Sheet-Pan Million-Dollar Chicken

Boy, do I have a million-dollar idea for you! Are you ready for it? Million-dollar dip, baked on top of juicy chicken breasts. Sounds utterly divine, right?

If you’re not familiar with million-dollar dip, it’s a popular party dip loaded with cheese, bacon, green onions, ranch seasoning and almonds. While it’s usually enjoyed with crackers or veggies, this sheet-pan recipe transforms it into a mouthwatering topping for boneless, skinless chicken breasts. The dip is mounded high atop chicken breasts and crisp bacon, then crowned with a shower of buttery cracker crumbs and ground almonds before being baked.

Sheet-Pan Million-Dollar Chicken Ingredients

• Chicken: This sheet-pan million-dollar chicken may be our new favorite smothered chicken recipe. Pound the chicken breasts flat so they are an even thickness—no more than 1 inch thick.
• Bacon: Not all bacon is created equal, so use your favorite brand of bacon.
• Cream cheese: Cream cheese keeps the topping nice and thick, making it easy to mound on top of each chicken breast before baking.
• Mayonnaise: For a lighter spin, you can swap Miracle Whip for the mayo. Miracle Whip is a tad sweeter than mayo because of the addition of sugar.
• Buttermilk: Just a small splash of buttermilk gives the topping a bit of extra tang.
• Seasonings: Ranch dressing mix, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper give the topping its signature zesty flavor.
• Cheese: A combination of Gouda, sharp cheddar and Parmesan gives the recipe a complex cheesy flavor.
• Green onions: Green onions offer a mild onion flavor and a flourish of green color for garnish.
• Almonds: Coarsely ground almonds add wonderful crunch and a subtle nuttiness to the cracker crumb topping.
• Ritz crackers: Light and buttery crushed Ritz crackers may make this recipe taste like a million and one dollars. Use the rest of the sleeve on other delicious recipes with Ritz crackers.
• Butter: A few tablespoons of melted butter coat the cracker crumbs and almonds so they toast up perfectly golden in the oven.

Directions

Step 1: Cook the bacon

Preheat the oven to 425°F.

In a large skillet set over medium heat, cook the bacon until crisp, about four to five minutes per side. Remove it to a paper towel–lined plate to drain. Set it aside.

Step 2: Make the million-dollar topping

Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, mayonnaise, buttermilk, ranch dressing mix, cayenne (if you’re using it) and 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Fold in the Gouda, cheddar and Parmesan along with the whites of the onions.

Step 3: Layer the chicken with bacon and the topping

Arrange the chicken breasts on a 15x10x-1-inch rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle both sides with the remaining salt and pepper. Top each chicken breast with two pieces of bacon in an X shape. Spread the cheese mixture over the bacon on each chicken breast.

Step 4: Add crushed crackers and almonds

In a food processor, pulse the Ritz crackers, almonds and melted butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Divide the bread crumb mixture evenly over the chicken breasts.

Step 5: Bake the chicken

Bake the chicken until its internal temperature reaches 165° and the topping is golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. If the bread crumbs brown quickly, tent the chicken with foil. Garnish it with the green parts of the onion to serve.

Sheet-Pan Million-Dollar Chicken Variations

• Chop the bacon: While we love the restaurant recipe look that whole slices of bacon bring to the dish, you could finely chop the bacon and stir it into the cream cheese topping instead.
• Use another cheese: Play around with the types of cheese in the recipe. For instance, Swiss and blue cheese are also often mixed into million-dollar dip, and would work well in this chicken version too.
• Try another protein: This million-dollar chicken could also be made with thick-cut boneless pork chops, or even tilapia or salmon fillets. Keep in mind that the cook time may need to be adjusted slightly if you switch proteins. Pork chops and fish should register an internal temperature of 145°.

How to Store Sheet-Pan Million-Dollar Chicken

Million-dollar chicken should be kept refrigerated in an airtight food storage container and enjoyed within three to four days.

How do you reheat sheet-pan million-dollar chicken?

For the best texture, we recommend reheating million-dollar chicken in a 350º oven on a sheet pan tented with foil until it’s heated through. Alternatively, you can microwave leftovers, though the cracker crumbs and bacon will lose some of their crispiness.

Can you make sheet-pan million-dollar chicken in advance?

For a make-ahead meal, you can cook the bacon, prep the almond cracker crumbs, and mix the creamy topping two to three days ahead. Store each component in a separate airtight food storage container, and keep them refrigerated until you are ready to assemble and bake the chicken.

Can you freeze sheet-pan million-dollar chicken?

Sheet-pan million-dollar chicken makes a great freezer meal. Freeze the chicken breasts either fully baked or assembled but unbaked for up to three months. Thaw them completely in the refrigerator before baking them or reheating them.

Sheet-Pan Million-Dollar Chicken Tips

How do you prevent sheet-pan chicken breasts from drying out?

The secret to juicy and tender boneless, skinless chicken breasts is baking them at a high temperature. High heat cooks the chicken quickly, which means less moisture escapes from the lean muscle fibers. Pounding the meat to an even thickness helps the meat cook evenly.

How do you know when chicken is fully cooked in the oven?

With all those delectable toppings sitting on top of the chicken, it can be tough to tell when the meat is fully cooked. This is the perfect excuse to buy an instant-read meat thermometer if you don’t already have one. Once the thickest part of the chicken registers 165º in the middle, it’s fully cooked and ready to serve.

What can you serve with sheet-pan million-dollar chicken?

This million-dollar chicken pairs nicely with countless homestyle favorites. Crispy roasted potatoes, flavorful green rice, tender buttermilk biscuits, fluffy mashed potatoes and garlic-roasted broccoli are all terrific choices.

Want another million-dollar idea? Transform this recipe into a million-dollar chicken casserole.