Healthy-ish "Crack" Chicken

I was turned onto this dish by my bonus daughter, Alicia, and couldn’t wait to try it.  Chicken plus cheese, plus butter, plus bacon.  It was indeed quite addictively delicious, hence its moniker. Of course my first inclination was to see if I could make it healthier while still having all that fabulous flavor.  Mission accomplished!


I amped up the nutritional value by adding greens and mushrooms, used a vegan cream cheese to make it dairy free and subbed in a goats milk cheddar for the cheese (semantics if you consider goats milk a dairy product).  You’re welcome to use what you like.


My youngest daughter, Alana, joined me in the filming for this one.  As a nutritionist and healthy lifestyle proponent, I knew she’d appreciate my nod to making this dish less notorious.  We decided to call it “Addiction Chicken.”


One of my favorite things is to have others in the TaylorKitchen with me. Family is a special bonus.  We had a blast and then the whole family chowed down on this fab chicken dish.  I hope you’ll enjoy this new way to prepare the good ‘ol staple, chicken. ​

Beautiful mushrooms amp up the nutritional value here

Dig in

Healthy "ish". Crack Chicken 

Serves 4


Heat oven to 400 degrees 


4 medium chicken breasts
1 12 oz. package frozen spinach or kale, thawed and drained very well.  Press to remove all excess moisture
1 8 oz. package cremini or baby Bella  mushrooms, sliced thinly
Olive oil
1 t Smoked paprika
1/2 t Garlic powder
Sea salt & pepper
8 oz. vegan cream cheese (like Miyoko's) or regular whipped cream cheese (scallion version is nice if you can find it) at room temperature
2 T chopped chives
1 T chopped dill
*Cooks note - you can also substitute a tablespoon of ranch dressing seasoning mix in place of the chives & dill,  You would also only use the smoked paprika and garlic powder on the chicken and not in the cream cheese.
1/2 c goats milk cheddar or other cheddar cheese
2 strips bacon, cooked & chopped(1 minute in the. Microwave covered with paper towel works perfectly for me)
6 scallions, slices thinly on the diagonal
Small handful parsley, chopped (optional)


Season chicken breasts on both sides with salt, pepper, and half of the smoked paprika and garlic powder.
Sauté in olive oil in an oven proof skillet on both sides until just barely golden.  You’ll finish cooking them in the oven so they don’t need to be cooked through yet.
Place greens and mushrooms in skillet, season with a bit of salt & pepper then adjust chicken to nestle on top of the veg.
Combine cream cheese with chives, dill, remaining smoked paprika, garlic powder, and pinch of salt.  Top each chicken breast evenly with cream cheese mixture, then sprinkle on cheddar cheese, scallions and bacon, reserving a bit of bacon and scallion to top when the chicken is out of the oven.
Let cook in the 400 degree oven for 15 minutes on the top rack until chicken is done (165 degrees).  Remove and garnish with remaining scallion, bacon and parsley if desired.  Devour! 

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