Oct 2

Oct 2 Crack Twice Baked Potatoes

Appetizer, Chicken, Dairy Free, Dinner, Gluten Free, Keto / Low Carb, Paleo, Whole30

I have no idea who came up with the term Crack for the combination of chicken, bacon, ranch, and cheese, but they are 100% correct, I will love any dish with those together. There are so many recipes with the Crack flavoring so I wanted to think of another way to use it, twice baked potatoes are so underrated and used, so perfect for this combo. Plus throwing in some broccoli for the green in dinner made this a WINNER. Like my husband and kids went bananas over them, it is seriously going in the regular rotation.

I love freezing twice baked potatoes too, I made a huge batch when I was pregnant with Ainsley and it was the perfect side in those Winter months. Just prep them and place on a baking sheet and freeze for at least one hour, this is called flash freezing. Then just pop them in a freezer bag for you to just take out what you need, thawing in the fridge overnight or baking them from frozen.

These can totally be adapted to be dairy free by using plant-based sour cream and shredded cheese. For my low carb peeps - you can just spoon this goodness over some cauliflower or zucchini for a delicious casserole situation. Whole30ers can leave out that cheese and use some approved plain yogurt, actually I don’t know if that is approved or what anymore. These little boats of goodness are already gluten free. So make these for your mama, family, or your preggo neighbor across the street like I am!

Crack Twice Baked Potatoes

4 large russet potatoes
1 lb chicken, cooked and shredded (Instant Pot 8 minutes on high pressure with 1 cup broth)
8 strips of bacon, cooked and crumbled (20 minutes at 400)
1 bag frozen broccoli, steamed and chopped
8 oz shredded cheddar cheese, divided
5 green onion, sliced
3 Tablespoons Onion Ranch Seasoning
1/2 cup sour cream

- Preheat the oven to 400 and prep the potatoes by poking holes all over, drizzling with oil, and sprinkling with salt and pepper. Bake potatoes on a baking sheet for 1 hour or until a fork easily goes through. Split the potatoes along the long side and use a spoon to scoop out some of the inside. Place in a bowl and the hollowed sides back on the baking sheet.

- You can cook the chicken, bacon, and broccoli while the potatoes are in the oven. Once everything is prepped, mix the chicken, bacon, broccoli, onions, seasoning, sour cream, and cheese (reserving some for the tops of the potatoes) in the bowl with the potatoes.

- Carefully fill each potato half with the mixture, pressing it into the skin. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on each half.

- Place the potatoes back into the oven for 15 minutes or until the cheese is browned and melted. Serve with a drizzle of ranch on top.

I make my baked potatoes the same every time because they are perfect, seasoned, crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. Cover those taters with oil and season with a healthy amount of salt and pepper. Make sure to poke them with a knife or fork so they don’t explode either! Bake them for an hour, depending on the size of your tubers. Then just split them and scoop out the fluffy part, leaving a border all around.

I like to make the rest of the stuff while the potatoes are in the oven so it is super fast to get back into the oven. You could use a rotisserie chicken or bacon bits to make it go even faster. Also perfect to use up leftovers.

Remember to set aside some of the shredded cheese to sprinkle on top of the stuffed potatoes. If you are doing low carb, just substitute potatoes for cauliflower or zucchini, making this more of a casserole.