Baked Crack Chicken Recipe – Keto baked Crack Chicken, additionally referred to as Ranch Hen, is a scrumptious dish that will get its title from the addictive taste mixture of ranch, cream cheese and bacon. It’s low carb and keto pleasant. However you don’t need to be on a keto weight loss program to take pleasure in this recipe. The entire household loves it!
My household had already been having fun with Crack Chicken made with shredded chicken and served over spaghetti noodles or conventional noodles for the non keto individuals. It is a twist on that dish.
I wish to prep a few of the recipe steps forward of time. This helps to avoid wasting me time once I make the ultimate meal.
Typically, I plan to make a couple of recipe that makes use of bacon so I can cook dinner up a few packages on the identical time. You possibly can select to freeze a few of the bacon for a later date or maintain it within the fridge till you make the subsequent recipe. Try a few of the meal prep suggestions beneath.
You too can prep the ranch cheese combination a number of days forward and maintain it saved within the fridge till its wanted. I generally will make a double batch of the ranch cheese combination as a result of some relations apply it to bagels.
Components for Keto Baked Crack Chicken:
FOR THE CHICKEN:
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- Four boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded to 1/4-inch thickness
- salt and recent floor pepper, to style
- half of teaspoon smoked or candy paprika
FOR THE RANCH CREAM CHEESE:
- Four ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1 tablespoon Ranch Seasoning combine
- Four ounces shredded cheddar cheese, white or yellow
- Four slices thick lower bacon, diced
FOR THE GARNISH:
- sliced inexperienced scallions
Instructions for Keto Baked Crack Chicken:
- Preheat the oven to 400F.
- Put together the cream cheese combination. In a small bowl mix cream cheese and 1 tablespoon of Ranch Seasoning combination. Put aside.
- Evenly grease a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray and put aside.
- In a big skillet, over medium-high warmth, add in diced bacon and cook dinner till crispy. See notes beneath for extra details about the bacon.
- Take away bacon from skillet and put aside. Don’t discard the bacon fats. It is going to be used to brown the chicken breasts.
- Return skillet to warmth and add vegetable oil and butter to the remaining bacon fats.
- Pound the chicken breasts till they’re about 1/4-inch thick. Season with salt, pepper and paprika.
- Relying upon the scale of your skillet add 2 to three chicken breasts to the recent oil. Don’t crowd them. Prepare dinner the chicken breasts for two to three minutes or till they’re golden brown.
- Flip over the chicken breasts and proceed to cook dinner for an additional 2 to three minutes.
- Take away chicken breasts from the skillet. Prepare them within the beforehand ready baking dish and put aside.
- High every chicken breast with about 2 tablespoons of the cream cheese combination. Unfold to evenly coat the chicken breast.
- Sprinkle half of the diced bacon on prime of the cream cheese combination.
- Sprinkle the shredded cheese over the chicken breasts.
- Bake, uncovered, for 15 minutes, or till chicken is cooked by way of and cheese is melted and frivolously browned.
- Take away from oven and garnish with remaining bacon and sliced scallions earlier than serving.
NOTES:
You possibly can put together the bacon forward of time. Prepare dinner strips of bacon within the oven or a big skillet till they’re crispy. Take away and place on paper towels to soak up extra fats. As soon as cool you’ll be able to cube the bacon. Retailer within the fridge till wanted.
Read also:
FREEZER TIP:
You too can make the bacon, place the strips on paper towels, roll the paper towel to wrap the bacon, place in freezer bag and freeze the strips till wanted. I usually make a double or triple batch of oven cooked bacon and freeze in smaller batches to make use of in recipes. It will prevent quite a lot of time and also you’ll have fewer soiled dishes to cope with as nicely.
MAKE AHEAD CRACK CHICKEN:
You possibly can simply prep all the dish and cook dinner it a number of days later. Put together and assemble all the pieces within the baking dish. Cowl the baking dish with plastic wrap and retailer within the fridge for as much as three days. Cowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 to 2 days. When it’s time to make the baked crack chicken merely take away wrap and bake as directed.
HOW TO FREEZE CRACK CHICKEN:
You possibly can freeze crack chicken two methods. You possibly can freeze it earlier than it’s cooked and you may freeze it after it’s cooked.
To freeze earlier than cooking use a freezer secure dish or foil pan:
Put together the recipe as much as the purpose earlier than baking the chicken. Cowl or wrap your pan with foil, write the recipe title and date on the wrap overlaying the pan and retailer within the freezer for as much as three months.
Whenever you wish to make the chicken take away the pan from the freezer the night time earlier than, enable to thaw and proceed to observe the baking directions. If you’re planning on cooking the chicken whereas frozen you will have to bake it for longer as a result of chicken being frozen. Strive baking for 40 minutes or till the chicken is cooked by way of and the middle of the chicken is scorching.
You possibly can simply freeze particular person servings of baked crack chicken:
Begin by browning the chicken as instructed. Place a single browned chicken breast in the course of a big piece of aluminum foil. High the chicken with the cream cheese combination, diced bacon and cheese. Rigorously wrap the chicken within the foil. Place in a big freezer bag, write the recipe title and date on the bag and retailer within the freezer for as much as three months.
To make the chicken take away nonetheless many items you want from the freezer the night time earlier than. Permit to thaw within the fridge in a single day. What makes these particular person servings really easy to make is that they are often baked within the foil that was used to wrap them. Easy place the foil packet on a baking sheet, open them up and observe the instructions for baking the crack chicken.
To freeze after the chicken has been cooked:
Switch the cooled crack chicken to a big freezer bag or hermetic container. Retailer within the freezer for as much as three months. When able to serve, take away from freezer the night time earlier than and let thaw within the fridge in a single day. Reheat and serve.
