This keto crack chicken recipe is bursting with flavor. Tender and juicy chicken with crumbles of bacon, and, of course, cream cheese and mozzarella for that cheesy twist to the crack chicken. This incredible keto chicken recipe is also low carb, gluten-free, grain-free, sugar-free, and Trim Healthy Mama friendly.
Chicken is one protein we often eat in our home. It is so versatile that you can transform it into so many recipes. Right now, Crack Chicken is what my family is asking for the most when they see chicken tenderloin or chicken breast packages in the fridge.
I've been wanting to make my own version into a casserole for years. I've seen a lot of crack dips but casseroles are more my thing. My kids love any kind of cheesy, creamy casserole especially if it has bacon in it.
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What is Crack Chicken?
It is a concoction of creamy chicken with ranch and bacon. The sort of keto chicken recipe I love to share here on Joy Filled Eats!
Why is it called Crack Chicken? It is addictive and highly tasty, so everyone says they can’t resist the cheesy chicken. I did not invent the name for it. I just make my own version of a popular recipe.
Ingredients
Chicken Tenderloins - Chicken tenderloins, also known as chicken fingers, are produced by cutting the narrow strip of meat on the inside of an uncooked chicken breast so that it is easier to cook.
Cream Cheese - I use full-fat cream cheese.
Mozzarella Cheese - Shredded mozzarella is great in this keto chicken recipe.
Scallions - Scallions (also known as green onions) are a type of onion that has a white or light green base.
Bacon Crumbles - Bacon Crumbles are small pieces of bacon that have been fried or oven-baked. They are often used on top of salads or side dishes, or as a garnish to other dishes.
Garlic Powder - Garlic powder is a dried and ground version of garlic, and is used as a seasoning.
Onion Powder - Onion powder is simply dehydrated, ground onion. Onion powder provides a way for one to obtain the flavor of onion without having to use an unpeeled fresh onion.
Dried Dill - Dill weed is often used in cooking and seasoning dishes because it has a very strong and distinctive flavor. It is a signature flavor in ranch dressing.
How To Make Keto Crack Chicken
Step One: Start by heating the oven. Then spray a casserole with cooking spray. Lay down your chicken tenders into the dish and then set aside.
Step Two: In a bowl mix together the softened cream cheese, half the mozzarella, half the bacon, half the green onions, and all the seasonings.
Step Three: Mix until well blended then spread the mixture all over the chicken.
Step Four: Sprinkle on the leftover bacon and cheese, top with remaining scallions, and bake! Drain any cooking liquid before serving.
Variations
Cheese: Feel free to use whatever cheese you have or fits your liking. We have used mozzarella cheese, pepper jack cheese, mild cheddar cheese, sharp cheddar cheese, and parmesan cheese depending on what I have in the fridge. They have all have worked great.
Sauce: For a thinner sauce mix a little heavy cream, chicken stock, vegetable broth, mayonnaise, sour cream, or even marinara sauce into the cream cheese. In most of my casseroles, I use a combination of mayo, cream cheese, and sour cream. I really like the flavor of the cream cheese on its own in this one but you can tweak the sauce to your palate.
Vegetables: If you'd like to add a veggie to this keto chicken recipe spinach, broccoli, or cauliflower are my top choices.
Common Questions
How Long do I Cook Chicken in the Oven?
The rule of thumb is to allow your chicken to reach the proper internal temperature of 160 degrees. This will take around 30-35 minutes.
Do You Shred the Chicken?
Most recipes for keto crack chicken you see do offer a shredded chicken. I kept my chicken in tenders and then piled on toppings and baked. I loved the method of serving up small chicken tenders.
If you prefer shredded, precook chicken, shred and then place in the bottom of the pan and then add on the toppings.
Is Crack Chicken Keto?
This crack chicken recipe is a low carb keto-friendly recipe. Just remember how you serve it is important because you don’t want heavy carb sides.
How to Store Leftover Keto Crack Chicken
Store any leftovers you may have in the fridge. I place ours in an airtight container, and it will keep up to three days. Use your best judgment on how long the chicken is good for, as you don’t want to get sick from leftovers.
Best Way to Reheat Casseroles
I like to warm my leftovers up in the oven, but the microwave works too. If you do oven just place chicken in a pan and cover with aluminum foil. Toss in at 350 degrees and heat until it is warmed through. Remove foil and serve!
For the microwave, don’t overcook it as it will pop and splatter and make a mess if you have a shield for your microwave cover the dish before heating.
Can You Freeze Crack Chicken?
The cream cheese will separate a bit when you go to thaw this from the freezer, but it will still taste good. If you don’t mind a slight change in texture, you could quickly freeze any leftovers you don’t plan to eat right away.
Just place in a freezer container or sealable freezer bag and store for up to three months. Allow the chicken to thaw in the fridge the night before you plan to serve it up.
You can easily make single serve portions of this keto chicken recipe when freezing it so that it makes for a quick single serve lunch or dinner.
What to Serve With Keto Chicken Recipes
There are so many ways to enjoy this keto chicken recipe. Eat your chicken on a plate with favorite sides, top a hamburger or slider bun for a sandwich, are two popular methods. You could even top zucchini or pasta with the chicken or use it as a dip for entertaining!
- Salad
- Roasted broccoli or cauliflower
- Steamed or oven-roasted green beans
- Zucchini Noodles or cauliflower rice
- Serve in lettuce wraps
- Keto Mashed Cauliflower
Any side you feel sounds good is worth trying! Depending on what we have on hand will decide what sides I use for dinner.
Check Out More Chicken Casserole Recipes
This is such a simple and easy keto chicken recipe! You all know I love outstanding flavors that work, but also are easy for you in the kitchen. Minimal prep, a little bake time, and one exceptional keto chicken dinner recipe will be waiting for you! Afterward, make sure to try my other chicken casseroles:
- Chicken Divan Casserole
- Keto Chicken Parmesan Casserole
- Chicken Fajita Casserole
- Tuscan Chicken Casserole
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Ingredients
- 2 lbs raw chicken tenders
- 8 oz cream cheese softened
- 8 oz mozzarella cheese
- 2 scallions finely sliced
- 1 cup bacon crumbles
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon dried dill
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400. Spray a large casserole dish with cooking spray.
- Put the chicken tenders in the prepared baking dish.
- Mix together the cream cheese, half the mozzarella, half the scallions, half the bacon, and the seasonings. Spread on top of the chicken. Sprinkle on the remaining cheese, scallions, and bacon.
- Bake for 30 minutes or until the chicken is 160 degrees. Carefully drain any cooking liquid before serving.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Originally Published June 17, 2019. Revised and Republished January 21, 2022.
Loraine says
Soooooio good!!!!
Gale says
I made this tonight, we really enjoyed it. I added a quarter cup of cream and used 6 oz of cream cheese. Also used yellow onion didn’t have scallion. Served it over sautéed spinach. Tasted great, nice seasonings!
Thank you for the recipe
Gale says
Above it says add cream and cream cheese but below does not mention cream. Are both supposed to be used?
Taryn says
That was a typo. I fixed it 🙂
Jen says
This was delicious and easy to make! Thank you!
Cheryl Flaherty says
I loved the flavor. Easy to assemble. Next time I make it I will add some chicken broth and/or mayonnaise or half and half. The casserole was too dry. I’ll bake it at 350* not 400*.
Cornelia says
This was a hit recipe that I modified due to available ingredients. I used green pepper, onion, garlic, along with mayo, cream cheese 3-4 tablespoons, 1/4 can of can milk - mixed and spread on three large bone in rib chicken breast added personal seasonings salt, pepper, paprika, garlic, and cayenne pepper. Baked for 45m-1hr due to thickness of chicken breast. The chicken was moist and flavorful. It was delicious and will definitely do this again...86 yo mom, husband, and rest of the family loved it.
Kevin Elliott says
Measurements would be very helpful!!! Hence why it’s called a “recipe” the meal looks amazing!! Would love to try!! However if I did my own thing then it wouldn’t be your recipe, it would be mine. Just sayin…
Taryn says
Kevin, there are measurements. You just need to scroll through the photos to the bottom. Or you can click either 'jump to recipe' or 'print recipe' to go directly to the measurements. The instructional photos are supposed to be helpful. The actual recipe is below them.
Michelle says
Just wondering what the serving size is? You mentioned it makes 8 servings but what is the individual amount per serving (weight wise). Thanks so much.
Taryn says
I just eye it up. The easiest way to figure out an exact serving is to weigh your casserole dish before and after and then divide the weight by 8.
Michelle says
Thank you! Will do that next time. This is delicious!
Devon says
do I cover this?
Taryn says
No, I bake it uncovered.
Loree says
Sinfully delicious!
Arlene says
You did not have the Ranch dressing in the ingredients…unless I missed it
Taryn says
Hi Arlene, you don't need bottled ranch dressing. Just certain seasonings. The garlic, onion, dill combo gives it a ranch flavor.
Debbie says
delicious and soo simply to make!!
Martin says
I made this recipe as written, with the exception of about 3/4 of the salt. Because of the bacon and cheeses, it seemed too much. I used precooked bacon from Costco, and for the record, Sam’s precooked bacon is better. The dish still had a little too much salt for me, but it wasn’t over the top.
This was a good dish, I will likely make again, but next time, I will add 2 finely diced jalapeños to the dish.
Good dish!
AP says
so I make dinner each night when my parents go to work and my mom was on the keto diet so I felt so bad because she could never eat anything I cooked. when I stumbled across this recipe I thought yes this sounds good and to my surprise this dish is fabulous! my mom loved and and so did the whole family! I'm actually making it again right now. 🙂 I mixed a little mayo and sour cream in with my cream cheese mix . I yummy ymy yummy thank you!
Tammy says
The 'printed' version didn't match exactly what was described, and it didn't say whether to cover when baking or if it should be left uncovered.
Taryn says
Generally, recipes are supposed to be uncovered when baking unless they say otherwise. I see the discrepancy, the blog post says to mix in half the scallions, the recipe card says to just top with them. I will edit to fix that. This really works either way.
Tracy says
the cream cheese mixture was very thick. it was really hard to spread. i cooked as directed. the topping wasnt really a sauce. it was a thick cooked on crust....the chicken tenders left a watery juice in the dish. i thought this sounded amazing but honestly i didn't want any more after the first serving. my husband didn't care for it either...i probably wont ever make this recipe again.
Taryn says
Hi Tracy, sorry you didn't like this recipe. It sounds to me that you may have overcooked it. The topping should not end up as a 'thick cooked on crust.' Did you use fresh chicken tenderloins? They normally release a bit of juice but aren't that watery.