Chicken breasts topped with a creamy cheese and bacon mixture and baked to perfection. This quick and easy 30-minute Keto Crack Chicken recipe is going to be your new favorite lazy Keto chicken recipe at only 2g Net Carbs per serving!
With a name like “Crack Chicken”, you know this recipe is going to be good! Don’t let the fact that it’s Keto deter you from wanting to try it, because it really is that great. My husband loves this recipe and I don’t even tell him it’s also Keto-friendly!
Why you should make this recipe
- Simple and easy: My favorite part of this recipe is that it doesn’t take a lot of ingredients or a lot of prep time. On those nights when I still want to eat something filling and delicious, but don’t want to have to cook forever, this is my go-to.
- Versatility: This dish works great as a stand-alone entree, or you can serve it over cauliflower rice, in a lettuce wrap, or even over zucchini noodles (zoodles.)
- Absolutely delicious: You will completely forget you’re eating a Keto meal when you indulge in the rich cheesy bacon combo of this Keto chicken recipe!
- Makes great leftovers: This recipe is awesome reheated and can be served in a lot of different ways for any leftovers you may have.
Ingredients needed
There’s not a lot of prep-work or crazy ingredients needed for this recipe! You only need a few Keto basics:
- Chicken – Tenderized chicken breasts are browned in a skillet before baking in an oven to perfection.
- Bacon – you can use leftover bacon, or you can cook up four pieces and chop them just for this recipe.
- Shredded Cheese – pick your favorite blend, any cheese will work!
- Cream Cheese – soften the cream cheese so it combines easily into your filling mixture.
- Seasonings – you will only need basic seasonings like garlic powder, Italian seasoning, onion powder, and salt & pepper.
How to make this recipe
Tenderize and season your chicken: To start this awesome Keto chicken dinner, you will need to tenderize your chicken breasts with a meat tenderizer until they’re even. Salt and pepper them, then set them aside.
Cook the bacon and chicken: Next, you can cook your chopped bacon until it’s crispy (about two minutes) over medium-high heat in a heavy pan. After it’s cooked, you can remove it from the pan and set it aside. Don’t drain any of the grease from the pan, and add the butter and the chicken breasts to the pan. Cook the chicken until it’s golden brown, which will be about 3-4 minutes per side.
Make the cream cheese filling: In a separate, small bowl, mix the ingredients for the cream cheese filling, and about 3/4 of the bacon.
You’ll want to reserve some of the bacon for topping. Tip: leave the cream cheese out at room temp so it is easier to mix and spread.
Spread this mixture on top of the chicken breasts, then sprinkle on the shredded cheese and top with the remaining bacon.
Cook the mixture: Bake at 400F for 20 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked completely and the cheese is melted. Serve and eat immediately (because you won’t be able to wait much longer!)
Expert Tips
- Skip the dishes: If you want less dishes when this recipe is finished, use an oven-safe pan and skip step 3 altogether.
- Softening the cream cheese: Set your cream cheese on top of the oven while it pre-heats to soften cream cheese quickly!
- Use pre-cooked chicken: If you don’t want to use fresh chicken breasts, you can also use the same weight equivalent of pre-cooked rotisserie chicken as well.
Frequently asked questions
WHAT CAN I SERVE WITH THIS CRACK CHICKEN RECIPE?
- Roasted Veggies – these pair great with the creaminess of the dish, and can be made right alongside them in the oven!
- Salad – A nice, crisp salad with this is perfect!
- Mashed Cauliflower – this is an excellent side dish that comes together quickly and is also Keto-friendly!
CAN YOU FREEZE THIS KETO CHICKEN RECIPE?
The only thing to be aware of when freezing this recipe is that the cream cheese texture may change after frozen. It doesn’t change the taste of the dish but may separate slightly after being frozen. Freeze in an air-tight freezer container for up to three months for a quick and easy meal later!
CAN I MAKE THIS KETO CRACK CHICKEN WITH A RANCH PACKET?
Unfortunately, most Ranch seasoning packets aren’t Keto-friendly and contain added sugars and ingredients that could knock you out of Ketosis. The seasonings used in this recipe are basic and you should have them on hand and make the dish taste great! You won’t miss the Ranch seasoning one bit.
Variations
Eat this easy chicken and bacon dish by itself, or try one of these variations:
- Lettuce wraps: Make a wrap for lunch with the crack chicken as the “filling”! It’s delicious and makes it easy to eat on the go!
- Pairings: Easily pair this with roasted veggies, or even riced cauliflower to mix it up a bit.
- Omit the bacon: If you need to remove the bacon, or just don’t have that ingredient on hand, you can skip it, or use ham instead!
- Treat it like dip: Use fresh veggies, or Keto-friendly chips to scoop this like a dip!
Storage recommendations
- Refrigerator: Store any leftovers for up to 4 days in an airtight container, in the refrigerator.
- Reheat: Easily reheat this in the microwave, or in a small pan over medium heat on the stove until heated through.
- Freeze: This freezes well, but the texture of the cream cheese may separate a bit after reheating. Store in a sealed, freezer-safe container for up to 6 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before reheating.
Keto Crack Chicken
Ingredients
- 4 Chicken Breasts, (or about 1.5 pounds)
- 4 slices Bacon, chopped
- 1 tbsp Butter
- 6-8 ounces Shredded Cheese
- Salt and Pepper, to taste
Cream Cheese Filling
- 4 ounces Cream Cheese, softened
- 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1/2 tsp Onion Powder
- 1/2 tsp Italian Seasoning
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1/4 tsp Pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400F. Pound the chicken breasts with a meat hammer until even. Season with salt & pepper. Set aside.
- Heavy a large heavy-duty pan over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook until crispy, about 2 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside. Add the butter and chicken breasts to the same pan (don’t drain bacon fat, if any). Cook chicken breasts for 3-4 minutes per side or until lightly golden.
- Transfer chicken breasts to a 9×9 casserole dish or leave them in the same pan if using an oven-safe skillet.
- In a small bowl, combine all the ingredients for the cream cheese filling along with about ¾ of the cooked bacon.
- Spread the cream cheese mixture over the top of the chicken. Sprinkle with shredded mozzarella and remaining bacon.
- Bake for 20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the cheese is fully melted. Serve immediately with your favorite keto side.
Equipment
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
