This cheesy chicken broccoli casserole is a stunningly easy and delicious keto dinner recipe. It comes together in 25 minutes and has less than 5g net carbs per serving!
I don’t think I’ve ever craved casseroles the way I am craving them this winter. We’ve been enjoying smoked sausage casserole, ham and cauliflower casserole, and keto zucchini lasagna all winter.
But this creamy, low-carb chicken broccoli casserole just shot to the top of the list for me. It’s the best kind of keto comfort food. Rich, hearty, and full of flavour and good fats.
And who doesn’t love a full keto meal that you bake in a single dish? The busier we get, the more important it is to cut down on excess dishes. If I can cook the full meal all in one pan, I am that much happier come dinner time.
This keto chicken broccoli casserole checks all the boxes. It’s hearty and satisfying, it has protein, veggies, and healthy fats, and it goes from stovetop to oven in a single large skillet.
Easy chicken casserole recipe
Chicken and broccoli is not an unusual combination in any way, but I found my inspiration for this skillet dinner standing in line at the grocery store check out. There it was, staring me in the face, on the front of Cast Iron Cooking or some such magazine.
Oh my it looked good. And the drizzly cold rain in Portland made it look even better…except for the fact that it was made with pasta.
Um, no thanks. Why can’t the chicken and broccoli be enough? Why water down the nutrition in the good stuff with all the unnecessary carbs?
Of course, now I simply had to make a keto broccoli chicken casserole, with more of the good stuff and less of the carby fillers!
Ingredients
This easy keto meal takes ingredients you can find at any grocery store. You will need:
- Cooked chicken
- Broccoli florets
- Butter
- Heavy whipping cream
- Mozzarella or cheddar cheese
- Parmesan
- Garlic
- Salt and pepper
How to make keto chicken broccoli casserole
- Use an ovenproof skillet: This is a recipe that goes straight from stovetop to oven, so that you don’t have to transfer the mixture to a casserole dish. The skillet does not have to be cast iron, although it’s always a good choice.
- Use plenty of broccoli: Several conventional recipes I referenced had a scant cup of broccoli for the whole casserole. Why skimp on that? I put in a full 12 ounces, which is closer to 3 cups chopped. This makes the recipe a full one-pan meal.
- Cook the broccoli: Chop the florets coarsely so it cooks through a little faster and more evenly. You want to sauté it until it’s bright green and just bareIy tender, as it will cook more in the oven. I don’t recommend frozen broccoli here as it will become overcooked and mushy very quickly.
- Make the sauce: I made a basic keto alfredo sauce, with plenty of butter, cream, Parmesan cheese, and garlic. As long as you use heavy cream, you don’t need flour or cream cheese to thicken it. Just simmer a few minutes and keep your eye on it so that it doesn’t thicken too much.
- Add the broccoli and chicken: Any pre-cooked chicken will work here. I like to quickly cook some chicken thighs by simmering them in chicken broth for 15 minutes. But you can use use rotisserie chicken too.
- Sprinkle with the cheese: I used mozzarella for that extra gooey factor, but you could try other cheeses such as cheddar or Gruyere.
- Broil the casserole: This melts the cheese and makes it deliciously golden brown on top.
Frequently Asked Questions
I don’t really recommend it, but if that’s all you have, thaw it completely first. Then sauté it very briefly in the first step so it doesn’t overcook.
Preheat your oven to 350ºF and bake the casserole for 15 to 20 minutes, until the cheese is melted.
Sure! Feel free to use any cheese that melts well, such as Gruyere, Fontina, or cheddar. It will be delicious with all of them.
This keto chicken broccoli casserole recipe is best made with dairy. You can sub coconut cream for the heavy cream, but it won’t thicken as nicely so I recommend whisking in a little xanthan gum or glucomannan. Then add your favorite dairy-free shredded cheese to the top.
Keto Chicken Broccoli Casserole
Ingredients
- ¼ cup butter, divided
- 12 ounces broccoli , coarsely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella, divided
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
- Salt and pepper
- 3 cups cooked chopped chicken (about 1 ¼ lbs)
Instructions
- Set a 10-inch ovenproof skillet over medium heat and add 2 tablespoons of the butter. Once melted, add the broccoli and sauté until bright green and just tender, about 4 minutes. Remove the broccoli to a bowl.
- Melt the remaining butter in the pan and add the garlic, cooking until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the cream and bring to a simmer, then cook until reduced by about half, 3 to 5 minutes.
- Stir in ½ cup of the mozzarella and all of the Parmesan until melted. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the broccoli and the chicken and top with the remaining 1 cup of mozzarella cheese.
- Preheat the broiler. Set the pan about 6 inches from the heat and broil until the cheese is beginning to brown, 2 to 5 minutes (depends on how intense your broiler is!).
Valerie says
So delicious. The boys demanded I make it again. And again. This is a keeper.
Brenda says
Delicious. I’ve been craving creamy pasta and this sauce fixed that. I used two decent sized chicken breasts and made the sauce in the pan after with all the nice brown stuff. I may have let it thicken too much. I will use more broccoli next time. I used Mrs. Dash and ground red chili peppers for seasoning. I sprinkled paprika on top just to liven up the colours a little. Very tempting to have seconds.
Kit says
Delicious! I did switch the mozzarella to have mozzarella, half cheddar. I put it in the oven at 350 for a few minutes. No salt and pepper.
Jane says
This was easy & delicious! It was just me and my husband that night, so I was planning on left-overs, but we both went back for seconds and then my husband went back for thirds! There was a spoonful left-over and we fought over who got it for lunch the next day.
Carolyn says
Thanks!
Mandie K says
I followed the directions precisely, and the best I can say for this is it’s Midwestern bland. I’m originally from Indiana, so I know what I’m tasting. I love cheese, like REALLY love cheese, but this was too much cheese, and not quite the right flavor. Parmesan and mozzarella are too mild for broccoli, and this combo made for a gummy mess, not so much a casserole sauce. You need at least a bit of sharp cheddar in there, and maybe some broth? I don’t know. I ended up shaking crushed red pepper and adobo on the finished meal for flavor, and kind of treated it like a crustless pizza.
Carolyn says
Sorry you found it lacking. I think you can see from the many others comments that it’s a well loved recipe as is! 🙂
Marsha Kessler says
I added some onion.
When I constructed the dish, my chicken was room temperature. I could see that a few minutes under the broiler wasn’t going to produce a piping hot casserole. I put it in w/o the parmesan at 350 for 30 mins,. then I topped it with the parm and finished per the instructions.
JD says
excellent and quick to prepare
Colleen says
I just made this dish for dinner….omg….its delicious! I had to sub garlic powder for garlic so I wasn’t sure how it would be, but it worked out just fine. Can’t wait to try it with real garlic!!!!! This will be a regular, it’s so easy and quick for a busy weeknight meal especially when using a rotisserie chicken!
Jennifer says
This is one of my favorite recipes! My husband and I don’t eat pasta or rice so when I came upon this I thought why not. WOW! It is soooo good and I just use a cooked rotisserie for convenience.
This is a keeper!
Audrey Barker says
This was surprisingly good! I used half and half instead of HWC, and I sprinkled sliced almonds on the top for crunch.
Deb says
Loved this and so did the family. Easy recipe.
Ellen Smith says
This was so good! I seasoned the chicken with salt, pepper, garlic and onion powder. Then I sautéed it in the same pan I used for everything else above. I did add four cloves of garlic. It was delicious!
Sara Pomish says
Thawed a package of the rotisserie chicken meat from Costco and had two broccoli crowns in the fridge and I just KNEW I would find something perfect on your page, Carolyn!
I’m making it now and unsure about the amount of broccoli. Is that 12 oz by volume or 12 oz by weight? I’m going by weight for now and will remove some broccoli if it’s too much for the skillet. Adding some chopped red pepper for color (and because it’s on its last legs, LOL) and some fresh parsley (same reason) and bacon. Because…bacon.
Thanks for all you do!
Tracey Silver says
Carolyn makes my day easier!
Tricia says
Thank you for listing alternative cheeses. I’d already started prep when I realized my mozzarella was OLD, so I used cheddar instead. It was delicious and quite filling.