This Keto Cheesy Ranch Popcorn Chicken is not only easy to make, it’s also picky kid (and husband) approved! Get this quick and delicious low carb dinner on the table with a minimum of fuss and lots of rave reviews!!!
Life is busy, especially when you’ve got a job and a family to care for, so like most of you I’m constantly on the hunt for ways to make dinner that also save time, because seriously – who has extra time lying around to use whatever way we want?
Not this chick.
One of the ways I think we can spend more time with our kids especially is by including them in the cooking process at dinnertime.

You’re already spending time preparing dinner, and when you include the rest of the family it makes extra use of that time to chat about your day and how they are feeling, with the added bonus of teaching them a valuable life skill (which seems to be super rare these days BTW, but don’t even get me started because that is a rant for another time).
Obviously when you’re cooking with the kiddos the recipe needs to be quick and easy. Also you want it to be healthy, but still something they are invested in and looking forward to eating when it’s finished.
Since Hungry Jr. loves popcorn chicken, I chose to make this Ranch flavored chicken in bite sized form.
Can I just say that this keto Cheesy Ranch Popcorn Chicken recipe was not only incredibly easy, but also tasted amazing? I mean I know anything Ranch flavored is going to be good, but after the first bite I was like “WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN ALL MY LIFE?!”

Crunchy, Salty, Herby, Ranchy, Cheesy, Tender PERFECTION. But I knew it could be even better with a sauce (because everything is.)
Hungry Jr. likes honey mustard sauce so I made him some, but I wanted the same sweet tang for the rest of us without the carbs. I thought “why not use a sugar free maple flavored syrup in place of the honey?” – and this low carb Maple Dijon sauce was born literally seconds later.
I won’t go on and on about it other than to say that I could write an entire post around this delicious keto Maple Mustard dipping sauce alone! It perfectly complemented the savory Ranch flavored popcorn chicken – and pretty much any other Ranch-flavored item you’d like to dip!
Once you try it you’ll know what I mean.

Cheesy Ranch Popcorn Chicken – Keto
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Description
This quick and easy low carb Cheesy Ranch Popcorn Chicken recipe is a delicious and healthy way to get your family together! Keto and Atkins friendly.
Ingredients
For the chicken
- 2 lbs chicken tenderloins (or breast) cut into bite sized pieces
- 1 cup almond flour
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
- 1 packet Ranch Salad Dressing & Seasoning Mix (or 2 Tbsp homemade Ranch Seasoning)
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
For the dipping sauce:
- 1/3 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
- 1/4 cup sugar free maple flavored pancake syrup
Instructions
To make the chicken:
- Combine the almond flour, cheese, and Ranch Seasoning Mix in a medium bowl.
- Combine the mayonnaise, mustard, and chicken pieces in another medium bowl – stir well.
- Dip the mayo coated chicken pieces in the seasoning mixture and place on a parchment lined cookie sheet.
- Bake the chicken at 400 degrees (F) for 15 – 18 minutes (depending on size of pieces) until golden brown and cooked through.
For the dipping sauce:
- Combine the ingredients and whisk until smooth. Adjust for your preference by adding a little more mustard or a little more syrup if necessary.
Notes
Approximate nutrition information per serving:
1 serving (5 oz) chicken: 351 calories, 20g fat, 4g net carbs, 40g protein
2 Tbsp sauce: 110 calories, 12g fat, 0g net carbs, 0g protein
- Category: Low Carb Chicken Dinner
- Cuisine: American
This Summer we are trying to spend less time in the kitchen and more time as a family enjoying evenings together by the lake – fishing, sitting by the fire, and just chatting about whatever.
I’m happy to say that tonight’s Cheesy Ranch Popcorn Chicken was a great success, and we followed it up outside with lots of laughing and silliness – which is the best part about spending time with family isn’t it?

Once the snow flies we’ll still be having regular family nights together, but we’ll probably move on to playing cards and board games (any Parcheesi peeps out there??) inside until the weather is more conducive to outside time again!
Except for the occasional foray outdoors to make snowmen of course – we missed that while we were living in South Carolina!
I can tell you with the utmost confidence though that no matter what our family night activities are, this easy low carb ranch popcorn chicken recipe will be featured on the regular!
Gina M says
tweet–https://twitter.com/WildOrchid985/status/674635852476207104
Gina M says
Our perfect family night involves board games and a fire in the fire place!
Thanks for the chance to win!
wildorchid985 AT gmail DOT com
Caree says
Tried this recipe this week- the results weren’t exactly like the picture- the ‘breading’ didn’t stick very well. Though I did try to ‘shake & bake’ the chicken (where you dump the wet coated chicken straight into the dry mix & toss), which I don’t think worked very well; maybe I should have dry-coated the chicken one piece at a time (ahhh tedium). And the dipping sauce, I followed the recipe exactly but it was WAY too sweet for my taste. All we were tasting was syrup. I upped the mustard a little to balance it out, but it still was pretty sweet. Maybe I’ll try this again with some adjustments.
Mellissa Sevigny says
Unfortunately that doesn’t work well (I tried it too and it just gunked up and fell off) so you do have to dip them just a few at a time to get the coating on right. As far as the sauce goes, it will depend the brand of syrup and mustard I think so you definitely have to play with the ratios to get the right balance of flavors for your taste!
rachel says
A yummy dinner, followed by playing with my toddler and baby — and then they go to bed so my hubby and I can hang out! haha
Tina m says
https://twitter.com/HappyTina0115/status/671897686661033985
Tina m says
that looks pretty easy and yummy
Trista Robinson says
Just made these tonight for dinner and they were FAB-U-LOUS! Wasn’t sure how I was going to feel about the dipping sauce but it was a delicious combo!
Anastasia says
Curious if the HV Ranch has any grain/flour in the dry packets? I am unable to eat flour/grains but this sounds yummy! And my perfect family night is a campfire in the backyard overlooking the river.
tara pittman says
A pizza sounds yummy.
Jeffrey says
I tweeted: https://twitter.com/FireRunner2379/status/671097120796106753.