This whole thing started when I wanted to give my gorgeous new stand mixer a test run as shredding chicken.
It works by the way. Like a boss!
So I looked around for what I had that I thought would go well with shredded chicken. This is what ended up with and yes, it was good! I’m planning on doing some experimentation with the spices and whatnot here, because I think it could become similar to the most popular recipe on this site, Easy Low Carb Mexican Chicken Casserole recipe–lots of room to play while still being reasonably assured you’ll end up with something good to eat in the end.
And isn’t that what it’s all about?
Servings: 10
Calories: 686kcal
Equipment Suggestions
Ingredients
- 3 pounds Boneless Chicken Thighs (frozen)
- 1 1/2 cups water (or chicken broth for more flavor)
- 1/2 pound bacon
- 8 oz colby jack cheese (shredded, reserving 1/3 for topping)
- 8 oz cream cheese (softened)
- 24 oz frozen spinach
- 3/4 cup Ranch Dressing
- 2 tbsp paprika
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 cup pork rinds (crushed, optional)
Instructions
Cooking the Chicken
- Put frozen chicken on top of the trivet in the pressure cooker.
- Add broth or water to the cooker.
- Seal and cook on high pressure 8 minutes.
- Start working on the Dip/Casserole, while the chicken cooks.
- Natural release for at least 10 minutes.
Preparing the Dip/Casserole
- Preheat oven to 375
- Cook spinach according to package directions.
- Drain the spinach well. I used a salad spinner, but however you do it, just do it.
- Shred your cooked chicken. (I used the Kitchenaid and it was fun!)
- Mix in cream cheese, spinach, Ranch, paprika, cayenne and 2/3 of the shredded cheese into your chicken. Blend well
- Spread everything into a casserole dish and pop in the preheated oven.
- Bake for about 20 minutes or until cheese on top is nicely brown.
- Take it out and add pork rinds (if you're using them).
- Bake for another 10 minutes or so, until the pork rind topping is also brown.
- Let cool for a few minutes before eating.
Recipe Notes
This isn't too spicy as written, so feel free to experiment or kick it up a notch if you want more of a "pow" in your mouth. It's also very rich with the cheese action here, so don't expect to need monster-sized servings to fill you up.
Would be great as a veggie dip, on pork rinds, or how we ate it: like a casserole!
Nutrition Facts
Chicken Ranch Dip Casserole
Amount Per Serving
Calories 686
Calories from Fat 513
% Daily Value*
Fat 57g88%
Saturated Fat 20g100%
Cholesterol 203mg68%
Sodium 766mg32%
Potassium 666mg19%
Carbohydrates 7g2%
Fiber 3g12%
Sugar 2g2%
Protein 36g72%
Vitamin A 9402IU188%
Vitamin C 5mg6%
Calcium 287mg29%
Iron 3mg17%
Net Carbs 4
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Made this? Show it off!Follow @lowcarbzen & tag it #lczen.
Do you decide what to make based on what kitchen equipment you want to use, too?!?
p.s. You can do this without an Instant Pot, stand mixer or whatever. Cook and shred the chicken however you want!
AND I got a complaint about this picture. I’m not really a food photographer here. So if anyone makes one of my recipes and can give me a better picture, I’m all for that!