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
- 1/4 cup (56.75 g) butter, divided
- 12 ounces (340.2 g) broccoli , coarsely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup (238 g) heavy whipping cream
- 1 1/2 cups (168 g) shredded mozzarella, divided
- 1/2 cup (50 g) grated parmesan cheese
- Salt and pepper
- 3 cups (567 g) cooked chopped chicken (about 1 1/4 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 1/2 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!).
Nutrition
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This is not just one of the best recipes of 2019, we think it’s one of the best of the decade! Makes Keto so easy.
Wow, thanks so much!
I made it with left over chicken. My family loved it! Quick, easy dinner!
Run through you mr recioes in a daily basis, this is dinner tonight. Going to add in some mushrooms and cauliflower rice . There may be leftovers if I do that. Thanks for all your great recipes.
I am not a cook but your recipes are so easy to follow and yummy that you make me look good!! Thank you! My family loved this – it was fabulous and easy!
Thanks!
THIS IS AMAZING!!
My mom recently switched to a low/no carb diet so I’ve been treating her by making dinners every night. This is definitely being added to the book of favourites! I add in about two tablespoons of chopped fresh parsley and two teaspoons of herbes de provance. Sooo good! My mom and brother love it as well as I!
Thank you, Olivia. What a nice way to treat your mother.
Do you cook chicken before mixing it in or cook it while its mixed in?
It’s already cooked. Please look at the ingredient list, it calls for cooked chicken.
A fabulous casserole for a hungry family of four! I added spinach for a little extra in the pan and wow, so yummy!
Thanks, Carolyn. You keep the kids coming back to the table. Considering they’re 23 and 19 I may have to quit trying your awesome recipes or the may never move out!
Hahaha, I guess that could be a real concern! 😉
If anyone added cauliflower Rice, how much did you add?
Looks wonderful! Just wondering the prefered way to cook the chicken…
Thanks!!
Well in this case, I just used rotisserie chicken. But a good way to cook chicken for shredding… Place boneless thighs in a pot and cover with broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, and cook 15 minutes or so. Remove, cool, and shred. And the broth can be re-used for soup!
Can I make this in a casserole dish?
This requires a skillet because the majority of the cooking is done on the stovetop.
I made this tonight with a rotisserie chicken and extra sharp cheddar cheese. The family loved it!
Could you freeze this ?xx
No idea. I suspect the cream would separate.
1000 stars!! This was delicious!! Thank you for the delicious recipe.
That’s a lot of stars! <3
This recipe is so easy and delicious! My husband and I both loved it. I didn’t realize until I was putting everything away and it was in the oven that I forgot the parmesan cheese but it was still outstanding!
Thanks for another great recipe!
This recipe was delicious!! I also ran out of mozzarella, so like Amy, I used string cheese (chopped) and some monterey jack. We served it over Cauliflower rice and ate almost all of it for dinner. Thank you so much for sharing the recipe!!
Excellent recipe!! I used a rotisserie chicken and cheddar blend cheese and it came out absolutely fantastic! Thanks for sharing such an easy and great recipe!
We just made this tonight, and love it! We made one change and used Monterey Jack cheese instead of mozzarella. It turned out amazing! Thank you for sharing!
I bet that would be good!
Quick! Easy! Delicious! Thank you!
Such a tasty and easy recipe. Thank you! Your Dessert cookbook will be at my house tomorrow! I know what I’m doing with my long weekend. 🙂
Enjoy! Thanks so much for your support.
Delicious but the best thing is that it doesn’t feel heavy.
So glad you liked it!
Carolyn, is this recipe in your Keto Dinners book?
Yesterday, I ordered Keto Breakfasts, Keto Dinners, and Keto Desserts. Two of the books will be delivered on Thursday; I can hardly wait to begin trying some new Keto recipes.
Hi Sharon… it’s not. While there is some crossover between my books and my blog, publishers like to see NEW recipes for books. So what you will get in those books is mostly fresh new recipes you haven’t seen here. Thank you so much for your support!