Keto chicken casserole

Keto chicken casserole

Keto and casseroles go hand in hand, especially when it comes to this irresistible chicken recipe that will make your entire family swoon. The cream sauce is hearty, cheesy, and loaded with yummy pesto. Your oven will feel honored to bake this tasty goodness for you over and over again.
December 12 2015 recipe by , photo by , nutritional review by in Recipes, Dinner, Meal

Keto chicken casserole

Keto and casseroles go hand in hand, especially when it comes to this irresistible chicken recipe that will make your entire family swoon. The cream sauce is hearty, cheesy, and loaded with yummy pesto. Your oven will feel honored to bake this tasty goodness for you over and over again.
USMetric
6 servingservings

Ingredients

  • ¾ cup 180 ml heavy whipping cream
  • ½ cup (4 oz.) 120 ml (120 g) cream cheese
  • 3 tbsp 3 tbsp green pesto
  • 1 tbsp 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • salt and pepper
  • 1½ oz. 45 g butter
  • 2 lbs 900 g skinless boneless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 6 oz. 170 g leek, finely choppedleeks, finely chopped
  • 4 oz. 110 g cherry tomatoes, halved
  • ¾ lb 325 g cauliflower, cut into small florets
  • 2 cups (8 oz.) 475 ml (230 g) cheddar cheese, shredded
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Instructions

Instructions are for 6 servings. Please modify as needed.

  1. Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
  2. Mix cream and cream cheese with pesto and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  3. In a large pan over medium-high heat, melt the butter. Add the chicken, season with salt and pepper, and fry until they turn a nice golden brown.
  4. Place the chicken in a greased 9 x 13" (23 x 33 cm) baking dish, and pour in the cream mixture.
  5. Top chicken with leek, tomatoes, and cauliflower.
  6. Sprinkle cheese on top and bake in the middle of the oven for at least 30 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked. If the casserole is at risk of burning before it's done, cover it with a piece of aluminium foil, lower the heat and let cook for a little longer.

Tips

Sauce too runny? To thicken the sauce, add some extra shredded cheese. This will give the dish even more flavor and consistency.

Green it up! A rich dish like this only gets better if you serve it with a side of fresh leafy greens. Dress with a generous drizzle of olive oil, some balsamic vinegar, and a sprinkle of sea salt.

Would like some extra heat? Spice things up with some red pepper flakes!

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What did you think? Please share your thoughts in the comment section below!
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274 comments

  1. 51
    Linda
    December 4 2016
    I'd be interested in the protein & fat counts as I am trying to stay within certain limits........anybody figure it out?
    Reply: #52
  2. 52
    Reply to comment #51 by Linda
    Peter Biörck Team Diet Doctor
    December 4 2016
    Hi Linda!

    Hover your mouse pointer over "Nutrients" in the gray box below "Ingredients"....and you will find them.

    I'd be interested in the protein & fat counts as I am trying to stay within certain limits........anybody figure it out?

    Replies: #53, #54
  3. 53
    Reply to comment #52 by Peter Biörck
    Linda
    December 5 2016
    Yes, I saw the percentages.....but not sure how that converts to grams....trying to stay within an overall limit.
    Reply: #69
  4. 54
    Reply to comment #52 by Peter Biörck
    Linda
    December 6 2016
    OK.....I figured it out! Broke out my math!
    Replies: #55, #87
  5. 55
    Reply to comment #54 by Linda
    Peter Biörck Team Diet Doctor
    December 6 2016
    Great Linda! :)

    OK.....I figured it out! Broke out my math!

  6. 56
    Sarah
    December 11 2016
    I tried this recipe it came out better than I expected it was super easy and tasty!!
  7. 57
    A
    January 3 2017
    What is the serving size
  8. 58
    Julie Swartz
    January 3 2017
    Can you substitute chicken breast for thighs?
    Reply: #79
  9. 59
    Calum Cross
    January 6 2017
    Please can someone tell me can you freeze this?!
    Reply: #60
  10. 60
    Reply to comment #59 by Calum Cross
    Lauren
    January 12 2017
    I tried this recipe this week, and the casserole was great fresh out of the oven. Reheats in the microwave have been disappointing, it doesn't have the same lovely creamy cheesy meltiness. I wouldn't try to freeze it.
  11. 61
    Tony
    January 14 2017
    Wow! This was so delicious. Definitely now a favourite. Microwaved leftovers and still delicious.
  12. 62
    Mimi
    January 18 2017
    Don't know where this went wrong - somewhat bland, not much of a pesto flavor. Even used Italian seasoning on the thighs w/salt and pepper. Very greasy and the sauce was very runny. Leeks didn't cook enough (left in for 45 minutes as I had large chicken thighs). Next time I'll saute the leeks and cauliflower in butter before putting in the casserole. Also, butter with the chicken is overkill unless you don't have skin on the thighs. Up the pesto, decrease the cream (did 1/2 heavy cream and 1/2 sour cream and still runny).
    Reply: #108
  13. 63
    Ellen
    January 18 2017
    I made this tonight- delicious. But the sauce was very watery, and the leek crunchy, just like Mimi wrote. And the cheese made a crust on top. A couple things should fix that : sauteing the chopped leek. Also- steam the cauliflower to decrease the moisture. I would also suggest baking for less time (if you saute and steam) and adding the cheese during the last 10 minutes.
  14. 64
    Kelly
    January 18 2017
    Has anyone had any luck trying this in a slow cooker? My family and I have been enjoying so many of these recipes, I'd really like to try to make some of them in a slow cooker to make coming home from work/daycare less chaotic.
  15. 65
    Dalhia
    February 5 2017
    This was amazing :)
  16. 66
    Dawn
    February 12 2017
    Not bad, but my sauce was runny too. I'll try some of the suggestions above!
  17. 67
    Robert
    February 13 2017
    I'm a little concerned. Just started here and everything I'm reading is that many foods are unlimited. Using some of the recipes on this site, I see my daily cholesterol intake at 1009mg, saturated fat 63g... I feel like I should be worried about this. I know it's low carb/high fat, but these numbers are a little alarming.

    Using the Myfitnesspal app, logging all of my ingredients these are the numbers that come out only for breakfast lunch and dinner. So am I doing something wrong, or is it normal to see numbers like that?

    I appreciate the help.
    -Rob

    Reply: #105
  18. 68
    Anns
    February 14 2017
    This was delicious, a bit different.
  19. 69
    Reply to comment #53 by Linda
    Heather
    February 20 2017
    How do you do the math? I love a lot of the recipes on here but it is frustrating that they only provide the percentages for the protein and fat. Thanks!
  20. 70
    Sara Hanson
    February 21 2017
    Does anyone know what the caloric intake is on these meals also fat, protein? It only shows the carbs!!
    Reply: #71
  21. 71
    Reply to comment #70 by Sara Hanson
    Peter Biörck Team Diet Doctor
    February 22 2017
    Hi Sara!

    Sorry but we don't want to promote to much "counting" that's why we only have the carbs in gram.

    But If you feel that this is important to you then use the formula below to calculate, a bit complicated though. ;-)

    (%PROTEIN / %CARB) * gram_CARB = gram_PROTEIN
    (%FAT / %CARB) * 4/9 * gram_CARB = gram_FAT

    gram_CARB * 4 + gram_PROTEIN*4 + gram_FAT*9 = CALORIES

    Does anyone know what the caloric intake is on these meals also fat, protein? It only shows the carbs!!

    Reply: #80
  22. 72
    Marissa
    February 23 2017
    I've made this four times now and we love it. However, when I put all the ingredients into MFP, it's 10 net carbs? After making it exactly to the recipe's instructions the first time, I changed the steps. Here's a better way to do it, without crunchy vegetables: Preheat your oven. Brown the chicken in butter, using a cast iron pan or a dutch oven (or any frying pan/vessel that can go on the burner and in the oven too). Then remove the chicken when it's brown and crispy, reserving the butter/drippings in the pan. Fry up the veggies in the reserved drippings/butter, adding more if necessary. Once they're just about done, remove them from the pan. Put the chicken back in the pan and top with the pesto cream. We use sour cream and it makes a nice, thick sauce. I try to cover the breasts in it, then mix the leftover sauce with the veggies before pouring the veggies on top of the chicken. Then cover with the cheese and put it in the oven until the cheese is brown and bubbly. It comes out very flavorful and it's so rich and satisfying. Great after a long, cold day.
    Reply: #73
  23. 73
    Reply to comment #72 by Marissa
    Jane
    March 12 2017
    Thanks for the tips Marissa, it came out weirdly soggy and yet crunchy when i made it before! I will definitely be trying your tweaks.
  24. 74
    Piper
    March 25 2017
    Delish! I sauted the veggies beforehand -- (also added onion and garlic). Used 1/2 sour cream and 1/2 HWC. Cut up my chicken thighs into smaller bites after frying. Used parmesan, as the recipe above does not specify what type of cheese. Turned out great, though a bit on the runny side. Will make this again soon.
  25. 75
    Marcy
    April 11 2017
    Tasty! Substituted broccoli for the cauliflower and skipped the leeks. I will make this again.
  26. 76
    Patricia
    April 20 2017
    Delicious meal. I fried the chicken in butter and put in a casserole dish. I washed and chopped the leek and cauliflower and saute until soft. Put over chicken in dish. I took sour cream and mixed in ingredients. It was real thick, the consistency of mayo. I took a spatula and smoothed over veggies. Topped with tomatoes and then cheese. It was a decadent meal. Others that said theirs were runny, I would drain the leeks and veggies before putting over chicken. I do think that HWC would be not as thick as the sour cream. We will be keeping this dish on the menu.
  27. 77
    Sharon Himmelman
    April 26 2017
    What to add to the diet to help with constipation?Help
  28. 78
    Caroline
    May 1 2017
    I absolutely loved this recipe and can see it becoming a weekly cook in our household! Don't even think about dropping the pesto from this dish, it's crucial, the way breathing is. I did as Marissa suggested in Comment 72 and fried the veges a little before putting on top of the chicken. I baked it at 200 celcius, fan forced, for 45 mins and everything was cooked perfectly. My dish was very saucy at the end but I think this was due to using skinless thigh fillets instead of thigh pieces with bone in and skin on. When serving, I used a slotted spoon to remove excess liquid which left a decadent cauli, cheesy, chickeny creamy pile of deliciousness on my plate. A+!!
  29. 79
    Reply to comment #58 by Julie Swartz
    André Eriksen
    May 19 2017
    I did, with bones. Up the weight a little
  30. 80
    Reply to comment #71 by Peter Biörck
    André Eriksen
    May 19 2017
    Or or.. you could print it out, it's a simple change to your module / web layout.
    There's no danger in counting calories, people looking up these recipes are already "too" aware of their intake.
    Reply: #82
  31. 81
    André Eriksen
    May 20 2017
    Carb 4% = 7g = 28cal
    Protein 35% = 61g = 244cal
    Fat 61% = 47.5g = 427cal
    699,5 cal per serving.
  32. 82
    Reply to comment #80 by André Eriksen
    Peter Biörck Team Diet Doctor
    May 20 2017
    Hi André!

    Yes you are right, it would not be not be complicated to add that information. But we believe that the focus should be on the carbs.

    We think counting calories is not very useful, as it’s often misleading and as you can get at least as good results with less effort by eating only when hungry and if necessary add intermittent fasting.

    Or or.. you could print it out, it's a simple change to your module / web layout.
    There's no danger in counting calories, people looking up these recipes are already "too" aware of their intake.

  33. 83
    John
    June 2 2017
    Definitely need the nutritional info not percents and just carbs, as many of us are using carb tracking apps that require we plug in all that info. ? Kind of had to guesstimate for this one..... Smelllls good though !
  34. 84
    Jonathan
    June 8 2017
    This was great but 1) the sour cream curdled with the lemon. 2) I was confused are the thighs with bones ? seems odd as a caserole 3) I too think the cauliflour needs to be cooked ( I fried it in the butter a bit with the tomatoes ). But I'm going crazy about the curdled sour cream, so sauce was not creamy. what the heck am I doing wrong??????
  35. 85
    June B
    June 9 2017
    Oh my !!!! Just made this and it is soooo good! I made it with Heavy cream and I did leave out the cauliflower...served it over Zucchini ribbons.... Yum!!!!
  36. 86
    Sharon PEETI
    July 9 2017
    Just made this...and was Devine!
    I changed it up a bit...
    Used sour cream and Philadelphia cream for cooking plus half a cup of cream. I sautéed leeks, brocoli, cauliflower & garlic. Put aside in baking dish.Then cooked the chicken in 1tbs of curry powder when browned popped it in baking dish. Finally made the sauce by adding all the sour cream and creams together in the same frying pan added salt and coriander. Melted and added to rest of ingredients in baking dish. Gave it a toss. Grated cheese and baked in oven for 20mins. Voila!!!
  37. 87
    Reply to comment #54 by Linda
    Amanda
    July 13 2017
    What were the actual numbers.. I can't possibly be doing this right! I'm getting 53g of Protein per serving?!?!?! 91g of fat!!!!!!! My numbers seem way off...
    Reply: #89
  38. 88
    Courtney
    July 25 2017
    I've added all of these into MFP in the exact amount as above for 1 serve, but the totals I get are different to the percentages (and the way you calculate the protein/carbs/fat).

    MFP gives me ~840cals, 13gcarbs, 71g fat and 70g protein
    BUT The nutritional box says 8g carbs and when you use the calculations given for fat/carbs/calories that gives ~1064cals, 8g carbs, 91g fat, 53.3g protein.

    How can there be so much difference between the two? Are they not linked? Where does 8g carbs come from vs 13 if I am using the exact measurements as above?
    I'm so confused by this - I am really trying to keep my carb intake below 20g but having a possible extra 5g floating around does make a difference. Can someone please look into this - I understand the focus is not on "calorie counting" and I am not worried about that but my dietician has recommended for Keto that I stick to roughly <20g carbs, ~80g protein and 130-140g fat each day (she calculated these numbers specifically for my body stats, level of activity and my weight loss goals). This recipe is amazing but the differences in carbs and protein are really confusing.............

  39. 89
    Reply to comment #87 by Amanda
    Courtney
    July 25 2017
    Hey, I calculated that and got those figures as well - but then I did the recipe In MFP and got different answers. I just posted asking about these differences so fingers crossed someone gets back to me on what is actually in this recipe!
  40. 90
    Joey
    July 28 2017
    We really enjoyed this dish I used sour cream and a fresh tomato form garden added minced garlic for extra kick and about 3oz cream cheese to thicken. Turned out great!!!
  41. 91
    Lyn walne
    August 10 2017
    wanna try this so bad but cant stand pesto is there a substitute? thought about just omitting it but its 2 tbsp so im assuming it will alter taste somewhat without it...
  42. 92
    Lucy
    August 13 2017
    I made this tonight. It curdled. I should have thought that would happen because of the lemon in the cream. I am sure it will taste nice. Just disappointing that the potential for it to curdle wasn't mentioned above.
  43. 93
    George
    September 12 2017
    Why does it call for ¾ lb cauliflower, in florets in the list of ingredients and it says nothing about them in the cooking directions. Should I leave them out?
  44. 94
    Lisa
    September 15 2017
    Overall, I liked it. I did make some changes, based on what other people have said: I sauteed the leeks in the pan after I took the chicken out and par cooked the cauliflower. I used the cheepie parmesan cheese in a can, since that's what I had on hand. I also covered it with foil for the first 20 minutes, to keep it from burning, since that was a concern of other people. It was definitely runny, but I still liked the taste.
  45. 95
    Jessie
    September 17 2017
    This was really easy and really tasty. I, too, had problems with the liquid factor despite using some tips in the comments. So I drained the liquid, added it to a pan, added more cream and cheese and boiled it down to a nice creamy consistency...and then poured over the finished product. Really really good!
  46. 96
    Bob Thomas
    September 20 2017
    Not much use if you're vegetarian eh? :(
  47. 97
    Jan
    October 1 2017
    George - see step 5 for the cauliflower.

    Re differences in macro calculations with MFP - might be to do with the chicken thighs. In this recipe, for one person it's 225 gm , that seems like a lot ? That's 8 oz. So, I think they are bone in.
    So, without bones, and after cooking, the weight would be much less. Maybe MFP is giving you the macros for 8 oz of just meat. If the recipe wanted boneless thighs, I think it would have said. Just a theory.

  48. 98
    Maddie
    October 12 2017
    Should I cover it when putting in the oven?
  49. 99
    Brenda
    November 18 2017
    A nice variation--use sundried tomatoes instead of fresh tomatoes, use parmesan cheese to make it into alfredo sauce and sub zoodles cooked right in the sauce for a couple of minutes instead of cauliflower. Add a little bit of red pepper flakes for kick. Yummy.
  50. 100
    Angella
    November 19 2017
    Tasty! I steamed the cauliflower first, used boneless chicken breasts instead of thighs (cut into large cubes and cooked as directed). I also sautéed the leeks. I mixed everything together, including the diced tomatoes, and poured the cream mixture (I used heavy cream) over, and placed into the oven. About 15 minutes in, I mixed in some shredded cheese which exposed the cream and helped thicken. About 8 minutes later I put shredded cheddar and grated parmesan on top for around 7 minutes. Also, added cayenne pepper because we're spice freaks:) Next time I will also add red bell pepper. I used a cast iron dutch oven and never covered it.
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