Update: November 1, 2015
I finally made this recipe, with the one amendment of using a drizzle of oil rather than cooking spray on top of the breaded chicken. That worked out okay. My criticism is that there is just too much Ranch flavor in every part of this dish. I also discovered how much sugar there is in the ranch dressing mix; I did not like the pervasive sweetness.
This is one of those recipes we never made before, and as I look at it now, I think it ought to be revised. Maybe, after removing chicken from marinade, one might dip it into beaten egg and then into the crumb mixture. And rather than spraying perfectly good chicken with non-stick cooking spray, drizzle it with a little pure olive oil, the way my grandmother would’ve. (I would write these things in, except for the fact that I haven’t made the recipe yet, with or without amendments.)
10 (about 3 pounds) chicken drumsticks
1 ¼ cups cultured buttermilk
3 envelopes Ranch salad dressing mix
½ cup plain dried breadcrumbs
½ cup corn flake crumbs
1 ¾ small new potatoes
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Remove skin from drumsticks. In large, resealable plastic bag combine buttermilk and 1 envelope Ranch dressing mix. Add drumsticks, making sure all get covered by the marinade, and refrigerate at least 3 hours, up to overnight.
Heat oven to 425°. Line a roasting pan with aluminum foil, then spray with nonstick cooking spray. In a wide, shallow pan, combine bread crumbs, corn flake crumbs, and 1 envelope Ranch dressing mix. Remove drumsticks from marinade; shake off excess. Coat with crumb mixture, place in pan, then spray them with cooking spray.
In a second roasting pan, toss potatoes, oil, and remaining Ranch dressing mix. Bake on the bottom rack with chicken on top rack for 30 min. or until drumsticks internal temperature is 180°. Stir potatoes after 15 min.
Recipes out of the Blond Box 