If you miss alfredo, look no further. Creamy Keto Chicken Alfredo with Broccoli Bake is the ultimate comfort food that is easy to make, low carb, and delicious. In under 30 minutes, you’ll have a wonderful meal on the table with little effort.
KETO CHICKEN ALFREDO WITH BROCCOLI RECIPE
I’ve always preferred marinara sauce over alfredo, but my kids love it and have been asking me to work on a new alfredo sauce recipe for a long time. Since I knew they wouldn’t know the difference if the sauce was keto-friendly or not, I thought I’d kill two birds with one stone by making a creamy keto alfredo sauce that we all could enjoy. My hubby and I can eat this Keto Chicken Alfredo with Broccoli Recipe as is, while the kids can enjoy it over pasta, making an easy-breezy dinner for all of us.
Melt butter in a cast iron (or another oven-safe) skillet then throw seasoned chicken breast into the pan to brown. If you prefer, use olive oil instead. I cut the chicken breasts into uniformly sized pieces so they would all cook evenly.
CAN I USE CHICKEN THIGHS INSTEAD OF BONELESS SKINLESS BREASTS?
Sure! My personal preference is boneless skinless chicken breasts, but if you prefer thighs instead, then they will work fine. Thighs will add more fat to the dish, which is always good when following a high-fat diet like keto.
CAN I USE PRECOOKED CHICKEN IN THIS RECIPE?
Precooked chicken can save a lot of time when you need a quick meal. As long as you are comfortable with the ingredients, it should work just fine. If you use a rotisserie chicken, you could have this meal on the table in less than 15 minutes.
Besides parmesan cheese used in traditional alfredo sauces, I added Pepper Jack for a hint of added flavor. It didn’t make the dish spicy, which is great since we have smaller kids in our family. If you like a little kick to your alfredo, you could always add red pepper flakes or even fresh jalapenos.
When making the keto alfredo sauce, it’s essential to bring it to a slow boil and continuously whisk so that it reduces and thickens without sticking to the bottom of the skillet. Make sure that the stove is not turned up too high, which can cause the heavy whipping cream to scald and curdle.
Tip: Do not put a lid on the skillet as the condensation from boiling would cause water droplets in the sauce, making it watery.
HOW CAN I THICKEN CHICKEN ALFREDO WITHOUT FLOUR?
While flour or cornstarch is often used to make a roux to thicken traditional sauces, most who follow a keto diet avoid those ingredients. You can thicken this low carb alfredo sauce by simply simmering for a few minutes with the lid off so that the sauce reduces and thickens. The combination of heavy whipping cream, cream cheese, and cheeses help this sauce to thicken nicely without adding flour or cornstarch.
I used a 12-ounce steam bag of broccoli for convenience, but fresh broccoli works great too. Then I add the chicken and broccoli to the alfredo sauce.
Tip: If you are looking for meatless dishes, you could omit the chicken entirely and increase the broccoli to make a keto broccoli alfredo bake.
Tip: Make sure to drain after steaming; otherwise, any excess water retained in the broccoli florets can thin out the sauce.
CAN I USE A DIFFERENT VEGGIE IN THIS EASY KETO CHICKEN ALFREDO BAKE?
It is super easy to sub in a different low carb veggie you prefer in place of broccoli in this keto chicken alfredo. Here are a couple of ideas if you need inspiration:
asparagus
brussels sprouts
green beans
cauliflower
mushrooms
I prefer the texture of popping the Keto Chicken Alfredo Bake in the oven so that the mozzarella cheese browns nicely. You could continue to simmer until the cheese melts on top if you’d like, but make sure not to put a lid on the skillet as the water droplets from condensation would cause the alfredo sauce to thin.
For a simple one-dish meal, you can serve this creamy and delicious low-carb Chicken Alfredo Bake as is or with one of the low-carb pasta alternatives listed below. I would also add a nice leafy garden salad to serve alongside. If you miss bread, cheesy garlic chaffless would be fantastic as a low-carb sub to garlic bread.
ARE THERE LOW-CARB PASTA ALTERNATIVES?
Zucchini Zoodles – Are made by spiralizing zucchini into noodle shapes. You’ll need a spiralizer if you don’t already have one. They are inexpensive and work great.
Spaghetti Squash – Is my favorite pasta alternative. Once it is cooked, it shreds into thin strands that resemble noodles. It is rich in fiber, low in calories, and dense in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. If you aren’t familiar, here is how to roast spaghetti squash.
Miracle Noodles (Shirataki Noodles) -Shirataki noodles are made from the Konjac plant. They are very low in carbs and are supposed to take on the taste of whatever sauce you are using. From comments in various keto groups on Facebook I’ve read, it is essential to rinse these several times to neutralize their smell. I’ve read mixed reviews on Miracle and am honestly hesitant to give them a try because I have a very pronounced sense of smell.
Palmini– This low-carb alternative to pasta was featured on Shark Tank. Palmini is made out of the plant Hearts of palm and is only 4g of carbs or 2g net carbs per serving.
HOW MANY NET CARBS IN ALFREDO SAUCE?
Alfredo sauce is generally low in carbs, but you might find ingredients you avoid like wheat or flour in commercially made brands. Typically alfredo sauce has approx 3-4 carbs. This particular recipe for Keto Chicken Alfredo with Broccoli has 5 net carbs in an entire serving, which includes the carbs from the broccoli as well.
HOW TO REHEAT KETO ALFREDO SAUCE SO THAT IT DOESN’T SEPARATE?
Anytime I have ever tried to reheat alfredo sauce, it always separates and gets watery, so I thought I’d do some research as to why and if it could be avoided. Mainly, you don’t want to shock the sauce with high heat. You want to rewarm it slowly. If it does separate, all might not be lost. Sometimes you can add a little heavy cream and whisk again to emulsify. Here are a couple of methods that yield the best results.
Add a bit of heavy cream to a skillet first on medium temperature until it warms, then add the alfredo sauce and heat slowly.
Rewarm slowly using a double boiler.
Rearm in the oven on 375 degrees – add a bit of water to the dish first.
KETO CHICKEN ALFREDO WITH BROCCOLI BAKE
Prep Time 5 mins
Cook Time 25 mins
Total Time 30 mins
Course: Dinner, Lunch, Main Course
Cuisine: American, Italian
Keyword: Keto Alfredo, Keto chicken Alfredo
Servings: 6 Calories: 549kcal Author: Kasey Trenum
Ingredients
3 tbsp butter, divided
2.5 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast, sliced
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 tbsp chicken broth
12 oz steam bag of frozen broccoli
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 oz cream cheese, softened
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
2/3 cup parmesan cheese, grated
1/4 cup pepper jack cheese, grated
3/4 cup mozzarella cheese, grated
1/4 tsp basil
Instructions
Melt 1 tbsp butter in a 10.25 oven-safe skillet. (I use a cast-iron skillet)
Season sliced chicken with salt & pepper before placing the chicken in the skillet. Sear on both sides.
Cover the skillet with a lid and simmer on low until the chicken is no longer pink.
Remove chicken from the skillet and set aside.
Deglaze the pan by pouring 2 tbsp chicken broth into the hot skillet then scraping the bits off the bottom with a wooden spoon. Leave the bits in the pan as they are extra flavorful.
Pop the broccoli in the microwave and follow package directions to steam. Or, if you prefer, you can steam in boiling water on the stove.
While the broccoli is cooking, add 2 tbsp butter to the skillet along with the minced garlic. Saute 2 minutes or until fragrant.
Add softened cream cheese, heavy whipping cream, and Italian seasoning to the minced garlic, then stir continuously with a whisk on medium heat until the ingredients are thoroughly combined.
Reduce to a medium/low heat and allow the sauce to simmer gently boiling until the heavy whipping cream has reduced and thickened. Keep whisking so that it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan. It will take a few minutes for the sauce to reduce and thicken.
Once it has thickened, add the parmesan and pepper jack cheese then continue to stir until the cheeses melt and the sauce is smooth.
Drain steamed broccoli.
Add the chicken and broccoli to keto alfredo sauce and stir until thoroughly combined.
Sprinkle mozzarella cheese on the low-carb chicken alfredo broccoli mixture then sprinkle basil on top.
Pop the skillet in the oven on the top rack under broiler for 1-2 minutes or until the mozzarella cheese begins to bubble. While you could leave it on the stove to melt, I found that baking the cheese from the top in the oven produced the best results for this dish.
Notes
The nutritional information provided for this recipe is based on 6 servings. I divide it evenly.
Notes:
Make sure to drain the broccoli after steaming. Any retained moisture can thin the alfredo sauce.
If the sauce gets too thick simply add a bit more heavy whipping cream.
If the sauce is too thin, continue boiling on low heat with the lid off, and it will reduce. Make sure to whisk continuously.
Nutrition
Calories: 549kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 52g | Fat: 35g | Fiber: 2g
