Ranch Grilled Chicken

By Christian Reynoso

Published June 20, 2025

Ranch Grilled Chicken
Con Poulos for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Total Time
About 1 hour
Prep Time
10 minutes
Cook Time
25 minutes plus 30 minutes’ marinating
Rating
5(72)
Comments
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Rich and creamy, herbaceous and garlicky, homemade ranch dressing serves as a marinade for chicken that gets charred on the grill outside, or in your kitchen on a grill pan. To freshen things up, make a crunchy, lemony radish salad with the same herbs used in the dressing, bringing the flavors back full circle. You can use the radish greens too, but if they aren't in their tender prime, try another leaf like arugula or butter lettuce. For a starchy moment, serve this with grilled or fresh bread.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings
  • 1cup plain full-fat Greek yogurt
  • 1medium bunch chives
  • 1medium bunch dill 
  • 2small garlic cloves, finely grated or chopped
  • 1small shallot, finely chopped
  • 1½ teaspoons Dijon mustard
  • 4tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided, plus more for the grill grates  
  • 1lemon, halved
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1¾ to 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs, patted dry
  • 2bunches radishes, trimmed, leaves separated
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

469 calories; 26 grams fat; 7 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 13 grams monounsaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 9 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 5 grams sugars; 48 grams protein; 923 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Make the ranch dressing: Add the yogurt to a medium bowl. Finely chop half of the chives and half of the dill and add to the bowl along with garlic, shallot, mustard and 2 tablespoons oil. Juice half the lemon into the bowl, whisk to combine and season with salt and pepper to taste.

  2. Step 2

    Place the chicken in a second medium bowl, season with salt and pepper, add half the dressing and toss to coat. Cover and let marinate in the fridge for 30 minutes and up to a day ahead (if making a day ahead, refrigerate the remaining dressing as well).

  3. Step 3

    About 15 minutes before you’re ready to grill, take the chicken out of the fridge. Prepare an outdoor grill: Lightly oil the grates with a paper towel dipped in oil. Heat the grill to medium-high and once hot, place the chicken on the grates and cook, covered, until lightly charred and it releases easily from the grates, 5 to 8 minutes. Flip the chicken and grill until the chicken is cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes more. Transfer to a cutting board. (Alternatively, see Tip to cook indoors on a grill pan).

  4. Step 4

    When ready to serve, chop or slice the radishes – it’s OK if they are irregularly shaped. If the radish greens are sprightly and worth eating (taste a piece), add them to a bowl along with the radishes. Roughly chop or tear the remaining herbs and add to the bowl, pour in the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, and juice the remaining lemon half over. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cut the chicken into bite-size pieces. Serve the salad with the chicken and remaining ranch dressing.

Tip
  • To cook on a grill pan, lightly coat the pan with oil, then heat over medium-high. Once the pan is fully heated, place the chicken in the pan and cook, flipping halfway through, until cooked through and nicely browned with some char, 12 to 14 minutes. Make sure the chicken thighs are arranged at least 1 inch apart; if they don’t have enough room, cook in batches.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
72 user ratings
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Comments

Carl B.

I like the idea of this, but I need more direction (I am NOT a good improviser). What is a “medium bunch”? Half cup chopped of dill and quarter cup chopped of chives?

Eve

Do not use the marinade that had the raw chicken in it over the cooked chicken. Make enough extra marinade to use at the end.

Alina B.

Made this for dinner tonight pretty much as written, using an entire bunch of radishes (roots and leaves) for the salad, and herbs that I grew in my garden. Delicious and easy!

Fred S. Markham

Made this without the salad part. Use a lot more garlic and the whole bunches of dill and chives. It was excellent!

Linds

I loved this! Comes together quickly if you make the dressing/marinade the chicken the night before. (I used sour cream instead of greek yogurt because I had it handy.) To me, this is elevated enough to serve to company thanks to the flavor, textures, and colors— beautiful caramelization/grill marks against creamy dressing, crunchy cool red radishes, and herby lemony greens. The only thing I screwed up was not quite washing my radish greens well enough— a little gritty : / I am new to grilling and found this easy to follow. I recommended this to my parents and I am not sure if they like radishes— could be great with thinly sliced carrots and arugula too.

Cara A.

Added cucumbers and sugar snap peas to the radishes — delicious!

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