Whole30 Chicken Bacon Ranch Poppers (Paleo)
Posted: 03/23/18
Updated: 05/15/22
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These Whole30 chicken bacon ranch poppers are one of our favorite Whole30 dinner recipes: super flavorful, family-friendly, and great for leftovers. Loaded with veggies and plenty of Whole30 dump ranch dressing for dipping, these Whole30 chicken bacon ranch poppers are a must-try Whole30 dinner recipe for any meal plan!
What Makes This Recipe So Good
I’m pretty sure meatballs and poppers are the best thing to ever happen to a Whole30.
I don’t care what day I’m on, how over a round I am, how sick of savory food I’ve already gotten, chicken poppers always sound good. And they usually make a veritable ton, meaning easy leftovers I actually look forward to, instead of dread, the next day.
And if poppers are the best thing to ever happen to a Whole30, bacon and ranch are the food soulmates without a doubt. I can’t think of a single instance where one is not bolstered by the other. I challenge you to find one!
So these Whole30 chicken bacon ranch poppers were a whole mess of matches made in heaven: tender bites of chicken loaded with veggies, fresh garlic and herbs, and plenty of Whole30-compliant bacon. Dipped in my favorite Whole30 dump ranch, I just can’t get enough of these little flavor bombs.
The best thing about these Whole30 chicken bacon ranch poppers is that my child loves them. Sure, we have to call them chicken nuggets, but I don’t care. He loves them! They’re healthy! He eats them! It’s a toddler miracle. I might have to put them on exactly the right plate and give him exactly the right fork, but that’s to be expected. The focus here, y’all? These Whole30 chicken bacon ranch poppers are totally family friendly.
And if you have a food processor, these Whole30 chicken bacon ranch poppers come together super easily. I actually chop most of my ingredients in the food processor: the garlic first, because you want it to be super minced; then the parsley to get a nice mince without blitzing it to paste. I stir all of that into the chicken mixture, then fit my food processor with the shredding blade to make grating the zucchini super easy.
Mush it all together in a large mixing bowl with your hands, use a meatball-sized scooper (<<< click there to order my favorite), and fry them up. Serve family-style with plenty of ranch for dipping and a quick side of garlicky kale, and you’re set with a healthy dinner the entire family will devour.
These Whole30 chicken bacon ranch poppers are such a perfect addition to your Whole30 meal plan, and I know you’ll love them just as much as we do. Plus, that all-important bonus… leftovers you’ll actually dig. A great idea for weekly meal prep, too. Just make sure you have plenty of my Whole30 dump ranch on hand for generous dipping!
More Whole30 Recipes You’ll Love
- Whole30 Hibachi Chicken and Veggies with Cauliflower Fried Rice and Mustard Sauce
- Egg Roll in a Bowl Meal Prep (Whole30, Paleo, Keto)
- Whole30 Chicken Lo Mein
- Whole30 Fried Chicken and Mashed Potato Bowl with Gravy
- Cheeseburger Soup (Whole30, Paleo, Dairy-Free)
- BBQ Chicken Bowls with Sweet Potatoes and Coleslaw (Whole30)
Whole30 Chicken Bacon Ranch Poppers (Paleo)
These Whole30 chicken bacon ranch poppers are one of our favorite Whole30 dinner recipes: super flavorful, family-friendly, and great for leftovers. Loaded with veggies and plenty of Whole30 dump ranch dressing for dipping, these Whole30 chicken bacon ranch poppers are a must-try Whole30 dinner recipe for any meal plan!
Ingredients
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 5-6 green onions chopped
- ¼ cup fresh parsley chopped
- 4 slices bacon diced, see Notes
- 2 pounds ground chicken breast see Notes to make your own
- 4 cups zucchini unpeeled, grated
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt or to taste
- 1 tablespoon freshly cracked pepper or to taste
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil or avocado oil or ghee, for frying
- ½ cup Whole30 dump ranch dressing for dipping
Equipment
- Food processor (optional)
- Large mixing bowl
Instructions
With a Food Processor
- Add peeled and smashed garlic to bowl of food processor and process until minced. Add green onions and parsley and pulse until chopped. Add diced bacon and pulse until chopped. Transfer mixture to a large mixing bowl.
- Fit shredding blade to food processor and process zucchini through until you have 4 cups. Transfer zucchini to large mixing bowl. Continue to "Make the Meatballs" section below.
Without a Food Processor
- Prepare the garlic, green onions, parsley, bacon, and zucchini as noted in the ingredient list. Combine all in a large mixing bowl.
Make the Meatballs
- Stir in ground chicken and seasoning to large mixing bowl and mix thoroughly with clean hands. Use a disher to scoop out uniform balls of meatballs mixture and place on a baking sheet. Repeat until all mixture has been used.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat and coat with a layer of oil. Fry meatballs in batches until browned on all sides and cooked through, about 7-10 minutes total.
- Remove fried meatballs from skillet with a slotted spoon or spatula and drain on a plate lined with paper towels. Repeat until all meatballs are cooked. Serve with plenty of Whole30 dump ranch dressing.
Notes
- Bacon: Make sure to use a Whole30-compliant bacon, with no added sugars.
- Homemade Ground Chicken: Cut 2 pounds of chicken breasts into chunks and spread evenly on a baking sheet. Place in freezer about 15-30 minutes, then, add a handful of chicken chunks to food processor at a time. Pulse until texture appears ground and uniform. Don’t overprocess. Remove from food processor bowl and repeat with remaining chicken chunks.
Nutrition Information
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 448kcal, Carbohydrates: 8g, Protein: 53g, Fat: 22g, Saturated Fat: 10g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g, Monounsaturated Fat: 6g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 160mg, Sodium: 1296mg, Potassium: 1306mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 4g, Vitamin A: 798IU, Vitamin C: 34mg, Calcium: 63mg, Iron: 2mg, Net Carbs: 6g
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.
Does one need to wring out the zucchini in a cheese cloth prior to adding to the mixture?
Not in a cheesecloth necessarily, but I would at least try to remove as much excess liquid as possible with paper towels! That’ll keep the poppers from being too wet. You can salt and sweat the grated zucchini before starting, to pull out even more moisture.
1TBSP of pepper? That is a lot! Im making these now, but cutting way back on the pepper
That’s what we used, but it’s totally to taste!
Is the bacon precooked first? There are 2 different answers in the post.
It’s not precooked. 🙂 Sorry for the confusion!
These were yummy and my whole family approved! I cooked them in the air fryer for about 5-6 min on 390 degrees and they were so juicy and delicious!
Glad this was a family hit Jenna!
Have you ever made these as an app for a gathering? Would they hold up well in a crock pot to keep them warm?
Yes!!!
Have you tried freezing these? I’m thinking of doing some meal prep and cooking these ahead of time and then freezing. If so, how long and at what temp do you suggest reheating?
I thin they’d be pretty easy to freeze! To reheat, we’d reheat them in the microwave or heat them in the oven at 400° for about 15 minutes or so.
These look amazing! Could you use left over chicken for this recipe?
Yes, you can! Maybe adjust the cooking time to prevent the chicken from drying out.