Cheddar Ranch Chicken Thighs [Keto Recipe]

These Keto Cheddar Ranch Chicken Thighs are totally weeknight dinner-worthy and ready in just about 30 minutes. Grab a side salad and maybe some green beans and dig in!

Crispy Cheddar Ranch Chicken Thighs 🤤 Aren’t those the 5 greatest words you’ve ever heard? We are digging this easy skillet dinner. What more could you want? We’ve got crispy chicken thighs, melty cheese, and the perfect ranch seasoning along with pork rind crumbs to make a deliciously crispy topping.

We love using pork rinds as a breading as they get super crispy, stick well, and also brown well. Low-carb flours like almond flour and coconut flour aren’t always the greatest options since they tend to burn. Since we’re broiling these thighs, we opted for pork rinds for their stability.

You can purchase pre-made pork rinds crumbs or make your own! Just place the pork rinds in a food processor and pulse until they resemble breadcrumbs or panko. Easy!

Ingredients in Ranch Chicken Thighs

• 10 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• ¼ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
• ½ cup sour cream
• 6 ounces shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 batch ranch seasoning (recipe below)
• 4 cloves garlic, minced – not pre-minced
• 2 green onions, minced
• 1 tablespoon avocado oil (we like avocado oil instead of olive oil since it has a higher temp tolerance)
• 56 grams pork rind crumbs 
• Fresh parsley, dill, and green onions to garnish (optional) 

For the ranch seasoning:

• 1 tablespoon dried parsley
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon dried dill
• 1 teaspoon dried chives
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• ½  teaspoon salt

Dairy-Free options

Simple! You just need to swap the sour cream for a vegan alternative and the cheddar cheese for a vegan alternative. We like Forager sour cream and Violife shredded cheddar.

How to make these Baked Chicken Thighs

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F and season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper on both sides. Set chicken thighs aside. 
2. In a small bowl, combine sour cream, sharp shredded cheddar cheese, and the ranch seasoning mixture, garlic, and green onions. 
3. Drizzle the avocado oil in a 10.25” or larger cast iron skillet. Place chicken thighs in the skillet. Cover the chicken thighs with sour cream and cheese mixture. Press the pork rind crumbs on top of the mixture to ensure they stick. 
4. Cook the chicken for 20-25 minutes, until the internal temperature of the thickest part reaches at least 165°F. Broil for 5-7 minutes on high to crisp the top of the chicken thighs until golden brown and crispy. Serve immediately.

Key notes

• Yes, you can use a baking dish or baking sheet in place of a cast-iron skillet.
• Yes, you can use chicken breast instead of thighs. Bone-in skin-on thighs with the skin still attached won’t work well in this recipe.

Nutritional information

You can find the full nutrition info breakdown including the carb count (total carbs and net carbs) of these ranch chicken thighs at the bottom of the recipe card (listed per serving). The serving size/yield is at the top of the recipe card near the cooking time. You should always double-check your ingredients since different ingredients may have different values.

To get a specific serving size you’ll want to weigh the final dish. Next, divide the total weight by the number of servings. We can’t provide this information as your cooking style will vary from ours. Your ingredients may be different brands than ours too which can skew values.

Tools we used to make this recipe

• Cast Iron Skillet [budget option, heirloom splurge option]
• Cutting Board
• Instant Read Thermometer
• Chef’s Knife

LOVE THESE CRISPY CHEDDAR RANCH CHICKEN THIGHS? LEAVE A REVIEW AND ⭐️  RATING BELOW!

Cheddar Ranch Chicken Thighs

These Crispy Cheddar Ranch Chicken Thighs are made in just about 30 minutes for a delicious gluten-free, keto, and low-carb dinner recipe.

4.84 from 6 votes

Print Rate Pin Recipe

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

Servings: 5

Calories: 284kcal

Ingredients

• 10 boneless skinless chicken thighs
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• ¼ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
• ½ cup sour cream
• 6 ounces shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 batch ranch seasoning recipe below
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 2 green onions minced
• 1 tablespoon avocado oil
• 56 grams pork rind crumbs
• Fresh parsley dill, and green onions to garnish (optional)

For the ranch seasoning:

• 1 tablespoon dried parsley
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon dried dill
• 1 teaspoon dried chives
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• ½ teaspoon salt

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 400°F and season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper on both sides. Set chicken thighs aside.
• In a small bowl, combine sour cream, sharp shredded cheddar cheese, and the ranch seasoning mixture, garlic, and green onions.
• Drizzle the avocado oil in a 10.25” or larger cast iron skillet. Place chicken thighs in the skillet.
• Cover the chicken thighs with sour cream and cheese mixture. Press the pork rind crumbs on top of the mixture to ensure they stick.
• Cook the chicken for 20-25 minutes, until the internal temperature of the thickest part reaches at least 165°F. Broil for 5-7 minutes on high to crisp the top of the chicken thighs until golden brown and crispy. Serve immediately.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Cheddar Ranch Chicken Thighs

Amount Per Serving

Calories 284 Calories from Fat 198

% Daily Value*

Fat 22g34%

Saturated Fat 11g69%

Polyunsaturated Fat 1g

Monounsaturated Fat 6g

Cholesterol 60mg20%

Sodium 907mg39%

Potassium 155mg4%

Carbohydrates 4g1%

Fiber 1g4%

Sugar 1g1%

Protein 17g34%

Vitamin A 1233IU25%

Vitamin C 9mg11%

Calcium 302mg30%

Iron 1mg6%

*

Nutritional values are estimates only and do not include carbs from sugar alcohols.

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