Ranch Chicken Burgers

{originally published in 2012 and updated in 2024}

These are possibly the most-repeated dish from the blog. We’ve been having these since using a grill pan in our apartment way back when and now have them regularly in the spring and summer. They’re so good and such a crowd-pleaser.

Ranch Chicken Burgers
Ingredients: (for 4)

1 pound ground chicken
1 packet dried ranch dressing/dip mix (~2 teaspoons)
3 tbs ranch dressing
4 rolls

Directions:
Preheat the grill.
Mix together the ground chicken, ranch mix, 1 teaspoon of ranch dressing – reserving the rest for topping.
Form into 4 patties.

Sprinkle with salt & pepper then grill until cooked through 165-degrees being careful not to flip too often. These cook well on a griddle.
Serve on buns with more ranch and any toppings you like!
Enjoy!

We have these often but hadn’t yet this year. The kiddos didn’t remember them and each ate it all! There’s the lesson – repeat a previous dinner, nobody remembers how often you serve something! We each added ranch on the buns and these are great with lettuce, tomato, pickles, or anything! I think the kids add ketchup.

Chicken, Bacon & Ranch Meatballs

These are tried and true flavors in our house so they became meatballs! They’re balanced and not overwhelming in the bacon or ranch flavors.

We had them with mashed potatoes and brussels sprouts. The big guy discovered as mastery in pealing and is ready for anything with a peal-able skin.

Chicken, Bacon & Ranch Meatballs
Ingredients:

16 oz ground chicken
1 egg
~2-3 strips of bacon, cooked, chopped and fully cooled
2 teaspoons ranch powder
1 garlic clove, minced/1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
salt & pepper
oil for frying

Directions:
Preheat a large skillet to low-medium heat.
Mix together the ground chicken, egg, bacon, ranch, garlic, breadcrumbs, and salt & pepper.

Raise the temperature for the skillet to medium and add vegetable oil.
Preheat the oven to 350-degrees.
Form into balls and gently pan fry for about 3 minutes on each side.
Keep warm in the oven to finish cooking, check that the internal temperature gets to >165 degrees.

Enjoy!

We liked this meal. With 3 items it usually is safe to assume the kids will like 2 out of 3, which is good enough. The little girl always likes meatballs so she was into those the most. The big guy was the one who asked for brussels sprouts and he made the mashed potatoes so those two were his fav!

Mexican Chicken Salad

This is the perfect use of leftovers from taco night. I mixed up shredded chicken with part mayo and part avocado before adding corn and black beans. Customize it with any add ins from the leftovers!

It is great scooped up with chips or on a roll! It even keeps pretty well.

Mexican Chicken Salad
Ingredients: (for 2 servings)

1 1/2 cups shredded chicken
1 small avocado
2 tablespoons mayo
1 teaspoon taco seasoning
1/4 cup corn
1/4 cup black beans

Directions:
Mix together the chicken, avocado, mayo, and taco seasoning. Gently mix in the corn and black beans.

Serve with tortilla chips or on a bun. Top with pickled onions or jalapeños or cilantro or tomatoes and spice it up as you like.

This was so good. I refrigerated a portion to see how it was the next day – survey says: yup! It was good! I squeezed some lime to wake it up and loosen it up. The avocado isn’t the same green the next day, but the whole thing didn’t look as sad as old guac.

Honey Mustard Lettuce Wraps

This is so so easy, and we all can use some easy ones, right? I will preface that the kids were meh on this but I attribute that to being ohh-so-tired after a busy day at the playground and meeting friends at the pool.

The Three Bite Rule - Honey Mustard Lettuce Wraps

There are all the ways in the world to customize this. I mostly see lettuce wraps with sesame/teriyaki flavors and wanted something totally different. These are honey mustard and pickles. Ranch and bacon would of course be crowd pleasers here. Caesar and cukes would be fun too!

Honey Mustard Lettuce Wraps
Ingredients (serves 4):

24 oz package Popcorn Chicken (or any breaded chicken cut up)
1 head bibb lettuce
1/4 cup honey mustard dressing
1/4 cup pickles (I did some with bread & butter pickles & some with dill pickles)
1 small tomato
additional toppings: avocado, cheese, pickled onions

Directions:
Cook the chicken according to the package (mine needed 18 minutes in the air fryer)

The Three Bite Rule - Honey Mustard Lettuce Wraps

While the chicken in cooking, chop the pickles and tomatoes to become a relish.
Allow the chicken to cool a bit just to a not-hot temp.
Toss the chicken in about half the dressing.
Assemble the lettuce wraps with chicken, pickle topping, more dressing if desired, and any other toppings!
Enjoy!

The Three Bite Rule - Honey Mustard Lettuce Wraps

If it is hard for little hands, use a tortilla instead, or put the whole thing inside a tortilla. I chopped the chicken into bite-size pieces for the kids.

I’d totally make these again. Maybe another day or another flavor would work as a dinner when the stars align. I don’t count them out one time. These are so easy that these could also be a quick lunch or a solo-dinner as you can make as much or as little as you need. I’m on my way to make another version to be my lunch today!

Tomato Basil Chicken

{originally published in 2015 and updated in 2023}

When I originally made this, I breaded the chicken and this time around I wanted to update it with grilled chicken. I served it over pasta (these kids love love love pasta) and would also be happy to serve it over parmesan orzo like the first time around.


Grilled chicken felt so fitting to top with tomatoes, basil, and a balsamic reduction.

Tomato Basil Chicken
Ingredients: (for 4 servings)
4 chicken thighs
2 tablespoons Italian Seasonings
1 large tomato
~6 basil leaves
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 tbs balsamic reduction
2 tablespoons parmesan cheese

Directions:
Marinate the chicken in the seasoning, salt, and pepper and preheat the grill.
Grill the chicken to cook through fully.
Chop the tomatoes and basil. Add the olive oil, a sprinkle of salt and pepper, and stir.


Serve the chicken with a few spoonfuls of the tomato basil mixture.
Enjoy!

Pan frying cutlets was really good last time, but both the patience and mess doesn’t feel worth it, especially during the season of fresh tomatoes and fresh basil.


The balsamic reduction is from the grocery store lasts forever and is great on salad or sandwiches. Reducing balsamic is easy too.