Tuesday Night Dinner at the Tank's!

I have a few items that I keep in my pantry no matter what. They're a little different than the normal pantry staples, but you just never know when you'll be inspired to create something new for dinner.  I'm back on a cooking kick (somewhere my husband is doing his happy dance) and I looked to my two most favorite pantry items for tonight's dinner:

Chipotle in Adobo

Ranch dip mix packets

Some of my favorite recipes with these babies:
Veggie Dip
Spicy Beef
Chipotle Pork Chops
Ranch Potatoes

I decided to combine the two and create baked Chipotle Ranch Chicken.  I'll also be using these two ingredients to make Chipotle Ranch chicken taquitos for my October freezer meal ;), so stay tuned!

Chipotle Ranch Chicken
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, sliced in half lengthwise
2 tbsp ranch dip mix
1-2 canned chipotles in adobo, diced with their sauce
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 -2 tsp olive oil

For the topping:
1 tbsp chipotle seasoning mix (I use this version that I found at my local supermarket)
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
1/4 cup shredded cheese - I used a reduced fat Mexican blend

Combine dip mix, chipotles, lemon juice, and olive oil.  Drizzle mixture over chicken breasts and cover well.  Lay chicken on a baking sheet (I sprayed it with cooking spray to prevent it from sticking).  In a small bowl mix ingredients for the topping.  Using your hands press breadcrumb mixture on top of each breast.  Bake in the oven at 350 until chicken is cooked through and topping is browned lightly.  I served my chicken with buffalo flavored rice and green beans!

Ready for the oven! 

To freeze:
Coat chicken breasts in chipotle ranch mixture and place into freezer safe bags.  You could also chunk the chicken and freeze, instead of using cutlets.  I would use the chunked chicken to serve over rice with black beans and corn!

To reheat:
Thaw chicken overnight in the fridge and follow recipe above for cooking instructions.  If using chunked chicken, pan saute or grill.   

Stay healthy!