Food - Drink
Why You Should Be Marinating Your Chicken In Ranch
By SYLVIA TOMCZAK
Thanks to its blend of creamy mayonnaise and slightly sour buttermilk, ranch dressing is a great ingredient for jazzing up relatively bland meats like white meat chicken. While many of us like to dip pieces of already-cooked chicken into ranch, the dressing's flavors can soak into the meat directly when used as a marinade.
Ranch contains all the necessary elements of a good marinade (fat, acid, and seasonings) in a ready-to-use bottle, and the dressing already contains herbs and aromatics so you don't have to add much extra. The fat from the mayonnaise also helps the meat retain moisture and the acidity of the buttermilk acts as a tenderizer.
All you need to do is put pieces of chicken in a resealable bag or container with a healthy glug of ranch, ensuring that every piece is well-coated, and let them marinate anywhere from 2 to 24 hours. An extra-small piece could be ready after only 30 minutes, but we recommend at least a couple of hours to ensure optimal juiciness flavor.