I’m just going to go ahead and consider myself lucky on this low carb casserole recipe. It was a total fluke and one of my new favorites!
Tonight, after spending a half hour standing in front of my refrigerator with the door open, with completely bored taste buds and a lackluster assortment of meats and produce, I got a hankering for a lemon cream sauce.
I’m a master of a good lemon cream sauce, which is keto approved (cream, broth, garlic, and lemon), so I figured I’d make some and roast some chicken with it. Then I saw the brussels sprouts… and the pre-cut pancetta… and although combining pancetta and lemon seemed crazy, I went for it and made a low carb casserole.
And dang, I’m so happy that I did. The flavor is just, wow. I dare you to try this because if you don’t like brussels sprouts now, you will love them after they roast in this delicate and delicious sauce.
Roasted Chicken & Pancetta Low Carb Casserole with a Lemon Cream Sauce
Servings: 4
Prep Time: 5 minutes | Cook Time: 35 minutes | Total Time: 40 minutes
Nutritional Facts: 5g Net Carbs| 372 Calories | 11g Fat | 8g Carbs | 62g Protein | 3g Fiber
Ingredients:
- 12 oz bag of brussel sprouts
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 1 lemon, quartered and seeded
- 4 oz thick pancetta cut into 1/2 inch pieces (don’t sub bacon, I think it would overpower the other flavors)
- 2 lbs chicken tenderloins (this is a preference, feeds 3-4)
Steps:
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Cut brussel sprouts in half (lengthwise through the root) and boil for 5 minutes, then leave in a strainer.
- While the brussel sprouts are boiling, get a medium-sized frying pan and add 1/2 cup chicken broth and bring to a boil on medium.
- Once boiling, add heavy cream, minced garlic, and lemon and let simmer for 5-10 minutes on low until reduced in half. Stir frequently. When done, set aside.
- In an extra large frying pan, heat up some ghee or coconut oil.
- Add chicken and cook on medium high until almost cooked through, then add pancetta until chicken is cooked through to 180 degrees. Don’t overcook, because it still has oven time.
- Grab a small casserole dish (I used 9×9) and begin layering from bottom to top: Brussel sprouts, chicken, pancetta, lemon cream sauce on top. Throw away lemon quarters (and any seeds) or your sauce will become bitter.
- Cook in the oven for 20 minutes at 400 degrees.
- Your low carb casserole is done! The chicken is incredibly moist, the pancetta melts in your mouth and the brussels sprouts are pure heaven after simmering in the lemon cream sauce for twenty minutes, I’m telling you!
This recipe first appeared on Wickedstuffed. You can see the original here
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