Baked Chicken in Cream Sauce Keto Friendly

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This flavorsome and succulent baked chicken in cream sauce recipe is full of keto-friendly ingredients and minimal carbs. It’s the creamiest keto chicken baked in a cream sauce you’ll ever try.

This is a perfect and easy recipe for a holiday dinner or a weekend dinner with all your family around who will love it to every last licking bite.

This keto chicken baked recipe is very filling and comforting which is perfect for a winter night when you have a whole family to feed.

Try this recipe when you need something quick to make, satisfy your taste buds, and add some much necessary nutrients to your stomach.

If you’re following a keto diet or simply are on a run to cut down on carbs from your diet and have very little time on hand to prepare a meal, then this is the perfect recipe for you!

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This low-carb recipe of keto chicken baked has a creamy sauce with a touch of paprika to give it a spice kick. The recipe has minimal ingredients and takes only about 50 minutes to prepare.

Perfect for a laid-back weeknight dinner! It’s super easy and a crowd-pleaser for sure. My family loves it!

This recipe consists of keto chicken thighs coconut cream based sauce. While your chicken thighs are in the oven, you can easily make the cream sauce as these two components go perfectly together ending up in a hearty and incredibly satisfying low-carb dinner!

Chicken is an excellent option for protein in the keto diet. Since chicken thighs have a higher fat content, dark meat chicken is considered more keto-friendly, but both dark and white meat can fit in well to a keto diet.

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Ingredients

This recipe involves very simple and easily available ingredients. 

Before we get to the steps, here’s some additional information about each ingredient you need to know.

Baked Chicken in Cream Sauce Ingredients:

Creamy Paprika Sauce:

  • 1 tbsp margarine or butter

  • 4 cloves garlic minced

  • 1/2 cup chicken broth

  • 1/2 cup coconut cream

  • 1 tsp fresh lemon juice

  • 2 cups fresh spinach

  • 1/2 teaspoon salt 

  • 1 tsp Pereg’s Smoked Paprika

Chicken Thighs:

Chicken thighs are used for this recipe because they contain more fat than a chicken breast which gives this recipe a very succulent flavor and tenderness. Baked chicken thighs are keto-friendly because they have monosaturated fats!

Chicken thighs have dark meat under the skin which keeps them moist and prevents them from drying out while baking. This skin creates an amazing crispy texture while baking which becomes toothsome with the soft and moist dark meat of the chicken thigh.

The dark meat of chicken thighs is naturally the most flavorful part of the whole chicken. Baking this part restores the moisture of the meat and gives an intense flavor.

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Coconut cream:

Coconut cream is the perfect dairy-free component in this creamy recipe for people who adhere to paleo and gluten-free diets. Coconut milk has the same thick consistency as heavy cream but without dairy.

For the best results, make sure to use full-fat coconut milk and shake the can before opening it. Coconut cream can also be used as a thicker option. 

Paprika:

Paprika is the star ingredient of this recipe which binds together all the flavors giving a hint of spice kick in every single bite.

We’re using Pereg’s smoked paprika powder in this recipe. Paprika is great for your health as it contains capsaicin since paprika is a type of pepper. Capsaicin has been shown in studies that show it helps to reduce inflammation, help people lose weight, and other health benefits.

Paprika is great for keto diet since it’s low in net carbs. Since paprika is low in fats, it goes along very well with the healthy fats present in the cream sauce and baked chicken thighs of this recipe.

Paprika is minimally processed and free of harmful ingredients like non-keto sweeteners, highly refined oils, and food additives.

Margarine:

Margarine is used in this recipe to enrich our creamy chicken sauce. It’s a perfect dairy-free option for butter but you could also use butter if you like. 

This component adds nutritional value as well as fat which is well needed in the ketogenic diet.  Since margarine is made from vegetable oils, it’s considered to be healthier than butter. 

It contains polyunsaturated fats which help with heart health. 

Garlic:

Freshly minced cloves of garlic to build up the flavor profile. The number of cloves can be adjusted as per your preference.

Chicken broth:

Sodium-free chicken broth is required to give keto chicken thighs coconut cream sauce its consistency and body. I also suggest using a homemade chicken stock if the chicken broth is not available.

Salt:

Salt to balance all the seasonings in the recipe and bind them together.

Pepper:

Use black pepper to add flavor and spice to the recipe.

Lemon Juice:

The fresh juice of lemon will provide this recipe with the acidity needed to balance the richness of the cream sauce.

Olive oil:

Olive oil is used in this keto recipe because it has a high content of monosaturated fats.

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Spinach:

Fresh spinach is added to the recipe as well. Spinach is a source of iron, magnesium, and manganese.

Spinach is rich in choline and betaine, both of which are essential nutrients for metabolic processes in the body. Spinach is good for people with diabetes as it helps in reducing glucose levels and improving insulin sensitivity. Beta-carotene in spinach can be beneficial for people with asthma.

Spinach is also good for people with high blood pressure and those facing digestion issues. Vitamin A in spinach can show amazing effects on your skin and hair.

How to bake the chicken:

The excess moisture on the chicken needs to be absorbed by a kitchen towel before baking it. After that, it’s coated with cooking oil or margarine so the chicken thighs don’t burn.

The chicken thighs are seasoned with salt, pepper, and Pereg’s smoked paprika evenly all over. They are then baked in the oven for around 40 minutes. These chicken thighs are baked in a dry and hot oven for the crispiest skin!

If you have time on hand, season the chicken at least an hour ahead of when you are planning to cook it. This allows the salt to permeate the fibers of the chicken, and you will have juicier and more tender meat. Just maintain refrigeration during the marinating process.

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How to make the cream sauce:

While the chicken thighs are baking in the oven, you can move on to the preparation of the cream sauce. The sauce for this recipe is super easy and absolutely finger-licking!

You will have to melt the margarine in a skillet and saute the minced garlic cloves. Stir frequently till they’re lightly golden in color. After that, add coconut cream, lemon juice, and chicken broth along with salt, and Pereg’s smoked paprika powder.

The sauce is simmered for a few minutes and you can adjust the seasoning accordingly. The last part includes stirring in the spinach and letting it wilt for a couple of minutes. And your creamy and rich sauce is ready!

Putting it together:

Once the sauce is ready and the chicken is cooked through, all you have to do is combine them. Nestle the cooked chicken thighs into the skillet with the cream sauce and spoon the sauce on top of the thighs.

Let the keto chicken thighs coconut cream altogether cook for 10 more minutes without stirring and then carefully remove the skillet from the heat. Garnish with some chopped basil and serve hot!

How to serve it:

This recipe is tremendous on its own, but its flavor can be complemented by putting a number of keto side dishes to go along. This keto meal can be completed with any of the side dishes mentioned below:

Brussels Sprouts with Bacon

Cauliflower Mash

Green Bean Casserole

● Garlic Butter Mushrooms

Baked asparagus

● Classic Greek salad

● Roasted seasonal vegetables

● Keto garlic bread

● Zucchini fries

Storing the leftover:

This recipe of baked chicken in cream sauce serves two people but it can be easily increased as per the serving size or to make sure that there is plenty of it to keep as a leftover to devour throughout the week.

The leftovers can easily be stored in an air-tight container inside the fridge for up to a week.

Share Your Results! 

I hope you enjoy my keto baked chicken in cream sauce recipe as much as I did. If you make this recipe, please let me know how it turned out! 

Absolutely love to see your creations! If you happen to make one of the recipes, would really love to see it! Just use the hashtag #sweetketolife, tag me on @sweetketolife , or just let me know by comment!

Salty recipes you might like: 

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Baked Chicken in Cream Sauce Keto Friendly

Yaidy Santiago
This flavorsome and succulent baked chicken in cream sauce recipe is full of keto-friendly ingredients and minimal carbs.
5 from 1 vote
Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 45 mins
Course Lunch, Main Course
Cuisine gluten free, keto, low carb
Servings 2

Ingredients
  

  • 4 chicken thighs
  • 2 tsp Pereg’s Smoked Paprika
  • 1/2 tsp Salt and Pepper
  • 2 tbsp olive oil

Creamy Paprika Sauce

  • 1 tbsp margarine or butter
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 1/2 cup chicken broth
  • 1/2 cup coconut cream
  • 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
  • 2 cups fresh spinach
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp Pereg’s Smoked Paprika

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 375F
  • Season the chicken with Pereg’s Smoked Paprika, salt, pepper, and olive oil. Place on a prepared baking sheet. Cook for 35-40 minutes.
  • In a large skillet on medium heat, place margarine. Once the margarine is warm, add minced garlic and let it cook for 3 minutes. Then add coconut cream, chicken broth, lemon juice, salt, and Pereg’s Smoked Paprika. Let it simmer for 5 minutes.
  • Add spinach to the sauce and mix it in. Immediately add baked chicken skin side up to the cream mixture. Let it cook without stirring for 10 minutes. Enjoy!
Keyword baked, chicken, chicken thighs, cream sauce, crispy skin, paprika
sweetketolife.com-creamy-baked-chicken-keto-recipe

Yaidy Santiago

Former collegiate volleyball player that loves to cook and try new healthy recipes. My boyfriend and I follow a strict keto diet and I challenge myself to make delicious low-carb foods that we both enjoy every day!

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