My favorite recipe I made this week was creamy keto lemon butter chicken and zoodles! As you can see in the photo, I also made this client blueberry balsamic chicken (for the not-keto kids), roasted asparagus, creamy chicken and broccoli soup, and some apricot and almond power balls for dessert.
The key to having oodles of thick, creamy keto-friendly sauce without any flour or starch based thickeners is to add cream cheese. It gives the sauce a nice little tang as well as texture. Balance out the higher calories by serving over keto-friendly, carb-free, practically no calorie zucchini noodles.
PS: Don’t substitute milk for the heavy cream! Milk will curdle when you add the lemon juice, but heavy cream will not.
PrintKeto Creamy Lemon Butter Chicken with Zucchini Zoodles
- 1 1/4 lb chicken breasts or thighs
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1/4 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/4 cup butter
- 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice, divided
- Zest of 2 lemons, divided
- 2 large rosemary sprigs
- 4 oz (1/2 cup) cream cheese, softened
- 4 cups zucchini noodles
Directions
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
- If using chicken breasts, butterfly them to make two thinner pieces. They’ll cook much faster this way.
- Season all sides of the chicken with salt, pepper, and thyme.
- Add the chicken to the skillet. Cook 5-7 minutes per side, until the outsides are browned and the interior is cooked through. Remove chicken from skillet and set aside.
- Melt 1 tbsp butter in the skillet. Sautee the minced garlic for 3 minutes, stirring often. Add the rest of the butter.
- Pour in the heavy cream, chicken broth, and 2 tbsp lemon juice.
- Bruise the rosemary sprigs and toss them in the skillet. Add the lemon zest. Bring the mix to a low boil then turn the heat to low. Simmer for 10 minutes.
- Remove the rosemary sprigs and lemon zest. Add the cream cheese to the skillet and whisk it into the mix until it’s completely smooth.
- Turn the heat to low and return the chicken to the pan while you make the zoodles.
- In another skillet, add 1 tsp olive oil and the zucchini zoodles. Cook for 2-3 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally. The zucchini will lose moisture. Squeeze in 1 tbsp lemon juice and stir gently. Cook for another 1-2 minutes. Add 1 tbsp lemon zest. Remove from heat and serve.
- To serve, pile zoodles onto a plate. Pile a piece of chicken over the zoodles and pour 1/4 cup of sauce on top.
