This easy Low Carb Ranch Chicken recipe practically cooks itself. Made in your slow cooker, it’s paleo-friendly and totally dairy-free.
Raise your hand if you love your slow cooker! Raise your hand if you love ranch seasoning! Raise your hand if you want a low carb ranch chicken recipe made in your slow cooker that doesn’t contain a whole bunch of icky MSG and other unmentionables! Hey, I see lots of hands raised out there, so guess what? You’re in luck. Today we have a wonderful Slow Cooker Ranch Chicken that is both paleo and keto, and absolutely delicious. Bonus points that it contains bacon and is totally dairy-free. This easy recipe comes from The Big Book of Paleo Slow Cooking by Natalie Perry. And you will absolutely love it.
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Okay, confession that Natalie is actually a blogger friend, but the book is fantastic and I highly recommend it. While Paleo diets and Low Carb diets have a lot in common, there are also some significant differences. Paleo excludes dairy and includes a lot of higher carb, starchy vegetables and fruits that I can’t eat. But a quick perusal of the book indicated that there were plenty of recipes that still met my low carb standards and quite a few that could be easily modified to meet them. And while I have no fear of dairy products and use them liberally in my own cooking, I do love having more dairy-free options on hand.
What was really hard was choosing a single recipe to share with you. I actually made the Buffalo Chicken Dip over the Labour Day weekend but it was late, friends were coming over, and I did not have time to take any photos. Plus I have a child who has an absolute OBSESSION with all things Buffalo flavour and he was into that dip faster than I could blink an eye. So it got gobbled up and I decided I needed to choose another recipe altogether.
Need a bit of extra chicken for salads and other easy meals? Try this Crockpot Chicken Breast from Fifteen Spatulas. A great all purpose recipe!
There were a couple that caught my eye, including the Chicken & Sausage Pepperoncini Stew. I love pepperoncini and was very tempted by that one. But then I noticed the Ranch Chicken recipe and was very intrigued because you put the chicken breasts right into the slow cooker with no liquid or oil. I admit, I was sceptical. I thought for sure the chicken would get overcooked or burnt that way. I even messaged Natalie, asking if I was reading it right. She confirmed it and so I proceeded to make it exactly as the recipe was written. And it was fantastic! Easy and flavourful, and it made a wonderful keto dinner recipe. Bravo, Natalie! And thanks for the tip that slow cookers will cook the chicken without any additional liquids.
It’s also tasty with a little shredded cheddar cheese on top. Just sayin’. Yeah, I know that’s not exactly paleo…
Check out Natalie’s book on Amazon! Click HERE
This easy Low Carb Ranch Chicken recipe practically cooks itself. Made in your slow cooker, it's paleo-friendly and totally dairy-free.
- 1 tbsp dried parsley
- 2 tsp dried chives
- 1 1/2 tsp dried dill
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp dried onion
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 tbsp Ranch Seasoning Mix
- 1 1/2 tsp steak seasoning I used a basic steak rub
- 3 shallots peeled and sliced
- 6 cups broccoli florets
- 12 slices bacon
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 3 tbsp red wine vinegar
- Additional sea salt to taste
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Mix all ingredients in an airtight container.
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Place the chicken breasts in a slow cooker. Sprinkle with 1 tbsp of the ranch mix and the steak seasoning. Add the shallots.
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Cover and cook on low for 3 to 4 hours, until the chicken is cooked through. Add the broccoli and cook another 30 to 45 minutes, until tender-crisp. Meanwhile, cook the bacon until crisp.
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Remove the chicken from the slow cooker and shred with two forks. Return to the slow cooker...do not drain any of the juices that have accumulated.
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Stir in the mayonnaise and vinegar. Crumble the bacon and stir into the mixture. Season to taste with additional salt.
Marnee says
Hi, Carolyn!
Any advice on how to do this in the pressure cooker?
Thanks!!!
Carolyn says
An IP has a metal insert so I am not sure it would work the same way, slowly cooking the chicken.
Guion Leach says
If your IPOT has a ‘Slow Cooker” button, you can do it on that setting. Just set the time manually, you do not have to add liquid when using the show cooker, as it acts like a real slow cooker. The newest IPOT has 3 temperaature settings. The “low” does not COOK (although I use it for broth when cooking broth on slow cook for over 10 hours), the second setting is like most slow cookers on LOW and the third setting is like most slow cookers on HIGH. Hope this helps, can’t wait to try this out myself. If in doubt that it might overcook chickn on the bottom side, add the strainer it the IPOT came with to lift the chicken just a bit off the botton. But should be okay, as chicken typically has lots of water and natural juices. By the way I have Carolyn’s Everyday Ketogenic Kitchen and can’t wait to work my way through it. Hmmmm,, should I try this recipe now or something out of her book?
Guion Leach says
P.S. Forgot! You are NOT using pressure, so if you have the glass IPOT lid, (which I use often and very reasonable in price) use it, If not, just be sure when you put the regular IPOT lid on, that the vent is OPEN or on VENT when using the slow cook function. Hope this helps.
Carolyn says
Great info, thank you! I haven’t used my IP that way yet… just getting the hang of it!
Guion Leach says
Sorry I am so scatter-brained today. I have the IPOT 7 in 1 version, 6 qt. On SLOW COOK, it defaults to NO PRESSURE and “normal” (or middle setting). In using the ADJUST button, you can go to less or more. So it is changing the TEMPERATURE, because you have to select use the + or – button to change the TIME. This is for the SLOW COOK process.
However, with the STEAM button when you press the ADJUST button, it changes to preset SUGGESTED TIMES of less, normal, or more as the steam stays at a constant temperature, i.e. steam. But you CAN even fine tune or over ride those preset settings for more or less minutes by using the + or – buttons. Additionally, I find it I want to steam veggies, if I still want them tender crisp, I put in the water, set it, but as soon as it beeps to go from ON to the cooking countdown setting, I stop it as the veggie is usually steamed about all I want to be. You probably would not want to do this to steam hardier veggies or fish. It is too bad they chose engineers to write the manuals rather than teachers! Again,hope this opens the door for your readers and newbies to the IPOT to have great success and love it as much as I do. Once you get the hang of it, you can adapt your recipes.
PS. I have not used the soup setting for broth, as I am old fashioned and like to slow cook the broth a long time. So for certain soups or adding dairy to soups, someone might want to try the slow cook LOW, then manually set the time you think you will need or even use the KEEP WARM setting especially with diary. Play and have fun, It is really hard to mess up. Just hit the keep warm button twice to go to Off and start over.
Michelle says
With a pressure cooker you have to have a certain amount of liquid in the recipe. This recipe would not work because it has hardly any liquid in it. Check your owners manual for liquid amounts. I love my pressure cooker for stews.
Dawn says
I wonder how this would work in the Instant Pot?
Carolyn says
Because the IP has a metal insert, I worry that it would overcook the bottom of the chicken.
Lori says
I just skimmed through most of the article because I have to get ready for work so forgive me if you already addressed this, but can I use packaged Ranch salad dressing mix or dip mix? Having to gather all of those ingredients for the Ranch mix will probably prevent me from making this anytime soon. And, by the way, I really enjoy your blog, and the recipes you create. You have made cooking for a diabetic way more fun!
Carolyn says
Yes, you can. That would work fine.
Mailisha Chesney says
I have recently started using frozen broccoli florettes instead of fresh, which has been an awesome change (I can’t believe I was always so against frozen veggies in the past! I think I equated them with “canned”). So should I take the broccoli out of the freezer and put them in the fridge when I stick the chicken into the pot to start cooking? That way, when I add them to the pot later they are frozen solid. (Sorry for the “basic” question here, but I’ve never been comfortable in the kitchen… Going keto is forcing me to finally learn to “really” cook on my own!)
Carolyn says
I would add them in frozen, but maybe a little earlier in the process? Or, if you want to thaw them, actually add them LATER in the process (because once thawed, frozen broccoli is not as firm as fresh broccoli is).
Holly says
Love slow cooker meals and I like this recipe except for the “hidden” sodium. What is the purpose of the steak seasoning, which has a lot of salt, when you have made a ranch mixture that already has salt? Plus, mayo is another source of salt. I suppose if I wanted the flavors of the commercial steak seasoning, I would eliminate the salt from the homemade ranch mixture.
Carolyn says
I am not sure, it’s not my recipe. But it sure tastes great the way it is! Adapt it to your needs.
Stewie says
10% of this recipe is Paleo, try not to use fashion key words to sell your advertising while misleading people on what they are eating.
Carolyn says
Ah, the Paleo police! 🙂
The only thing in this entire recipe that *maybe* doesn’t with the Paleo lifestyle is the steak seasoning and there are some approved version of that, you just have to read the labels. Mayo is paleo if made with something like avocado oil. Everything in the ranch seasoning is Paleo (just the dried versions…and guess what? Our ancestors did plenty of drying foods to preserve them…and guess what? I have a Master’s degree in human evolution!).
So I really fail to understand your calculations of 10%.
Nicole says
Get em Caroloyn!!! I Love You. You have made me enjoy my kitchen.
Ellie W says
I love your blog. I had been looking for a good easy chicken recipe and will try this.
I just wanted to point out that in your ranch seasoning ingredients you have 1/ paprika.
I have the cookbook so looked it up and it should be 1/2.
Thanks for pointing out this great recipe to me. I have so many cookbooks it’s hard to narrow down stuff but thanks to you, I’ll give this one a try. It sounds delicious!
And so do a lot of your other recipes, 3 more of which I have bookmarked at the moment.
Have a super day Sweetie.
Hugs, Ellie W
Carolyn says
Thanks for pointing that out, Ellie!
Ellie W says
You’re very welcome!
Dana V says
I just made this tonight. An explosion of flavor! Why do I ever doubt you? I just couldn’t imagine how those ingredients could work together to make such a great tasting dish. The pictures didn’t help as it looked dry. No cheese, no cream,no cream cheese? No way it would be good. It was great! A repeat forever. Thank you. We loved it.
Carolyn says
And it’s not even my recipe! It’s from a cookbook I was reviewing. I was a bit sceptical too but it works!
McDonna says
Q: Does this recipe need chicken broth or other liquid? If the chicken was frozen it would generate a lot of liquid, but what about thawed chicken? Just trying to clarify before making this recipe.
Looks amazing & delicious! I really, *really* appreciate the comments of people who have actually made the recipe and not just the ones who – like me – are thinking of trying it. Nothing like the voice of one who has made it!
Carolyn says
Thawed chicken is fine, and no liquid is necessary.
Diana Williams says
I don’t eat beef or pork so is there an alternative for the steak seasoning? Maybe this is a dumb question but what is it? Thanks! Di
Carolyn says
It’s just a seasoning mix, it has no beef or pork in it. You can skip it if you want.
Shannon Souder says
What could be substitute for the red wine vinegar?
Carolyn says
Any vinegar will do.
Kelly says
Hi Carolyn! Excited to try this recipe! Question, it says it serves 6, but only uses 3 chicken breasts so I’m assuming these would be large breasts- maybe total 1 1/2 – 2 lbs? Does this sound about right?
Carolyn says
Yes, chicken breasts you get these days are large and have so much protein, they should be considered two servings.
lisa a whitehead says
can I use frozen chicken or does it have to be thawed?
Carolyn says
This recipe was thawed but I am not sure how long frozen would take. I suspect a while longer.
Greta says
In the directions you say to add 1 tbsp of the ranch seasons. But all the ingredients make a lot more than 1 tbsp. When do you add the remaining ranch seasoning mix?
Carolyn says
You don’t. You use it for ranch.