Bacon Wrapped Ranch Chicken w Jalapeno Pepper Jack Mashed Cauliflower

About

This full Keto main course is delicious hot comfort food for any time of year. It’s hot out of the oven and there’s a little spicy heat added in too. Perfectly portioned chicken tenders are seasoned with spices, including ranch-flavored dressing mix. The powdered dressing adds in loads of flavor and acts just like a seasoning. If that doesn’t get everyone’s mouths watering, wrapping each piece of chicken in your favorite bacon certainly will! Served alongside this crunchy, tangy chicken is a dish of mashed cauliflower with jalapeno and pepper jack cheese. The spicy side completes the meal, but you can alter the level of heat to your personal taste. This low-carb meal would make an excellent Keto meal and would pair well with one of Carb Manager’s cocktails if you allow alcohol in your diet.

Adding Variety To This Recipe

This Keto meal of chicken and mashed cauliflower is a good staple that can be added into meal rotations. When you want to maintain these macros and interest in your diet, you can make small adjustments or substitutions to the recipe. Using different smoked bacon can add an additional layer of flavor to your meal without changing the macros. However, you could also try wrapping your ranch-flavored chicken in prosciutto or thin-sliced ham. For the mashed cauliflower, you can substitute the pepper jack cheese for another favorite cheese of yours, such as cheddar or colby jack. Add in other flavoring elements like fresh herbs or swap out the butter for garlic butter. Let other users know in the comments what you added or substituted in this meal!

How To Complete This Meal

While the bacon-wrapped chicken and mashed cauliflower make a complete Keto meal on their own, there are still some finishing touches you can add to this meal. For garnishes, freshly chopped parsley or green onion would pair well with the ranch flavor and spiciness of the dish. At your discretion, you can include extra thin-sliced jalapeno and shredded cheese on top of your hot mashed cauliflower. For even more Keto garnishes, add a dollop of sour cream on the side. Carb Manager also produces a growing list of Keto cocktails, which can pair nicely with your dinner. The Cosmo Seltzer Cocktail would add a bubbly, citrus twist! Of course, you can always make a mock-cocktail too.

Ingredients

18 ounce raw chicken tenders by foster farms
1 teaspoon ranch dressing mix by simply organic
¼ teaspoon lemon pepper seasoning
⅛ teaspoon black pepper
⅛ teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon italian seasoning
8 slice – 6" long bacon
24 ounce cauliflower, raw
½ tablespoon unsalted butter
½ ounce cream cheese
⅛ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon black pepper
½ cup, shredded pepper jack cheese
1 regular – approx 2" long jalapeno peppers

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Place raw chicken tenders in a large bowl and toss with the ranch dressing powder, lemon pepper seasoning, pepper, onion powder, and Italian seasoning. If your lemon pepper is salt-free, you may want to add an extra pinch of salt to the chicken. If you don’t have raw chicken tenders available at your grocery store, simply use chicken breast cut into strips (about 2 strips per serving).
Line a baking tray with foil and set a baking rack over the tray. Spray the baking rack with pan spray if necessary. One by one, wrap each seasoned chicken tender with a piece of raw bacon. Tuck the ends of the bacon under the chicken before placing each piece on the baking rack. Bake the tray of bacon-wrapped chicken for 35 minutes, no flipping required. If you want the bacon to be even crispier, you can turn on your broiler for a few minutes at the end of baking.
While the chicken is cooking, make the mashed cauliflower side. Prep a large head of cauliflower by removing the core and green leaves. Cut the head of cauliflower into chunks that fit inside a large pot. If you cut the cauliflower into small pieces, it will fall apart in the pot later or get too soft too quickly. Place the cauliflower in your pot and fill with water until the cauliflower is covered. Bring the pot to a boil over high heat and cook the cauliflower until it’s tender enough to pierce through with a fork – 12-15 minutes.
Once the cauliflower is tender, drain the water. Use a pair of tongs or a slotted spoon to transfer the hot cauliflower to a food processor. Let any excess water drip off the cauliflower before piling it up in the food processor. Add in the butter and softened cream cheese while the cauliflower is still hot. Pulse the food processor until the cauliflower is mashed. Then, use the pulse button to mix in the salt and pepper.
Scoop the mashed cauliflower into a large bowl. While the mashed cauliflower is cooling, stir in shredded pepper jack cheese. Make sure the cheese is spread throughout the cauliflower as it melts to help bind the mash as it cools more. Finally, mince and fold in a small jalapeno pepper into the mashed cauliflower. Each serving should include about 2 pieces of bacon-wrapped chicken and 1 cup of mashed cauliflower.