Keto Crack Chicken
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This keto crack chicken recipe is a weeknight family staple. It features shredded chicken breasts, crispy bacon, and a creamy ranch sauce, all topped with melty cheese. Only 2 grams net carbs!
I’ve never been someone who really plans dinners in advance. Unless I’m throwing a dinner party or hosting friends, I tend to do things on the fly.
Come 5 PM, my family can usually find me hovering around the fridge, looking for inspiration to see what I can make for dinner. If I have chicken, bacon, and cheese, you better believe I’m making crack chicken!
Table of Contents
Why I love this recipe
- It doesn’t taste low carb. I’ve made this for just about everyone in my friend group, and none of them believe me when I say it’s low-carb.
- Easy to customize. From the cheese to the mix-ins and cuts of chicken, every ingredient can be customized.
- A weeknight staple. The two things I crave most during the week are comfort foods and easy dinners…and this casserole checks both boxes.
- Convenient. Like my keto chicken casserole, this recipe is FAST, and you can even prep it 1-2 days before you need it.
- Multiple cooking methods. While the oven is my preferred method, I also tested it using the slow cooker and pressure cooker, if that’s your preference.
If you need more weeknight keto dinners, I guarantee you’ll love my keto stuffed peppers, keto pork chops, and keto pizza!
Key ingredients
- Boneless skinless chicken breast fillets. Use either four small chicken breast fillets or two large ones that have been sliced in half.
- Salt and pepper. To season the chicken.
- Garlic powder. For aroma and flavor. I used powder for convenience but fresh garlic would be even better.
- Butter. To pan-fry the chicken.
- Cream cheese. Softened to room temperature.
- Spice mix. I used a mix of onion powder, garlic powder, dried dill, dried parsley, salt, and mustard powder to make a mock ranch seasoning mix. If you have a ranch packet, use that instead.
- Bacon. I prefer thick-cut bacon for maximum crispiness.
- Olive oil. To fry the bacon.
- Cheese. I used a mix of sharp cheddar cheese and mozzarella cheese to cover the chicken before baking it in the oven.
How to make keto crack chicken
I’ve included step-by-step photos below to make this recipe easy to follow at home. For the full printable recipe instructions and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Step 1- Prep. Preheat the oven and grease a baking dish. Pound the chicken until they’re equal in thickness, then season each fillet.
Step 2- Cook the meat. Cook the bacon in an oiled skillet over medium-high heat until crispy, then remove the bacon, melt the butter, and cook the chicken until golden.
Step 3- Assemble. Place the chicken in the baking dish and pour the butter mixture on top. Stir together the cream cheese and spice mix in a bowl and pour on top of the chicken. Sprinkle the bacon and shredded cheddar cheese on top.
Step 4- Bake. Bake until the chicken is fully cooked, then serve warm and enjoy!
Arman’s recipe tips
- Only sear the chicken until golden. The oven will take care of fully cooking the chicken, and you don’t want it to overcook. Once it’s golden brown on both sides, you can remove it from the heat.
- Add a splash of chicken broth. Depending on the brand of cream cheese I’m using, sometimes the sauce can be pretty thick. If you prefer a thinner sauce, add a splash of chicken broth.
- Garnish with green onions or fresh chives for a pop of color.
Frequently asked questions
Crack chicken gets its name from the popular crack dip. It uses the same ingredients, with the addition of chicken, and something you’ll definitely request a second helping!
While chicken breasts are preferred, skinless chicken thighs can also be used.
Keto Crack Chicken
Video
Ingredients
For the chicken
- 4 small chicken breasts
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon oil
- 4 slices bacon chopped
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 6 ounces shredded cheese I use a mix of cheddar and Mozzarella
For the cream cheese filling
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/8 teaspoon celery salt
- 1/4 teaspoon dried dill
- 1/4 teaspoon mustard powder
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200C/400F. Grease a 13 x 9-inch baking dish and set it aside.
- Pound the four chicken breasts until ¼ inch in thickness. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
- Add olive oil to the non-stick pan and place over medium heat. Add the diced bacon and cook until crispy. Remove the bacon and keep the bacon grease in the pan. Add the butter and when hot, and the chicken breasts and cook 2-3 minutes per side, until golden.
- Transfer the chicken breasts into the baking dish and pour the pan juices over them.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the cream cheese and spices until combined.
- Evenly distribute the cream cheese mixture on top of each chicken breast. Sprinkle the cooked bacon on top, followed by the shredded cheese.
- Bake for 15 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the cheese has melted. Remove from the oven and serve immediately.
Wow, I had to come back to give you 5 stars! I made this chicken last night and it’s truly the best!!!! It was so late and we were hungry! Well, the recipe itself is so fast to make, just brown the chicken on the stove top and 15 minutes in the oven! It was so good! I made the mistake of not reading the full ingredient list before starting so I got to the part about Celery Salt, Dill and Mustard Powder! Oops! I didn’t have any of those, then I remembered reading some of the reviews mentioning Ranch dressing mix and the universe must have known, because I found a packet in the pantry! I used about 1/2 a packet with all the other spices, (onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper). It came out perfect! Even without any side, it was good by itself! Today, I’ve used some of the leftover and we just toasted some keto bread and made chicken sandwiches. Best chicken sandwich ever! Thank you!!!
Hi Elizabeth, thanks so much for your comment. I’m so glad you liked it, this is truly one of my favorite recipes. This would be AMAZING as a chicken sandwich too, what a great idea!
I’ve just made it, I can’t wait to taste it. The aromas from the oven are fabulous.
From Robyn, Brisbane, Australia.
I can’t wait to hear your thoughts, Robyn! 🙂
just made this but disappointing as ingredients are missing – dry mustard, cheddar cheese and mozzarella cheese – not there!
Hi Robin- the ingredients are there- the cheese wasn’t specified but I updated it 🙂
What ranch? Where is the ranch dressing information? Thank you
Hi Jo, we’re making it from scratch! The spices you need for it are listed under the cream cheese filling section on the recipe card. If you have a ranch spice mix, you can use the equivalent amount of that instead 🙂 Let us know how you go!
Hello! This is delicious but I still don’t see how much ranch mix I need to use. Can you kindly update?
Hi Michelle, the ingredients to make the ranch style sauce are included under the cream cheese filling section on the recipe card. We’re making it from scratch! But if you have a ranch spice mix, you can use that instead of the individual spices listed there.
Delicious!!!!
Thanks Kathy! We’ve had a lot of success with this dish. It’s definitely one that you keep coming back to.
Trying to find recipes for spouse on keto. This looks great. However , I must be missing something as I don’t see ranch dressing in the ingredients tho it mentions ranch in title description. Just trying to see if I am somehow not understanding the recipe.
Hi Kay! So the spices I use is to replicate the ranch dressing packet 🙂 If you have that on hand, you can use it instead 🙂