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This delicious crack chicken brings all my indulgent foods on one plate. Think about a meal that combines bacon, butter, and cream cheese all in one pan. Keto, high protein, and gluten-free,
Each delicious and creamy bite is a match made in heaven. This is an ideal option for those following a keto diet. Or simply add a carb-rich side dish (I love to pair it with quinoa) to have a more balanced approach.
What I love about this recipe is that it can easily feed a family of four or eight. Simply adjust the ingredients and let the oven do the rest.
The truth is, I think the flavor won’t disappoint even the non-keto people!
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Pin ItThe reason why I love this recipe so much is that while it contains very rich ingredients (cheddar cheese, cream cheese, butter, and bacon), it also is refreshing. Each bite also packs a punch of fresh dill, onion, and garlic.
And don’t we all just love a bit of balance in our lives?
Ingredients and Substitutes
4 slices thick-cut bacon (diced) – When possible, opt for natural bacon since it doesn’t have any additives and it adds a delicious smokiness
2 tbsp butter – Instead of butter, you can always replace it with ghee.
4 chicken breasts (boneless and skinless) – Choose plump and thick chicken breasts.
½ tsp garlic powder – You can also replace it with garlic flakes.
½ tsp onion powder – Just like garlic, you can opt for onion flakes instead of onion powder.
½ tsp paprika – Don’t forget this crucial ingredient since it adds a punch of color and flavor.
Salt and black pepper (to taste)
½ cup cream cheese – Choose full-fat cream cheese. Don’t replace it with low-fat cream cheese since it may affect the flavor and texture of the dish.
½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp onion powder
¼ tsp dried dill – You can also use fresh dill instead.
½ tsp dried chives – Just like the dill, you can use fresh chives instead. To be honest, I prefer the taste of fresh chives.
½ cup cheddar cheese (shredded) – Like cream cheese, make sure you choose regular cheddar cheese.
Fresh dill (chopped) – While you could replace it with dried dill, I love the freshness this adds to the dish. So, when possible, make sure you add fresh dill.
Green onion (chopped)
How to Make Crack Chicken
Step 1. To start making my delicious crack chicken, preheat the oven to 400F. Grab a cooking spray, and spray a 9×13 baking sheet.
Place the chicken breast on a cutting board and pound it until it’s about ¼ to ½ inch thick. My favorite trick to avoid splashing is to cover them with cling film.
Step 2. Grab the spices (garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, salt, and pepper) and rub them on the chicken.
If you want to have an even coat, mix the spices in a small bowl before rubbing them on the chicken.
Step 3. Heat a large frying pan to medium-high heat, and cook the diced bacon until it is deliciously crispy.
Step 4. Remove the bacon from the pan and set it on the side. Make sure to leave the fat since it will add an extra flavor to the dish.
Step 5. Add 1 tbsp of butter to the frying pan that has the bacon on it. Add the chicken breasts to the frying pan.
Step 6. Cook the chicken for 2-3 minutes until they are golden brown. Flip them and add another 1 tbsp of butter to the frying pan.
Cook them until they are golden brown on the other side. It’s ok if they’re pink inside, we haven’t finished all of our cooking.
Step 7. Remove the chicken breast from the frying pan and place them onto the baking dish. Set them to the side.
Step 8. Grab a small bowl and combine all the ingredients from the cream cheese (cream cheese, garlic powder, onion powder, dried dill, and dried chives).
Step 9. Mix everything until it’s well blended.
Step 10. Place 2 tbsp of the cream cheese and spread it out evenly on top of each chicken breast.
Step 11. Take the bacon bits you have cooked and add half of them to the top of each chicken breast.
Step 12. Sprinkle the cheddar cheese on top of the chicken breast. Then place in the oven and cook for about 15-17 minutes until it’s fully cooked and the cheese is brown on top.
Step 13. Garnish with the rest of the bacon bits, fresh dill, and green onion. You can then add extra salt and pepper to taste.
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Pin ItSides to Have with Crack Chicken
My favorite options are a fresh green salad, coleslaw, quinoa or brown rice, or roasted vegetables.
You can mix and match. I love a green salad with everything but that might not be you.
I also recommend something lighter, because the crack chicken is so rich!
Other Keto Recipes
- Chicken Mozzarella Bake
- Baked Salmon with Avocado Mash
- Mozzarella Stuffed Chicken Breast with Pesto
- Keto Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry
Crack Chicken
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 slices thick-cut bacon diced
Chicken
- 2 tbsp butter
- 4 chicken breasts boneless and skinless
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp paprika
- Salt and black pepper to taste
Cream Cheese
- ½ cup cream cheese
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ¼ tsp dried dill
- ½ tsp dried chives
For Topping and Garnish
- ½ cup cheddar cheese shredded
- Fresh dill chopped
- Green onion chopped
Instructions
Chicken
- Preheat the oven to 400F and spray a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray.
- Pound your chicken breasts to around ¼-1/2 inch thickness. You can wrap it in a cling film to avoid splashing.
- Add garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, salt, and black pepper to the chicken. Rub it in and set aside.
- Heat up a large frying pan to medium-high heat, and cook diced bacon until it’s crispy. Remove bacon from the pan, but leave the fat in it. Set the bacon aside.
- Add 1 tbsp of butter to the frying pan with the bacon fat in it. Add in your chicken breasts. Cook on one side for 2-3 minutes until chicken breasts have browned.
- Flip the chicken breasts and add another 1 tbsp of butter to the frying pan. Cook until browned – about 2-3 minutes.
- Remove the chicken breasts from the frying pan, place them in the baking dish, and set aside.
Cream Cheese
- In a small bowl, combine all of the cream cheese ingredients.
- Top up each chicken breast with around 2 tbsp of cream cheese and spread it out evenly.
Topping and Garnish
- Add half of the diced bacon on top of each chicken breast.
- Sprinkle with cheddar cheese and bake in the oven for 15-17 minutes until the chicken is fully cooked through and the cheese has slightly browned on top.
- Garnish with the other half of the diced bacon, fresh dill, and green onion. This is where you can sprinkle additional black pepper and salt over the top.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
My app came up with 248 calories per breast. How did you come up with your calorie count?
Hello Brenda,
I am using Nutritionix. It’s unlikely the number would be so low because we’re using cheese, bacon which by nature are quite fatty. Fat, as you probably know, tends to also have a bigger calorific value than protein does. 248 calories would be about half the chicke breast with the cheese and bacon. If you want to make it lower in calories, you’ll probably want to lower the amount of cheese you use significantly and skip the bacon entirely.
I hope this helps.
My husband couldn’t stop saying how delicious this is!
Easy to make ❤️
Anything I can use in place of dill? I don’t even have a ranch packet in hand at the moment 😞 thank you!
Yes! Parsley or cilantro 🙂
Absolutely delicious!!!! Hubby ate two pieces of chicken!!! Yummo
Yes! Very glad to hear that. ;>