Chicken bacon ranch casserole
55 min · 48 g protein · 376 cals / serving
Chicken and broccoli baked in a thick, herby ranch sauce under a blanket of melted cheddar and crisp bacon. The ranch is made from scratch with Greek yogurt, cream cheese, dill, chives and garlic, so it tastes fresh and tangy rather than like a packet, and the whole dish comes out of the oven bubbling and golden.
Ingredients
- 2 lb chicken breast, cut into 2.5 cm (1-inch) pieces
- 1 large head broccoli, cut into small florets
- 3/4 tsp salt
Ranch sauce
- 3/4 cup + 2 tbsp nonfat Greek yogurt
- scant 1/2 cup light cream cheese, softened
- 1 tbsp cornstarch, keeps the yogurt from splitting
- 1 tsp dried dill
- 2 tsp dried parsley
- 3 tbsp fresh chives, finely chopped
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Topping
- 3/4 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
- 5 slices bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled
- 2 green onions, sliced
Steps
- Heat the oven to 375°F. Whisk the yogurt, cream cheese and cornstarch until smooth, then stir in the dill, parsley, chives, garlic powder, onion powder, lemon juice and pepper. Taste: it should be a punchy, herby ranch.
- Season the chicken with the salt and brown it in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat for 5–6 minutes, until no longer pink outside, then pour off the juices. Meanwhile microwave or steam the broccoli for 2 minutes and drain it well. Tip both into a 23 × 33 cm (9 × 13-inch) baking dish and toss with the ranch sauce until everything is coated. Spread it out in an even layer.
- Bake 15 minutes, then scatter over the cheddar and bacon and bake 10 minutes more, until the cheese is melted and bubbling, the broccoli is tender and the thickest piece of chicken reads 165°F.
- Rest 5 minutes and scatter over the green onion.
Good to know
Can I use a ranch seasoning packet?
Yes: replace the dill, parsley, chives, garlic powder and onion powder with 2 tbsp of ranch seasoning mix. Check the label if you are keeping it keto, since some packets are mostly starch and sugar.
Make ahead?
Brown the chicken, steam the broccoli and make the sauce up to a day ahead, cool, then assemble, cover and refrigerate; add 5–10 minutes to the first bake. Leftovers reheat well and keep 3 days.
To keep it keto
Serve it on its own or with a green salad. Off keto, it is good over rice or pasta, or rolled into a wrap.
Per
- Calories
- 150
- Protein
- (52%)
- 19 g
- Fat
- (38%)
- 6 g
- Carbohydrates
- (10%)
- 4 g
- of which sugar
- 1 g
- Fiber
- 1 g
- Sodium
- 277 mg
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Computed from the ingredients with our published formula, not yet kitchen-tested. General guidance, not medical advice. Talk to your prescriber. How
As written, 2258 kcal goes into the pot and 1788 g of ingredients comes out as about 1508 g of food: 150 kcal per 100 g. Cooking moves water and energy density is the score's biggest lever, so the dish is scored as cooked, not as an average of its parts. Every ingredient links to its food page, with the same data and score. The label's percentages are each macronutrient's share of the calories. The full formula.