Keto Crack Chicken
This Keto Crack Chicken Recipe is bursting with flavor. Tender and juicy chicken with crumbles of bacon, cream cheese, and mozzarella makes the best keto meal. This incredible keto chicken recipe is also low carb and gluten-free.
Chicken is one protein we often eat in our home. It is so versatile that you can transform it into so many keto recipes. Right now, Crack Chicken is what my entire family is asking for the most when they see chicken tenderloin or boneless skinless chicken breasts in the fridge.
I’ve been wanting to make my own keto diet version into a casserole for years. I’ve seen a lot of crack dips but casseroles are more my thing. My whole family, kids included, love any kind of cheesy, creamy casserole especially if it has bacon in it.
What is Crack Chicken?
It is a concoction of creamy chicken with ranch and crispy 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 are the narrow strip of meat on the inside of an uncooked chicken breast. They are indeed more tender. You can use chicken breasts (cut big ones in half) or boneless skinless chicken thighs if you prefer.
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) give a great fresh flavor in both the sauce and topping.
Bacon Crumbles – Bacon Crumbles are an easy way to get bacon flavor without cooking fresh bacon. They are 100% bacon. They are different from bacon bits, which are normally made of soy protein.
Garlic Powder – I use garlic powder in this since it is convenient. You can sub in fresh garlic if you’d like.
Onion Powder – Onion powder give a great onion flavor without the work.
Dried Dill – Dill weed has a very strong and distinctive flavor. It is a signature flavor in ranch dressing. Because of this and the seasonings above, you don’t need store-bought ranch dressing or a ranch dressing mix packet.
See quantities in the recipe card.
How To Make Keto Crack Chicken
Step One: Start by heating the oven. Then spray a baking dish with cooking spray. Lay down your chicken tenders into the dish and then set aside.
Step Two: In a bowl, combine the softened cream cheese, half the mozzarella, half the bacon, half the green onions, and all the seasonings. Add salt and black pepper to taste.
Step Three: Mix until well blended then spread the cream cheese 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.
Top Tip💡
The cream cheese topping is easy to mix IF your cream cheese is very soft. If it is cold, microwave for 15-30 seconds to soften.
Variations
Cheese: Feel free to use whatever shredded cheese you have or fits your liking. We have used mozzarella cheese, pepper jack cheese, mild cheddar cheese, sharp cheddar cheese, and parmesan cheese.
Sauce: For a thinner sauce, mix a little heavy cream, chicken broth, 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. You can tweak the creamy 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
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 or cover with plastic wrap, 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. For the oven, 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 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
- Mediterranean Chicken Casserole
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Video
Keto Crack Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 lbs raw chicken tenders
- 8 oz cream cheese softened
- 8 oz mozzarella cheese
- 2 scallions finely sliced
- 1 cup bacon crumbles
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp dried dill
- 1/2 tsp 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.
Notes
Nutrition
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Originally Published June 17, 2019. Revised and Republished May 16, 2025.
I just made this for dinner and I am in keto heaven!! It turned out perfectly. I didn’t tweak the ingredients at all. Used chicken tenderloins and shredded with two forks when it was done cooking. Thank you so much!!!
I made this for a week worth of meals for 2 people. My boyfriend LOVES it.
My chicken was a little on the frozen side when I cooked it which made the cream cheese mixture soupy (my fault!)….but it ended up being a good thing because it was so delicious and gave me the idea of making a soup next time! So instead of using frozen chicken I will just add a few cups of chicken broth and shred the chicken for the soup. Do you think that would work out alright?
I make a taco soup. It has 2 lbs hamburger, 2 blocks cream cheese, taco seasoning, a big jar of rotel and 6 cups of chicken broth. So yummy. I bet adding a little more cream cheese and 6 cups of chk broth to this recipe in a crock pot would be yummy!
Hey! I have frozen chicken. Is there a way to do this in the crockpot with frozen chicken?
Yes, I would cook the chicken and drain the liquid before adding the toppings. Otherwise, you’ll end up with soup.
What is the serving size? Thanks.
1/6th of the recipe. This is about 3 chicken tenders with the toppings.
Is the nutritional information per serving or for the entire dish?
Per serving.
This recipe was amazing! Thanks for the great dinner idea!
We love this crack chicken recipe and will definitely make it again!
Do you fry the bacon first?
The bacon should be cooked. You can fry fresh bacon or use the 100% bacon crumbles that come in a package.
Made this tonight but added some jalapeños it was delicious thank you!
The flavor is so good! Love how tender the chicken cooks up!
Thinking about this for mother’s day. Do you think I could make it with chicken breasts instead of tenders? thanks for sharing
Love this recipe! I didn’t add salt , used twice the bacon, and added a can of diced green chillies! So yummy!! I do don’t keto, so I would probably serve it over rice next time, but I get that those doing Keto probably don’t want to – ha! Thank you for this delicious recipe!
I made this tonight. Only adjustments I would do it not add the salt it suggests. And only need a sprinkle of bacon on top. Was way to salty for my taste. But then again, I am not a salt person. But I think cutting those two things would make it perfect. Thinking about adding some cut up cherry tomatoes next time. Or red pepper?
I found the directions a little strange, as you cover with some of all ingredients and then you add the remaining ingredients, effectively having two layer of the same ingredients (except no flavorings in the top layer). Also my biggest casserole didn’t accommodate in single layer. I suggest using a baking dish instead of casserole. I read the above comments. We’re going to try it again. I’m going to change up the spices/herbs as mentioned above. thanks
No, what you are doing is making a sauce, spreading it on the chicken and then sprinkling on additional cheese, bacon, and onions. This is pretty standard as far as casseroles go.
Tastes great, but when it came out of the over there was alot of liquid. 🙁
Hi Tom, did you use fresh chicken tenders or frozen? Next time you can drain any cooking liquid halfway through the cooking time and then add the toppings.
Can I use chicken strips?
Any raw boneless chicken will work.
Simply amazing. No leftovers at all. I used 2 packages of cream cheese. Doubled the seasoning. Didnt use dill because I keep forgetting to buy more. Added cracked pepper. Used a package of chicken tenders and cut them into 3s. I used an entire package of apple wood smoked thick cut bacon and cut that up after I cooked the bacon in the oven. Oh and I just sent this recipe out to everyone 😁
I’ve made this a few times and it is delicious. Only changed a 2 things. I added a miniscule of chicken broth to the bottom of the pan to keep the chicken juicy and also a can of green chilles, undrained. Literally night and day difference with the chicken. Highly recommend
Could this be made in an instant pot? If so, how long would you cook it? Natural release? Quick release?
I have not tried this recipe in an instant pot yet. I’d cook the chicken on manual high for 3 minutes, quick release, drain any liquid, and then add the other ingredients. I’d cover and just cook for another minute on high to heat the toppings.
This sounds amazing. Would tossing in a can of tomatoes and green chilies, or petite diced tomatoes take it off-plan?
No, that would be fine!