe to eat.
- Rest Chicken: Remove the chicken breasts from the air fryer and let them rest for 5 minutes. This allows the juices to redistribute for moist and flavorful meat.
- Garnish and Serve: Garnish the cooked chicken with freshly chopped dill and drizzle with additional dill pickle ranch dressing for extra zest before serving.
Notes
- Make sure not to overcrowd the air fryer basket to allow even cooking.
- Use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature for perfectly cooked chicken.
- If you don’t have dill pickle ranch dressing, you can mix ranch dressing with finely chopped dill pickles as a substitute.
- Letting the chicken rest after cooking helps keep it juicy.
- Breadcrumbs can be substituted with panko for a crunchier texture.
