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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Thank you soo much for this amazingly delicious recipe that honestly satisfied my craving for fettuccine! One of the best keto recipes!! Also fast and easy. 100 percent recommended
Wow, this was DELICIOUS!!!! I didn’t have mozzarella, so I substituted with shredded Mexican cheese mix. Easy recipe, great instructions. Thanks a lot! This certainly is going to make a regular appearance on our keto table 🙂
Made this tonight with leftover rotisserie chicken and fresh broccoli- what wonderful comfort food! My husband, who does not enjoy chicken, loved it!! Will make it often especially to have leftovers for lunch. Love your recipes!!
Such a great, tasty simple recipe. On permanent rotation in my house. I usually make it with the leftovers from a rotisserie chicken
I never leave reviews but this was REALLY good! My only substitution was 1/2 a sweet onion diced and cooked along with the garlic. Oh and I made it with whole milk instead of heavy cream. I think next time I will add in cauliflower. Might even try leaving out the crust and just topping with cheese to make it into a casserole.
This was really good, and so quick to prepare. I added some sautéed mushrooms.
In this recipe (and your other recipes calling for heavy cream) can you sub canned coconut milk for the heavy cream? Love all your recipes.
Yes but it doesn’t thicken as nicely or evenly so you may find you need to add a bit of thickener.
This was so delicious and quick! The whole family loved it! Can’t wait to make it again.
I made this for lunch this afternoon and cut the recipe in half. It came out perfect and I am enjoying every bite!
This recipe…so keto, so easy,so quick and so delicious.
It’s a keeper and thank you for posting!
I don’t care for parmesan so I just left it out and it seemed to cry out for mushrooms so I added those and OMG, it was to die for!!
What is the net carb on this? I don’t see fiber listed on the nutrition
Just kidding- saw it right after I posted =)
Haha, glad you found it! 🙂
Made this tonight and I want it to be a keeper. I added mushrooms because they needed to be used up and didn’t have mozzarella so I replaced that with provolone. Still very delish.
Great recipe. Baked and shredded the chicken (used garlic powder, pepper, and salt to season) and doubled the heavy whipping cream and cheese!
Carolyn,
I made a video on YouTube of this fabulous dish. I thought you might enjoy it 🙂
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYVhfavOtNs&t=36s
I hope that you would like and subscribe to see many more upcoming videos of your recipes :). I have your link in the description box.
Antoinette Nora on YouTube
Thanks.
Since moving back to the Midwest, I have craved a good casserole. I wasn’t sure I’d get another one on Keto. Thank you! This was so easy to make and it tastes amazing! I had to stop myself from going for seconds 🙂
I’m so delighted to hear that!
O yum..made it!!
Easy, cheesy, savory, and of course keto friendly for the no carb/sugar enthusiasts out there.
The only thing I would do different is to cook the chicken in the pan after the broccoli, remove, and then de-glaze the pan while making the cheese sauce. A little heat such as some red pepper when cooking the broccoli, and/or adding some onion in with the garlic, or some cayenne into the the cheese sauce really works with the recipe for some extra flavor.
This was too good….I made it just like the recipe…but then I ate 13 ounces of it all by myself!!…Not even gonna try and figure my macros today…I just won’t eat anything else today…This stuff is dangerously good! Thank you.
Do you have to use cast iron. Would stainless steel be okay?
Yep, sure thing!