keto chicken crock pot recipes
Hello and welcome to solsarin. This post is about “keto chicken crock pot recipes“.
Chicken as food
Chicken is the most common type of poultry in the world.[1] Owing to the relative ease and low cost of raising chickens—in comparison to mammals such as cattle or hogs—chicken meat (commonly called just “chicken”) and chicken eggs have become prevalent in numerous cuisines.
Chicken can be prepared in a vast range of ways, including baking, grilling, barbecuing, frying, and boiling. Since the latter half of the 20th century, prepared chicken has become a staple of fast food. Chicken is sometimes cited as being more healthful than red meat, with lower concentrations of cholesterol and saturated fat.[2]
The poultry farming industry that accounts for chicken production takes on a range of forms across different parts of the world. In developed countries, chickens are typically subject to intensive farming methods while less-developed areas raise chickens using more traditional farming techniques. The United Nations estimates there to be 19 billion chickens on Earth today, making them outnumber humans more than two to one.[3]
Slow Cooker Crack Chicken
Ingredients
- ½ cup low sodium chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon ranch seasoning mix
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 block (8-ounces) cream cheese, at room temperature, cut up into 4 pieces for easier melting
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
- 6 slices bacon, cooked to a crisp and chopped
- chopped green onions, for serving
- chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
Instructions
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Pour chicken broth into slow cooker and stir in ranch seasoning mix.
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Add chicken breasts to the slow cooker and stir around to coat chicken.
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Cover with lid and set on LOW for 5 hours, or on HIGH for 2 to 3 hours.
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When done, remove lid and shred chicken inside the slow cooker using two forks.
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Stir in cream cheese and 1 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese; stir until completely melted and combined.
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Top with remaining cheddar cheese; cover with the lid and let the cheese melt.
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Remove lid and sprinkle chopped bacon on top.
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Garnish with green onions and parsley.
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Serve in sandwiches, wraps, burgers, and/or lettuce cups.
Notes
- You can make your own ranch seasoning mix by combining ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon onion powder, ½ teaspoon dried dill weed, ½ teaspoon dried chives, and season with salt and pepper, to taste.
WW FREESTYLE POINTS: 13
- Reduce points down to 3 by using fat free cream cheese, fat free shredded cheddar, and turkey bacon
CAN I FREEZE CRACK CHICKEN?
- Absolutely! It actually freezes quite nicely. All you need to do is allow it to come to room temperature. Put it into an airtight, freezer safe container and put it in your freezer for up to 3 months. Don’t forget to label your container so you’re sure of when to use it by.
HOW TO STORE AND REHEAT LEFTOVERS
- You want to make sure you cool your slow cooker crack chicken completely before storing. Then, keep it in an airtight container in your refrigerator for about 3 days.
- To reheat, simmer your crack chicken over medium-low heat until heated through. Add chicken broth, if needed to thin it out. Top with some fresh cheddar cheese and green onions.
WHAT IF I DON’T HAVE RANCH SEASONING MIX?
- If you don’t have ranch seasoning mix, have no fear! You can easily make your own right at home. All you have to do is combine 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon onion powder, ½ teaspoon dried dill weed, ½ teaspoon dried chives, and season with salt and pepper, to taste.
SERVING IDEAS
I love to serve shredded slow cooker crack chicken on a sandwich. Give it to me on a seeded and toasted bun ALL day and I’ll be happy.
Here are some other yummy ways to serve crack chicken:
- To top your favorite pasta (or zoodles)
- In a wrap or in lettuce cups
- Over rice or quinoa (or riced cauliflower)
- On top of a baked potato or mashed potatoes
- On top of a pizza (I’m thinking like a BBQ chicken pizza but instead Crack chicken pizza!)
- Or simply eat it straight up as a dip with tortilla chips or veggies like you would with a Buffalo chicken dip.
WHAT IS CRACK CHICKEN?
So, basically, crack chicken is kind of a big craze going around right now. You’ll find “crack” recipes for pork, pot roast, pasta, and dips.
What all of these “crack” dishes have in common are 3 key ingredients:
- Ranch seasoning
- Cream cheese
- Bacon
That’s all, folks. That’s the secret, right there. Just those three simple, delicious ingredients will make any meal completely and utterly addictive.
KETO CRACK CHICKEN IN THE CROCK POT
Ingredients
- ½ cup chicken broth
- 1 Hidden Valley Ranch seasoning packet
- 2 pounds of defrosted chicken breasts
- 8 oz package of Philadelphia Cream Cheese cut into chunks
- 8 slices cooked and crumbled bacon
- ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
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Add chicken broth to the slow cooker and stir in Hidden Valley Ranch seasoning packet. Then add defrosted chicken breasts.
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Cover and cook for 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low.
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After the cook time has ended, shred the chicken with two forks.
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Add chunks of cut up Philadelphia Cream Cheese, bacon and shredded cheddar. Stir ingredients.
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Cover the crock pot again, and cook for an additional 5-10 minutes, until the cream cheese has melted.
KETO CRACK CHICKEN RECIPE (CROCK POT)
INGREDIENTS
INSTRUCTIONS
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Place the chicken breasts into the slow cooker in a single layer.
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Sprinkle the chicken with all the herbs and spices.
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Arrange the pieces of cream cheese evenly over the chicken.
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Cook the chicken for 3-4 hours on high or 6-8 hours on low, until the chicken is easy to shred.
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Shred the chicken and stir to mix with the cream cheese.
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Stir in the shredded cheddar, bacon bits, and green onions.
Crock Pot Ranch Chicken Keto Low Carb
INGREDIENTS
- 2 lbs boneless chicken about 4 chicken breasts
- 3 tbsp butter
- 4 oz. cream cheese
- 3 tbsp dry ranch dressing mix 1 packet –Hidden Valley brand is great.
INSTRUCTIONS
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Place chicken (fresh or frozen) in crockpot.
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Cut up butter and cream cheese into chunks and place on chicken.
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Sprinkle the ranch dressing mix over the chicken.
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Cook chicken in crockpot on high for 3-4 hours or low 5-7 hours.
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Shred chicken before serving
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Serve Ranch chicken over vegetables, noodles or rice. (Carbs from these items are not included in the nutritional info below.)
NOTES
Quick Tips:
- Use a packaged ranch seasoning mix! If you want to use a packet of ranch seasoning mix in place of the herbs and spices I used, just make sure it is a keto-friendly version. Avoid anything that has wheat flour, corn starch, or added sugars in it.
- You can turn this into a skillet recipe with a few ingredients hacks. Use shredded rotisserie chicken and mix it in with the rest of the ingredients in a skillet. When all the ingredients are melted together, dinner is ready!
- You don’t have to shred the cheddar cheese. If all you have is a block of cheddar cheese, just roughly chop it up so that it melts in the slow cooker.
- Use pork instead! Crack chicken is a very popular recipe that basically took over the internet. Even though everyone prefers to use chicken, try this recipe with a pork loin. It will shred up just as easily as the chicken and have the same light flavor too!
Crockpot Balsamic Chicken (Keto and Low Carb)
Ingredients
- 1 small onion, thinly sliced (if not following a low carb diet, use 1 large onion)
- 5 to 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs
- 2 tbsp olive oil (butter or avocado oil also work well)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 2 tbsp Italian seasoning
- 2 tsp garlic
- 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar (can use up to 1/2 cup)
- 2 (14 oz) cans of diced tomatoes
- Optional low carb thickener: 1/2 tsp xanthan gum mixed with 1/2 tsp olive oil
Instructions
- Spray the crockpot with nonstick spray. Add onions first, then chicken breasts, olive oil, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, balsamic vinegar, and then tomatoes.
- Cover, cook on LOW for 4 hours or until chicken is done. Season with additional salt and pepper as needed.
Notes
- Thinly slice your onion and lay in the bottom of the crockpot first to help them cook faster.
- Some balsamic vinegar are more acidic than others. To offset acidity add brown sugar to taste, starting with 1 tbsp. (Low carb/keto use a brown sugar substitute)
- This is really good served with riced cauliflower or standard rice.
- The sauce can be thickened with cornstarch, flour, or xanthan gum (low carb).
