Low-Carb Ranch Chicken Foil Packets

Martina SlajerovaUpdated 29 September 2023★★★★★4.6 (36 ratings)

Ready in 40m
6.9 g net carbs
673 kcal
Serves 2

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Low-Carb Ranch Chicken Foil Packets (keto, gluten-free, grain-free)

These Ranch Chicken Foil Packets are so easy to make with just a few common ingredients. It's a minimum clean up, maximum flavor low-carb lunch or dinner recipe you will love!

We're using cauliflower instead of potatoes, a more common but high-carb ingredient. Apart from cauliflower you can try other options such as turnips, broccoli or asparagus. We're using chicken breasts and bacon which makes this a great high-protein option for those who are following a higher protein low-carb diet.

When cooking a tin foil packet meal like this one, make sure to use a heavy duty aluminum foil. This will prevent tearing and losing any of the flavorful juices and keeping the meat moist and tender.

If you don't have any aluminum foil, simply bake these in a small, deep baking dish covered with a lid. Optionally you can remove the lid for the last 5 minutes of the baking process to crisp up.

Is Aluminum Safe?

Aluminum has been a hot topic on some health blogs, often criticized for being dangerous and even causing cancer. But is this truly a valid concern?

Here's are the facts. While it's true that some aluminum gets into food when you use aluminum foil or cook with aluminum cookware, and that this effect is enhanced when using acidic foods, this systematic review from 2016Trusted sourceNational Center for Biotechnology InformationNCBI's mission is to develop new information technologies to aid in the understanding of fundamental molecular and genetic processes that control health and disease.Open link found no negative health effects in healthy adults. It's also very unlikely that you'll be using aluminum foil every day, enough to worry about any potential toxicity.

We all have different dietary needs so it's only natural that you may need to adjust the macros in this recipe. You can make any adjustments directly in the KetoDiet App by cloning any of the recipes from my blog and customizing them to fit your macros and preferences.

Step-by-step

Preheat oven to 220 °C/ 430 °F (fan assisted), or 240 °C/ 465 °F (conventional). Prepare the Ranch Dressing. You'll only need part of the recipe. Store the remaining dressing in the fridge in a sealed jar for up to 5 days.
Cook the bacon in a skillet greased with ghee or olive oil. Cook for a few minutes until crispy and then transfer to a plate. Once cool enough to touch, break into small pieces.
To prepare the chicken breast, season with salt and pepper. Place chicken breasts in the pan where you cooked the bacon and cook on medium-high for about 3 minutes. Flip the chicken breast and cook for another 3 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove from the heat.
Cut the cauliflower into florets and then each floret into slices, no more than 1 cm (¹/₂ inch) thick.
Place the cauliflower on a piece of heavy-duty foil (a piece of foil per serving). Top with half of the prepared ranch dressing. Add a piece of browned chicken to make each foil packet. Finally add the remaining dressing. Add grated cheddar cheese, crumbled bacon and sliced green onion (you can reserve some onion for serving).
Fold foil around chicken and cauliflower and seal tightly. Place on a baking sheet or in a baking tray. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the cauliflower is tender.
Remove from the oven and let it cool down for a few minutes before serving. To store, remove from the packets, place in a glass container and refrigerate for up to 4 days.

Recipe