CREAMY PARMESAN BACON CHICKEN (KETO)
My husband loves this Creamy Parmesan Bacon Chicken! I went back and forth what to call this incredibly delicious dish – there are just too many yummy ingredients to fit into one name! Crispy bacon, skillet-browned chicken, mushrooms and garlic sautéed in butter, grated parmesan, dijon, fresh sage… my mouth is watering just thinking about it! The best part? It’s keto-friendly but low enough in fat to be macro-friendly for higher-carb eaters. This dish can easily be made dairy free and Paleo, too. It’s already gluten-free!
Dietary substitutions
To make this Paleo, you will want to swap the butter for ghee, trade the parmesan cheese for homemade dairy-free parmesan (if you’re a purist, or use store-bought), substitute the white wine vinegar for chicken bone broth, and switch the half-and-half for heavy whipping cream.
To make it dairy-free, sub the butter for a vegan buttery spread, the parmesan for dairy-free or vegan parmesan, and the half-and-half for coconut cream (the kind that comes in a can).
Step by step instructions
Now, to start with, heat olive oil in a skillet and cook the chicken breasts for 5-6 minutes per side (undisturbed) over medium heat until nice and browned. I seasoned mine with sea salt and black pepper on both sides while cooking.
Remove chicken breasts from skillet and set aside, then add your uncured, naturally-raised bacon. Cook bacon in the same skillet over medium-high heat until nice and crispy, then set aside on a plate lined with paper towels to absorb excess grease.
Now, drain most of the bacon grease (you want a little left in the pan), then melt some butter in there over medium heat. Add your onions, mushrooms (optional), and fresh garlic, sautéing until onion is translucent and mushrooms are browned.
Add the white wine vinegar (or bone broth) and bring to a boil, scraping up browned bits from the bottom of your pan. Reduce heat to medium-low and add room temperature half-and-half, parmesan, dijon, fresh sage (can substitute one quarter teaspoon dried sage, rosemary, thyme, or poultry seasoning), plus more sea salt and pepper to taste. Simmer until thickened and flavorful.
Add chicken breasts back into sauce and either serve them up, or divide them out into six portions for meal prep. The chicken is amazing by itself, but a creamy cauliflower mash, broiled asparagus, pan-fried brussels sprouts would be delicious alongside, too!
If you’re not keto, this would be amazing served atop some pasta with veggies on the side 😉
Here’s the printable recipe for this Creamy Parmesan Bacon Chicken. I hope you’ll rate and/or comment below if you try it 😉
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Creamy Parmesan Bacon Chicken (Keto)
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast
- 1 tbsp. olive oil*
- 3 slices bacon
- 1 tbsp. butter*
- 1 cup onion chopped
- 1 cup mushrooms sliced (optional)
- 4 medium garlic cloves* minced
- 1/4 cup white wine vinegar*
- 1/2 cup half-and-half* room temperature
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese*
- 1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp. fresh sage* optional
- 1/2 tsp. black pepper
- 1/2 tsp. kosher salt optional
*See blog post above for substitutions.
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat and cook chicken breasts for 5-6 minutes per side (undisturbed) until browned. Season with salt and pepper on both sides while cooking. Set aside chicken breasts on a plate.
- In the same skillet, cook bacon over medium-high heat until crispy, then set aside on a plate lined with paper towels to absorb excess grease.
- Drain most of the bacon grease and melt butter in skillet over medium heat.
- Add onions, mushrooms (optional), and fresh garlic, sautéing until onion is translucent or even browned.
- Add white wine vinegar and bring to a boil, scraping up browned bits from the bottom of your pan.
- Reduce heat to medium-low and add half-and-half, parmesan, dijon, fresh sage, salt and pepper. Simmer until thickened and flavorful.
- Add chicken breasts back to sauce and serve; or divide into six equal portions for meal prep.
- Leftovers will keep in the fridge in an airtight container up to one week, or in the freezer up to one month.
Notes
2 Responses
Michelle
So good! I made this with the coconut cream since I was out of dairy options. I’d like to make this for a larger group so it would be too big for my stovetop skillet (unless I had two pans going). Any recommendations for slow cooker or oven?
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Sarah Wilkins
April 09, 2024
Hi Michelle,
I am so glad you love it! This recipe does require searing the chicken and frying the bacon, which I am not sure how to achieve in a slow cooker or oven, but you could possibly do that in a larger dutch oven pot or wok? Hope that helps :) Sarah