Chicken Bacon Ranch Burgers the Real Way
Pan Fried vs Grilled - What's Your Go-To Burger Method?
Listen to the audio post now (with a few insider notes) then grab recipes and links later in the post below.
Happy May! This is the first Monday of the month which is when I will now be sending out an email to ALL subscribers with full access to a complete meal PDF including recipes all notes and audio versions. Enjoy!
Obviously, I champion real food and the ubiquitous Hidden Valley ranch dressing in the green bottle is certainly not that. The flavor of a classic fully homemade “Ranch” with it’s herby flavor and creamy base is pretty great for a number of applications. These Chicken Bacon Ranch Burgers use both the seasoning blend that flavors the dressing and the dressing itself. Together creating flavor-hyped burgers whether you serve them as a burger bowl or traditional burger.
Not in the US? Here’s What’s Up with Ranch
TLDR: Ranch is a buttermilk based creamy salad dressing that a ranch owner named Steve Henson created to get his workers to eat vegetables. (It apparently was a crew of toddlers.) If you like a good back story it’s out there but suffice it to say Ranch dressing has its own Doritos flavor and is fully embraced even by chefs (see Chef David Chang’s Chicken Bacon Ranch situation below for proof).
DIY Ranch Dressing
Since my focus is real food on a budget and I steer clear of milk, I choose to DIY. It’s easy to throw together with dried herbs, mayonnaise, almond milk and vinegar (these two ingredients sub for buttermilk). These are pantry and fridge staples so you can make it whenever the whim hits like when you’re trying to get your crew to eat veggies.
Other recipes such as
Alexandra Stafford
’s Greek Yogurt Ranch I first saw on
’s review of Alexandra’s Pizza Night Cookbook contains lemon juice, fresh herbs and uses yogurt in place of mayo and buttermilk. This will definitely be stored in my memory for when I have those herbs on hand and CocoJune coconut yogurt, my preferred dairy free brand, in my fridge.My Recs for Storebought Dressing
If you just don’t want to DIY, Primal Kitchen is one brand of bottled Ranch that I do recommend as a very clean and dairy free dressing. Most bottled dressings or dressing mixes on the market contain industrial seed oils, MSG (a hot button topic for sure) and preservatives because they are shelf stable. For those with dairy allergies, even the healthiest organic brands contain milk as a main ingredient. See Paleo in Notes below for a discount code.
The Rise of Chicken Bacon Ranch
The Chicken Bacon Ranch combination has been around for several years. I have no idea who thought up this combination but what started as a novelty pizza is now found on sandwiches, baked potatoes and of course, salads. But the kicker was David Chang’s Dinner Live on Netflix when he made Chicken Bacon Ranch Larb!! WHAT?? (Sidenote: Love it or hate it, this show is like a trainwreck and my current “Must-Watch” TV.)
I thought about recreating the larb for my Weekly Meal Plan subscribers (4 dinners, budget & time friendly with recipes, shopping list and meal prep) but ended up morphing it into a burger instead for you.
It’s Not Beef But It’s Juicy. Here’s Why.
Three reasons. One, the addition of partially cooked and chilled bacon to the burger mixture allows the fat from the bacon to slowly seep into the burger as it cooks. Two, the additional fat from shredded cheese makes the burger more “tender” instead of chewy like turkey and chicken burgers can sometimes be. Finally, pan sauteing instead of grilling keeps the juices in the burger rather than dripping through the grates. Personally, I love burgers in cast iron, no matter the meat, rather than grilled versions but have found chicken and turkey burgers especially benefit from this method. Let me know in comments which way you prefer to cook burgers.
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NOTES:
Magic Salt - This is a main ingredient in the Ranch Seasoning Blend recipe but I keep to use on everything. Mix 3 parts salt, 2 parts granulated garlic and 1 part black pepper. You can use any measuring vessel but these parts make a perfectly balanced all purpose seasoning.
Make Ahead - Mix together the chicken mixture and form patties. Cook within 2 days.
Meal Prep - These burgers are awesome for meal prep. They are so full of flavor that reheating doesn’t take anything away.
Anti DIY - Go ahead and use your favorite ranch for the condiment and use a ranch seasoning blend packet. For the cleanest versions use Simply Organic Ranch Dressing packet or Primal Kitchen bottled. (See links and discount code below in Paleo notes.
Keto - Serve as a big salad.
Paleo - Serve as a salad and use dairy free ingredients for the dressing or if you don’t want to DIY the dressing use Primal Kitchen Ranch which is dairy free or Primal Kitchen Vegan Ranch which doesn’t contain eggs. Use code RFSVIP to get 10% off your order.
Dairy Free - Use VioLife Cheddar Shreds in and slices on top of the burgers and dairy free milk in the dressing or one of the Primal Kitchen dressings above.
Other Ways to Use Ranch Seasoning Blend - Double this if you want to make extra dressing. I keep it on hand to make Ranch or even make a Vinaigrette with it for a fun twist. Use 2 tbsp of the seasoning blend to 1/2 cup mayo, 2 tbsp of milk and 2 tsp vinegar. Add more of the spice blend to taste. For Vinaigrette, use 2 tbsp seasoning blend, 2 tbsp sherry, wine or apple cider vinegar and 1/3 cup EVOO.
What to Serve with the Burgers - Since I have greens already on hand for the burgers, I might serve a side salad, but if I’m feeling less concerned about how my swimsuit will fit this summer, I love Siete Sea Salt & Vinegar Kettle Chips.
I feel silly asking, but what is Magic Salt, as listed in the ingredients for the ranch seasoning blend?
I’ve found that kefir is a great sub for buttermilk. I use it to make biscuits (and bread as well - I started baking kefir soda bread at the beginning of the pandemic) and to marinate chicken on a regular basis. Plus it’s something I drink, so why not?