ghetto chicken

[Debzzzbee]

I made this up years ago when I was broke and had to feed my family with items I had on hand. All I had when I opened the fridge & cabinets one day was:

-  a pack of chicken breasts
-  ranch dressing
-  1/2 a bag of RedHot BB-Q chips

 * I also had ketchup and olives, but this recipe doesnt call for them.

Basically I coated the chicken first with ranch dressing, then in some crushed-up potato chip crumbs.
Then baked it in a 350-400 degree oven for about 20-25 mins. They ate the HELL out of it and wanted more! It sounds very bland & plain to do this with chicken, it must have been the combination of the ranch and the hot chips *not regular BBQ chips, but the super-hot kind in the red bag.
I have made this over and over since that day, and only get compliments when I use those kind of chips and HiddenValley ranch. Everyone loves this and asks me what its called....and the ony thing I can think of when I recall how desperate I was back then when I thought it up is  "ghetto chicken" 

These days I serve it with greens or black-eyed peas and rice. 

[UkeBoy]

Sounds good...I made a chicken dish similar to yours once...I used olive oil to coat the birds and rolled them in crushed up Cap'n Crunch.  It was scrumptious 

[Stephannie]

Very creative recipe...

 but the name leaves something to be desired.  I work with low-income families (and being from one myself) don't like the term "ghetto"-- its offensive.

[Debzzzbee]

Im sorry.
I didnt mean to offend anyone, in any way whatsoever; that is not in my nature and not how I treat people. So I truly apologize if my post offended you. I come from 'low-income' myself....and still working my way up to get above the federal guidelines of what is considered poverty-level income.
I work 40 hrs. week, single parent (no child support) and I  can pay my rent, pay my bills, feed my kid, and keep a car running....so I consider myself Lucky. And Im proud of that.
And I still make & eat 'g----- chicken'  Its one of my favorite dishes.    So Im still poor...but proud. And Im happy to hear that you work with low-income familys because not many people really care about them, I should know because I,ve been poor all my life and never got any help...until I realized that nobody really cares....so I helped myself !! Its called motivation. Nobody 'wants' to be poor...but there is such a thing as personal responsibility and nobody really has to be poor unless they want to.
I got sick of eating dirt so I did something about it. You cant rely on anyone but yourself sometimes, and thats how I felt the days I was so damn broke I had to make up something to eat to feed my family with the few ingredients I had on hand. And I did live in the ghetto....or a poor area...or a low-income area...or whatever politically correct way of saying that is now these days. I dont know. Im old school...or just old. But I do apologize for using that word, Im ignorant sometimes on what might offend someone. But I thank you for posting your opinion and letting me know that I offended you, it has made me think about the way I word things from now on.

[Stephannie]

Thank you for your reply.  I usually get defensive people that wont even consider what I say.    But really-- very creative.  I would have never thought to put those ingredients together.  We should share some recipes.. I made a homemade cook book for my clients and the recipes in it dont cost more than 4 dollars per person.

[fabfairhope]

So do you use the packets of dry ranch dressing mix and sort of dredge the chicken in it first, then in the crushed chips??  Just want to be sure if I'm supposed to mix up the dressing per directions first, then dredge in chips...my husband and 2 boys would love love love this!  And my 5 yr old could actually help me make it...it'd be fun for him to get to crush up chips on purpose!!!!   I'm thinking if he got to help cook it that he might be more likely to EAT IT!  (Been having trouble with him trying new foods)

[FluffyMonkey]

is it spicy after it's cooked? i don't do well with spicy food, but i do like chicken and i could use some tasty recipes!

[laureg]

that recipe sounds great!

i made a casserole i like to call "trashy broccoli", because it has got to be one of the unhealthiest treatments of broccoli around short of being deep fried (it's not deathly, but still... all the stuff together)

parboil some broccoli florets in salted water, drain and set aside or, chop the broccoli up REALLY finely, and skip the parboiling.

mix together mayonnaise, grated sharp cheddar, and some pepper. stir in the broccoli.

the additions are what make it great. i like to add in 1/2 a jar of hormel real bacon bits. i also like to top it with crushed up saltines and sometimes frenchfried onion strips. a plain salted potato chip topping would likely taste great, too. bake until hot and bubbly and top is browned (about 30-45 min at 350)

people just seem to go crazy for this stuff!

[FluffyMonkey]

I made your ghetto chicken for my husband, roommate, and myself tonight and we loved it! We ate every crumb.

We did make one change though: because I'm gluten intolerant, I couldn't have the red hot chips, so we used normal bbq chips. I think it was still great!

[Kristen81]

This sounds bloody awesome!  I'm totally making this!  Thanks for the recipe.