A creamy ranch and cream cheese stuffed filling topped with melted shredded cheese and crispy bacon that’s all keto, low carb and gluten free! Only 3g net carbs per serving in this keto crack chicken baked in the oven.
You may have come across my famous crack chicken thighs. That particular recipe is amazing but isn’t as simple and straight forward is this one. Looking for a great baked chicken recipe isn’t too hard if you aren’t keto. But to find a recipe with great protein, high fat and low carb this is the perfect choice. Crispy bacon on top of cheddar cheese in a creamy, cream cheese ranch seasoned filling right on your plate just steaming with perfection in this baked crack chicken.
How To Make Keto Crack Chicken In The Oven
Ingredients Needed
- Chicken Breast
- Cream Cheese
- Shredded Cheese
- Bacon
Ranch Seasoning Mix
- Salt
- Black Pepper
- Garlic Powder
- Onion Powder
- Dried Dill Weed
- Dried Parsley
Cooking Instructions
To start, when making this recipe you need a good ranch seasoning with that classic flavor. I created one that’s perfect in the recipe below. But, if you don’t have the ingredients, my store bought ones are either Hidden Valley or a keto approved one by select savory seasonings. Hidden Valley is the easiest to obtain from a trip to the grocery store but they use starch in it and it’s high in carbs for the serving you need.
Now, in a small bowl combine the cream cheese, shredded cheese and the ranch seasoning mix. It’s best to make sure your cream cheese is soft for easy mixing.
Next, cook and crisp up bacon then chop it up.
Then, take chicken breast and split them down the middle. This is called butterflying the chicken breast.
Season the chicken breast with salt and pepper. Then, take the cream cheese mixture and place it on one side the breast. Now, fold the other side over and secure with toothpicks.
In a large skillet on a medium heat, sear both sides of the chicken breast. You just want color that’s all. They will be cooked in the oven. This step can be skipped but it does add flavor to the breast.
Remove the toothpicks after searing. Place in a baking dish big enough to hold them. Next cover with shredded cheese and diced bacon. Then, put in oven for 20 minutes.
Lastly, remove from oven and garnish with scallions. Give time to cool because filling will be extremely hot.
Helpful Recipe Tips
- Make the homemade ranch seasoning. Seasoning vary so much, if you use hidden valley it is seasoned very well and won’t need anything else including salt but you get all the carbs. If you go with the other I recommended you may need salt and it cost quite a bit more.
- If there is leftover cream cheese mixture. When this happens I suggest spreading it across your chicken breast before adding the shredded cheese on top. No need to waste tasty filling.
- This is one recipe where baking them in a pan will benefit you. The recipe fills 3-4 chicken breast.
How To Store
Keto crack chicken in the oven works the same as any other chicken recipe. If there is too much I do suggest storing in a sealed store container for no more than 5-7 days in the fridge. You will also have good success freezing this recipe as well unlike many dairy products.
You can even make the ranch cream cheese mix and stuff the raw chicken then freeze it. In this method you can place in the oven and cook from frozen without having to thaw them.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is crack chicken?
Originally, crack chicken is shredded chicken in a crock pot that you can use as a dip or just eat it straight from a plate. The base of the chicken is a cream sauce such as cream cheese, mozzarella, mayo or sour cream. Not all together but some sort of combination of those ingredients. Ranch seasoning is used to season the cream sauce and chicken. Then, the chicken is topped with a sharp cheddar with bacon and scallions or green onions. Delicious sounding isn’t it? Multiple variations of keto crack chicken have risen along with this easy, go-to baked version.
How many carbs in crack chicken?
In a traditional crack chicken recipe the Hidden Valley ranch alone brings a ton of carbs. But, this recipe is only 3g net carbs per chicken breast making it low carb, keto friendly and gluten free.
What to eat with crack chicken in the oven?
- Casseroles
- Cauliflower Fried Rice
- Keto Mashed Potatoes
- Almond Flour Biscuits
- Keto Cornbread
- Blueberry Muffins
More Chicken Recipes You’ll Love
Oven Baked Creamy Ranch Stuffed Keto Crack Chicken
Ingredients
Crack Chicken
- 2 pounds chicken breast
- 8 ounces cream cheese
- 1 cup shredded cheese
- 6 strips bacon
Ranch Seasoning Mix
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon dried dill weed
- 1/4 teaspoon dried parsley
Instructions
Prep
- Cut and crisp of bacon, chop and set aside.
- Butterfly chicken breast
- Bring cream cheese to room temperature for easy mixing.
- Split shredded cheese into 1/2 cup portion
Cook
- Preheat oven to 400°F
- In a bowl combine cream cheese, 1/2 cup shredded cheese and ranch seasoning mix together.
- Season chicken breast with salt and pepper on both sides.
- Since you have split the chicken breast, on one side add the cream cheese mix you just made. Fold the other side over and secure with toothpicks. Note: If any cream cheese is left spread it over the top of the chicken after frying but before adding the cheese and bacon on top.
- In a heated frying pan on medium/high heat sear both sides of chicken breast. Just sear them for color don't try to cook them through.
- Place the chicken breast in a pan and cover with 1/2 cup of cheese and chopped bacon. Place in oven uncovered for 20 minutes.
- Remove chicken, chick for doneness and allow to cool. Garnish with scallions and extra bacon.