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+ servings
keto creamy chicken and tomato casserole in a black cast iron skillet with a white background
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5 from 2 ratings

Keto Creamy Chicken + Tomato Casserole

A 1-skillet keto creamy rice + spinach casserole with chicken, spinach and tomatoes that is comforting and healthy without any dairy.
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time35 minutes
Total Time40 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Diet: Diabetic, Gluten Free, Low Calorie, Low Fat, Low Lactose
Servings: 4
Calories: 292
Author: Natalie

Ingredients

  • 4 chicken breasts pounded to an even thickness
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 2 tablespoons ghee
  • 1/2 a yellow onion finely chopped
  • 3 cloves of garlic grated or finely chopped
  • 1/2 cup chicken bone broth
  • 1/2 cup original flavor Nutpods
  • 2 9- ounce packages Natural Heaven hearts of palm rice
  • 2 cups chopped spinach
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes
  • fresh basil for garnish optional

Instructions

  • Preheat your oven to 350ºF. Heat your cast iron skillet over medium heat for 5 minutes.
  • Season the chicken breasts on both sides with kosher salt.
    4 chicken breasts, 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • Cook this chicken in your cast iron skillet. Once it is hot, add the ghee and cook the chicken breast for about 3-5 minutes until golden brown. Transfer to a plate (no need to cook the other side or all the way through, it will finish cooking in the oven)
    2 tablespoons ghee
  • Add the onion, garlic and about 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, another 5 minutes.
    1/2 a yellow onion, 3 cloves of garlic, 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • Add in the bone broth and nutpods and stir, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the skillet.
    1/2 cup chicken bone broth, 1/2 cup original flavor Nutpods
  • Add the hearts of palm rice and the spinach. Cook for just 1-2 minutes to get the spinach beginning to wilt.
    2 9- ounce packages Natural Heaven hearts of palm rice, 2 cups chopped spinach
  • Nestle on top of the rice and spinach the chicken breasts, then pour over the tomatoes.
    1 cup cherry tomatoes
  • Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, until the chicken has an internal temperature of 165ºF and the tomatoes have softened/burst.
  • Rest for 3-5 minutes, then serve warm garnished with fresh basil.
  • Leftovers will keep in an airtight container refrigerated for at least 5 days, or frozen for up to 6 months.
  • See the Recipe Notes below for more tips, FAQ's and ingredient substitutions.

Video

Notes

Chicken: I like using chicken breasts for this, but you could also use chicken thighs (bone in or boneless). You will need to increase your cook time for bone in! Cook for closer to 30-35 minutes, until the chicken has an internal temperature of 165ºF using a meat thermometer.
Ghee: I love cooking with ghee, has such great flavor. You could also use olive oil, avocado oil or coconut oil. Or butter if you're ok with dairy.
Broth: I love chicken bone broth. You could also use chicken stock, chicken broth. White wine would be fun too!
Nutpods: Original flavor Nutpods is my go to for dairy free creaminess. You could also use canned coconut cream. If you're ok with dairy, heavy cream would work too! Same quantity for all substitutions.
Rice: I love the Natural Heaven hearts of palm rice in this casserole. The rice doesn't release any water, holds up really well while baking, and stays so light and fluffy! You could also use cauliflower rice. I would get frozen cauliflower rice, thaw it, then squeeze out the water using a dish towel. 2 bags of frozen cauliflower rice should do it!
Skillet: I love cooking this in my cast iron skillet because it is oven safe, and I can assemble the casserole right in there. Just 1 pan to clean for all the cooking and baking. Any oven safe skillet would work. You'll want it to be 12" across. You could also cook it in a skillet then transfer to a 8x8 or 9x13 glass casserole dish. No change in cook time.
Reheating: I reheat this in the microwave for 3-5 minutes until warm. But honestly, I don't love micrwaved chicken. I'd probably slice up the chicken, then heat it all back up in a cast iron skillet with ghee. Would take just 5 minutes but tastes way better.
Freezing: I haven't tried this, but it should freeze great! You could freeze in a casserole dish after step 7. Just bake after thawing as usual! Or after baking you could freeze individual portions. Then reheat in the microwave.

Nutrition

Calories: 292 | Total Carbs: 10.7g | Protein: 28.3g | Fat: 13.7g | Fiber: 4.2g | Net Carbs: 7g