Whenever I need an easy meal, I grab my favorite large skillet. Because I have any number of keto dinner recipes that are simple, straightforward, and utilize a single pan. And I love knowing I can get dinner on the table in 30 minutes or less, with minimal clean up at the end.
My family’s favorites include Keto Stuffed Pepper Skillet and Cauliflower Fried Rice with Shrimp. And my late husband absolutely adored this Spinach Feta Chicken. He could have eaten the entire pan on his own!
Really, how can you go wrong with pan seared chicken thighs in a creamy bacon and spinach sauce? The addition of feta was inspired, if I do say so myself. That tangy cheese hits just the right note in this easy skillet recipe.
Served over some zucchini noodles or a little cauliflower rice, it makes a satisfying low carb meal.
What readers are saying…
“The dish was AMAZING! My whole house consumed the entire pan! Easy and very delicious! Highly recommend it!” — Josh
Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Quick and Easy: This one pan meal is ready in 30 minutes, start to finish!
- Basic ingredients: Nothing fancy here, you can find everything you need at your regular grocery store.
- Full of flavor: The combination of garlic, feta, bacon and parmesan makes this recipe shine.
- High protein: 33 grams of high quality protein in every serving.
- Low carb and gluten-free: With only 3 grams of carbs per serving, this is a satisfying low carb meal!
Ingredient Notes
- Boneless skinless chicken thighs: You can use boneless chicken breasts, but they are quite large and take longer to cook through. I recommend cutting them in into thinner cutlets by slicing through the middle.
- Bacon: I like to chop my bacon up before cooking, as it crisps up more evenly.
- Garlic: Fresh garlic will give this dish the best flavor.
- Heavy whipping cream: This gives the sauce its rich, creaminess.
- Spinach: I used fresh baby spinach, but you can also use frozen. Thaw it first and squeeze out the excess water before sautéing.
- Finely grated parmesan: I highly recommend a good Parmigiano Reggiano for the creamy sauce.
- Feta: Any brand or style of feta will work, but better quality will give you better flavor.
- Kitchen staples: Butter, salt, and pepper
How to Make Spinach Feta Chicken
- Cook the bacon: Cook the chopped bacon until crisp. Remove to a paper towel lined plate to drain, reserving some of the grease in the pan.
- Brown the chicken: Season the chicken with salt and pepper and add to the pan. Brown each side until cooked through. Transfer to a plate.
- Sauté the spinach: Melt the butter then cook the garlic until fragrant. Add the spinach and sauté until wilted.
- Make the sauce: Stir in the heavy cream and the parmesan and cook until thickened. Add the bacon back into the sauce and stir to combine.
- Assemble: Add the chicken back into the pan and toss to coat. Sprinkle the pan with crumbled feta.
- Serve and enjoy!
Tips for Success
I like to chop the bacon prior to cooking it, as I find it crisps up more evenly. You can remove most of the grease after cooking, but leave one tablespoon for browning the chicken.
The chicken thighs will cook through faster and more evenly if you unfold them after removing the packaging.
There is no need for added thickeners in this recipe. The cream will reduce on its own, and the parmesan will help it thicken.
More Keto Chicken Recipes to Love!
Spinach Feta Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 strips bacon, chopped
- 6 medium (678 g) chicken thighs, boneless, skinless
- Salt and pepper
- 1 tbsp (14.2 g) butter
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 5 ounces (141.75 g) baby spinach
- 3/4 cup (177.44 ml) heavy cream
- 1/2 cup (50 g) grated Parmesan
- 1/2 cup (75 g) crumbled feta
Instructions
- In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the chopped bacon until crisp. Remove to a paper towel lined plate to drain, reserving 1 tablespoon the bacon grease in the pan.
- Season the thighs with salt and pepper and add to the pan, laying them flat if they are folded up. Cook 4 minutes per side, until cooked through. Remove to a plate.
- Add the butter and let melt. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute, until fragrant. Add the spinach and sauté until wilted, 2 or 3 minutes.
- Stir in the heavy cream and the parmesan and cook until thickened, about 3 minutes. Add the bacon back into the sauce and stir to combine.
- Add the chicken back into the pan and toss to coat. Sprinkle the pan with crumbled feta.
- Serve over cauliflower rice or zucchini noodles.
Notes
Nutrition
Frequently Asked Questions
Crumbled feta cheese is a delicious addition to any chicken dish. It adds a uniquely Mediterranean tanginess to recipes like Greek Chicken Salad or Easy Souvlaki Chicken. You can add it right into the recipe or serve it on the side.
Store the leftovers in a covered container for up to 5 days. Then gently re-warm it in the oven or the microwave. I don’t recommend freezing this as the sauce might not be smooth and creamy when thawed.
This keto chicken recipe has 2.9 of carbs and 0.5 of fiber per serving. That comes to 2.4g net carbs per serving.
Nutritional Disclaimer
Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.
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Cook chicken way longer than 4 minutes per side. You cant cook it long after adding the chicken back to the sauce or you ruin the sauce. Bad directions.
Hey! How about you actually try making it before you decide you know how the recipe works. Because you flatten them out, they actually cook quite well in that amount of time. I do this as a profession so I do know what I am doing here. But you are free to cook them longer if it worries you!
We made this dish twice so far and have amendended the recipe slightly: added some lemon zest and fresh parsley to the sauce at the very end. Thanks for the great recipes. Cheers!
Oh my gosh!!
With my husband not doing keto, it’s so difficult to make ONE dinner we can both enjoy. In fact, we usually make separate meals because he doesn’t like a lot of the low-carb dishes that I make.
I will say that I used 7 slices of bacon and a pound of chicken breast. I sauteed 4 cloves of garlic and the spinach in Greek butter, and added sun-dried tomatoes and mushrooms.
My husband had his over regular fettuccine noodles, I just had mine in a bowl. He absolutely inhaled his and proclaimed we needed to have it on a regular basis so we could eat the same meals together more often!
We are big fans of Mediterranean cooking, so please don’t take my amendments as an insult! I’d probably add marinated artichokes to my portion in the future.
Thanks again for a wonderfully delicious recipe!
So glad to hear it. And you should adapt it any way you see fit!
I never comment on recipes but this was amazing. All 4 of us loved it. Even my picky 10 year old. I made your cheesy garlic bread muffins wth it. Which were great dipoed in the sauce.
Does this dish freeze well?
Not sure how the cream etc would fair. I think it might get kind of goopy.
This is the recipe that, when asked what to make for dinner, is what they ask for. Tastes like restaurant quality! Thank you!
I am so glad to hear that!
The dish was AMAZING! My whole house consumed the entire pan! Easy and very delicious! Highly recommend it!
It is tasty stuff!
Have you ever tried this in a crockpot?
I have not, sorry!
I loved this recipe! Absolutely delicious and relatively easy. I’m sure it will get easier the more times I make it. My one adjustment might be to make sure I add enough salt. So yummy!!
This is delicious! Mine came out a little highee calorie than the macros listed, but it was worth it! Yum!
I have made this twice this past month. Both my boyfriend and I love it! It’s amazing!
Thank-you for another wonderful recipe! I came across your blog awhile ago and have greatly appreciated the variety of low carb recipes you’ve come up with. Thank-you for graciously sharing what you’ve learned and created with so many!
How do you make zoodles? I understand that the are zucchini strips, how are they cooked? How many carbs?
http://inspiralized.com/the-three-best-ways-to-cook-spiralized-zucchini-noodles/
This is a wonderful recipe. Tried it tonight and served with the Strawberry Caprese Salad. Delish. I did make it with chicken breasts instead of chicken thighs and loved it.
Glad you liked it!
Your site is so amazing!!! This recipe is mouth watering. I pinned it and am going to put it on our menu soon. Bacon and cream oh!!! I am sure it is another winner!!! Thank you!!!
Oh my gawd – this is so freaking delicious!! I doubled the recipe and used prosciutto instead of bacon (elderly parents can’t eat bacon). I served over my almost famous caulirice (just Trader Joe’s frozen caulirice, Kerrygold butter, sauteed onion and salt & pepper).
Thanks again Carolyn for another great recipe!!
Yay, glad you liked it!