This quick and easy keto chicken broccoli casserole recipe with cream cheese is made completely from scratch without relying on a canned soup base. It’s gluten-free, low-carb, and absolutely delicious!
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Casseroles are super easy dinners that are great for the whole family. However, finding healthy low-carb chicken casserole recipes isn’t always simple. That is why I made this recipe!
Many popular casserole recipes use canned soup, white rice, and are topped with breadcrumbs. These are all empty starches, which you obviously want to avoid since you’re eating low-carb.
If you’re a casserole person, you’ve probably been hoping to find a chicken dinner casserole that doesn’t use any canned soup. Why? Because they typically contain starches that aren’t appropriate for a lower-carb diet.
You certainly don’t need the hidden carbs that come in creamy soups, nor do you want the chemicals in those premade cans anyhow.
And, that’s why this keto chicken broccoli casserole recipe is so perfect!
It’s inspired by a similar recipe that’s a gem from an old cookbook in my collection, just much healthier.
I also included a secret ingredient in the casserole that’s not the norm in most chicken and broccoli bakes: parmesan cheese. The slightly nutty, wholly rich flavor of parmesan enhances the flavors of the chicken and broccoli in a unique and mouth-watering way!
Ingredients Needed For Keto Broccoli Chicken Casserole
You’ll love that there are no fancy ingredients in this meal. Easy weeknight casserole dinners need to be made from readily on-hand ingredients.
This dinner is a simple low-carb broccoli casserole with cream cheese. You’ll be using food that’s easy to find in any grocery store and quite possibly already in your pantry, fridge, and freezer.
Overall, it’s pretty simple to toss this together in your favorite casserole baking dish. Broccoli, chicken, and mushrooms are the stars of this easy recipe. However, flavorful spices, cheeses, and liquids will make your cream keto cream sauce a tantalizing substitution to replace canned condensed soup.
Chicken
I used boneless, skinless, chicken breasts and then chopped them up really small. You can also use boneless, skinless chicken thighs.
Fats
I used both olive oil and butter. Use unsalted butter if you can. If you use salted butter, just cut back on how much salt you add to the dish.
You can substitute avocado oil for olive oil if you have it on hand!
Aromatics
I love how the garlic and onion add taste and aroma to this recipe. I always use them together whenever I cook.
Spices
I only used a few spices in this recipe. All you need is some salt, pepper, and tarragon.
Liquids
For the liquid ingredients, I used both white cooking wine and chicken broth!
Instead of white cooking wine, you can use lemon juice. Chicken stock can be substituted for chicken broth.
Vegetables
The only veggies I used are mushrooms and broccoli, but you can add your favorite low-carb veggies to this recipe. Cauliflower and zucchini will taste pretty delicious with it!
Fresh or frozen broccoli will work, depending on what’s easiest for you.
Dairy
Combine cream cheese, sour cream, and parmesan cheese. This makes the casserole extremely creamy and rich without being full of extra salt or carbs.
Have fun with the type of cheese you use. I prefer parmesan cheese, but any other hard cheese will work too. Try it with Romano cheese!
Please note: Check out the recipe card at the bottom for a full list of ingredients used to make this low-carb recipe.
Quick Tips:
- Brown the chicken first. Doing this will add some extra flavor to the recipe, especially when you use the same skillet for making the sauce and cooking the mushrooms.
- Save time and use rotisserie chicken. You might also use shredded chicken if you’ve already got some prepped in your fridge, but it won’t be as hearty to bite into.
- Use cauliflower rice. If you think you’ll miss the white rice, you can even add cauliflower rice to the creamy sauce, subtle broccoli, and savory chicken.
How To Make Keto Chicken Broccoli Casserole
All of the instructions are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post. First, here are some helpful tips that I hope teach you a little more about this recipe.
Slice The Chicken
The chicken will cook so much faster if you chop it into small bites first. This one step will save you lots of time.
Cook The Chicken
Next, cook the chicken with garlic and onion. Use both olive oil and butter. When you fry them together, the chicken will take on the garlic and onion flavors!
After the chicken is no longer pink, add the rest of the ingredients and fry them for a few minutes.
Bake The Casserole
Finally, put everything in a casserole dish and top with parmesan cheese. Bake it for about 25 minutes. That's it!
What To Serve With Chicken Broccoli And Cream Cheese
This is an entire meal in one dish, so you don't need to add a bunch of other side dishes. You could always serve it with a slice of low-carb bread or add a chopped salad with it.
Frequently Asked Questions About Chicken Broccoli Casserole
Before we get to the recipe (just a little further below), here are some questions people often ask about it.
Can you make this keto casserole in the slow cooker?
Absolutely! While this recipe is written for the oven, it’s actually quite easy to make in the Crock-Pot.
There would just need to be some simple adjustments made to make this low-carb chicken broccoli casserole with cream cheese and chicken in your slow cooker.
To slow cook, all you’d have to do is toss all the ingredients into your crock. To make clean up easier, you can use a liner but it’s not essential. Then, let it sit in the crockpot for 6-8 hours on low.
How do you make this recipe in the Instant Pot?
The pressure cooker would be very similar to the crockpot. You’ll want to cook the chicken, broccoli, mushrooms, broth, wine, and spice together first. Wait until the end to add in the cream cheese and sour cream though, because the dairy separates when cooked under pressure.
What are some low-carb crunchy toppings I can add to my keto chicken broccoli casserole?
Sometimes you want the comfort food experience of a creamy casserole with a crunchy topping.
If you have any keto bread in the refrigerator or freezer, it would make a good crumbled topping for this low-carb broccoli casserole. Just lightly toast it, crumble, and then stir it in with some melted butter.
My homemade breadcrumb recipe using pork rinds will also work in a similar way.
If you’d like to add some parmesan to the crumbly topping, that adds a nice flavor that pairs well with the rest of the casserole. So does a dash of parsley sprinkled in!
How do you store this casserole?
This casserole is delicious served piping hot out of the oven! You can make it up ahead of time and just cook before serving. My family loved it and I have no doubt yours will, too.
In fact, it’s a great freezer dinner to make ahead of time and it’s easy to pull out for a busy weeknight meal the whole family will enjoy.
If you have any leftovers, they will keep in the fridge for several days and can be reheated in the oven or microwave. If you microwave them, sprinkle with a few drops of water and heat up lightly-covered to keep it from drying out.
Broccoli is one of my favorite vegetables. And, it goes perfectly with chicken. What’s your favorite casserole dish to make with broccoli and chicken?
More Low-Carb Casserole Ideas
Be sure to check out my other low-carb casseroles for more quick and simple dinner ideas the whole family will enjoy. I've listed a few of my favorites below:
- Stuffed Pepper Casserole is perfect for Taco Tuesday or whenever you want something with a bit of spice.
- Keto Eggplant Lasagna is packed with fiber and tastes just like traditional lasagna.
- Keto Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole is a high-protein dinner that the entire family will love.
- Buffalo Chicken Casserole is bursting with the much-loved buffalo sauce.
- Mexican Chicken Casserole is a popular Tex-Mex recipe that is extra cheesy.
I also find that casseroles are perfect for creating a dish using leftovers that I have on hand.
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Recipe
Keto Chicken Broccoli Casserole with Cream Cheese
Video
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds boneless chicken breast
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon dried minced onion
- salt and pepper to taste
- ½ teaspoon tarragon
- 6.5 ounces can mushroom sliced
- ½ cup white cooking wine or a few tablespoons of lemon juice
- 8 ounces cream cheese
- ⅓ cup sour cream
- 1 cup chicken bone broth reduce to ½ for less sauce
- 1 lb broccoli florets
- ½ cup parmesan cheese 1 ¾ ounces
Instructions
- Slice chicken into bite sized pieces.
- Cook chicken with garlic and onion in olive oil and butter until no longer pink.
- Add remaining ingredients.
- Cook and stir over medium heat for about 10 minutes.
- Pour into 9×13 casserole dish.
- Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
- Bake at 350 degrees F for 20-25 minutes.
Notes
Low Carb Sweeteners | Keto Sweetener Conversion Chart
Nutrition
Additional Info
Notes on Nutritional Information
Nutritional information for the recipe is provided as a courtesy and is approximate only. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site. Erythritol carbs are not included in carb counts as it has been shown not to impact blood sugar. Net carbs are the total carbs minus fiber.
Copyright
© LowCarbYum.com - Unauthorized use of this material without written permission is strictly prohibited unless for personal offline purposes. Single photos may be used, provided that full credit is given to LowCarbYum.com along with a link back to the original content.
First published on June 25, 2011. Last updated on April 22, 2021, with new images and additional recipe information.
donny
This recipe was extremely delicious!
The tarragon complements the chicken beautifully! I added extra.
I used lemon juice instead of wine.
The cream cheese gives it a nice, thick texture. A lot of these casserole dishes come out too watery, but the cream cheese solves that problem. It also complements the dish very nicely along with the sour cream.
I didn't have mushrooms, so I substituted in some crispy crumbled bacon that I prepared for this recipe. Bacon makes almost any ketogenic recipe taste better! I also cooked the chicken in bacon fat instead of butter. Bacon goes really well with broccoli too.
I left out the parmesan cheese until I heated up all of the other ingredients and transferred it to the baking pan. Then I topped with a 3-cheese Italian blend (including Parmesan).
I'll be making this again for sure!
Eugenia Rivero @Bizarreday
Really Good
Wendie Rooney
I followed the recipe exactly, and my husband and I loved it! I will definitely make it again!
john burdett
looks good!
lisa ward
made this in the crockpot!! it was amazing!! i was dying for something comforting and creamy. this really hit the spot. thank you for this delicious recipe.
tom
How long and what temp if you're using a crockpot
Lisa MarcAurele
I'd say 6-8 hours on low and 4-6 on high.
Gemma
This was really delicious! I made a few adjustments here and there. I added everything to a slow cooker and it was a bit soupy but thickened upon standing. I did make a goof though, I used frozen broccoli florets and they pretty much disintegrated in the slow cooker. I think if you use frozen broccoli, you may want to add it the last hour of cooking.
Lisa
This recipe is delicious! It is very rich. It reminds me of chicken devan, it's very similar. I used half the chicken broth after reading reviews. Glad I did. I used lemon juice, not wine, and I wanted a topping so I used crushed pork rinds and drizzled butter to make a crispy topping. Also, I baked for 45 minutes uncovered so it wouldn't turn out watery. It was delisious. I will make this again.
Jana Stewart
This looks awesome. your recipes always hit the spot. I would use thighs rather than chicken breast, since thigh meat is more keto conscious. I am frequently surprised when I see keto cooks using chicken breast. Thank you again for you for your amazing recipes!
Lisa MarcAurele
I agree on using thighs! More fat and flavor which makes them better.
Grace Roman
Excellent recipe but I used a medium onion and 2 cups chunked fresh mushrooms and used the lemon juice.
I only added the 1/2 cup of chicken broth. Kudos from all types of eaters. Recipe wanted by all.
Lori
Not good. Using a half cup of white wine vinegar is way to much it soured the flavor and ruined the finished product. Also it never thickened up, it was more like soup. I recommend half cup of the chicken stock, maybe a tablespoon of white wine vinegar. We took a few bites and threw it away, it was just too bitter to finish it.
Athena
FYI: Recipe states white WINE, not vinegar.
Lisa MarcAurele
You can use either.
Krissy
Lori, i would really suggest trying again! this is one of the best recipes, my husband and i love it. just use White cooking wine and not white wine vinegar - They are definitely not interchangeable or lose the wine altogether and do more broth. Good luck to you.
Jennifer
My sauce was so runny. I was confused by the seemingly conflicting directions, “put in the rest of the ingredients” and “sprinkle Parmesan on top.” I guess I was supposed to mix in the cheese. Sigh.
Lisa MarcAurele
Adding cheese to the sauce thickens it. Sorry for the vague instructions.
Em
This recipe is great. If you follow all the directions, it comes out so yummy!!!
Rebecca Page
Totally butchered this recipe (subbed out cauliflower rice for broc & shrooms), and it was still great. Cant wait to try again with broccoli & shrooms. I dont care for the licorice flavor in Tarragon, so subbed in thyme. 100% recommend. Tasted just like my grams old Campbell's chicken & rice casserole.
Jennifer
Will it work with low fat sour cream and cream cheese?
Lisa MarcAurele
It should, but I don't recommend low fat products when doing low carb.
Laurie Norcross
This chicken casserole was amazing thank you
Amy Webb
I made this in my Ninja Foodi, browned and simmered in the bottom of the pot then put the lid down and baked for 15 minutes. It was delicious.
Deena
I made this for dinner last night and it was a huge hit.
Thank you.
andy
Saw this today and done it for tea, absolutely fab. =I added cauliflower and red onion and some italian herbs, nom nom. Now printing off so i can do it again, thanks
Brian
When you put it in the oven do you cover it with foil?
Lisa MarcAurele
There's no need to cover it with foil, but you can if you want to. Just be sure to remove it at the end of the baking time so the top can brown.
Summer
I made the mistake of saving the 1/2 c Parmesan to put on top of the casserole. Perhaps that is why it was so runny---I also forgot the wine but used a full cup of broth as it calls for. It was runny, but had a good flavor and was good on top of my riced cauliflower. My husband enjoyed it on his regular Uncle Ben's rice. I used the seasoned rinds from the link included and it added a lot of flavor. Next time I will use 1/2 c broth, 1/2 c wine and not forget the cheese IN the casserole! Hubby loved it. Thank you for this recipe!
Brenda
So. Good!! I used 2.5T lemon juice (someone drank all the wine! ;-), Costco rotisserie and it was A-mazing. I honestly had to hide it from myself so i would stop eating it. I put an Italian blend on top and let it get brown. I will be making this again VERY soon! Thanks for another yummy recipe
Laura
Delish. Had a tub of Rondele about to expire and added some shredded gouda. That's the nice thing about this recipe...you can make substitutions and it still comes out great. I think the wine is the kicker.
Brad
Want a thicker sauce? Add more parmesian!
Diane
Loved it! Absolutely delicious! Added chopped artichoke, skipped the onion, added cooked cauliflower garlic rice and used mozzarella instead of parm because it's what I had. Will be making this often. Thank you!
Lisa MarcAurele
Yum! That sounds great with those add-ins.
Lydia
I've made this probably five or six times now in the past few months, it has honestly become one of my FAVORITE dishes to both make and eat. I've never had any issues with the sauce being too runny and will actually add a bit more broth to make more of it because it's so freaking delicious. I always eat about 3/4 of the dish myself and we literally never have leftovers.
Juli
This was delicious! I also added chopped onions and halved baby bella mushrooms. I forgot to take the advice of a few others here and cut the broth in half. It was still very good, and will be making again for sure.
Lisa MarcAurele
I can add that note into the recipe.
TeresaM
Bake covered or uncovered?
Lisa MarcAurele
I bake the chicken broccoli casserole uncovered.
Adrian
Just made this. Very rich and flavourful.
I made some adjustments myself:
I added 1/2 cup of onion and sautéed with the chicken. Added fresh Cremini mushrooms.
The mixture did turn out a little watery, I’d suggest cutting the broth in half, unless it’s homemade and gelatinous while stored in a fridge.
I added 1/2 teaspoon of xanthan gum. Could have used more. I also sprinkled a cup of shredded mozzarella to the top before baking. Nice little crust after it was finished.
Lisa MarcAurele
Thanks for sharing those modifications Adrian!
Ella
Delicious!! Thanks for sharing and keep up the good work!!
Lisa MarcAurele
You're welcome!
Susan
My husband and I loved this casserole! The only modifications I made were using fresh, sautéed mushrooms and adding only 1/2 cup chicken stock instead of 1 cup, as I was worried the dish would be too liquidy. The tarragon adds such a lovely flavor. This recipe is now on our casserole short list.
Amy Darragh
Loved it! Not just me, my whole family loved it. I did add some shredded cheddar because my husband doesn't love broccoli, so the more cheese the better for him. My kids said "you have to make this again!"
Lisa
Cheese is how I get my kids eating broccoli!
Jen
Omg this was delicious! I sauteed fresh onion and mushrooms, and I used mostly Greek yogurt as I only had a little sour cream. We had some cooked chicken leftover so I just used that. Had no problem with it being liquidy. Perhaps people aren't draining the mushrooms? My bone broth was completely gelled, so perhaps that also makes a difference. In any case, we thoroughly enjoyed it! Thank you for sharing!
Lisa
It does make a difference on the bone broth. Good point!
Jb
I wish I had read th comments before i tried it. Waaay too much liquid! Never solidified or firmed up. Would not try again as it seems like something is missing. Maybe an egg? And too much liquid. I had such hope.
Lisa
You can add in some glucomannan or xanthan gum to thicken up the liquid.
Sheila
Trying this for the first time. I'm using frozen broccoli. Should I cook the broccoli before adding to casserole? Do I need to modify broth?
Lisa
It will be cooked for 10 minutes on the stove before baking so that should be fine.
Bev
I tried this yesterday but realised I didn’t have tarragon or soured cream. I added a dollop of Greek yogurt and a sprinkle of chilli flakes. It was delicious
Lisa
Thanks for sharing the variation! Sounds delicious with the subs.
Tessa
Would this work with cheddar cheese?
Lisa
I don't see why not.
Jennifer
I've made something very similar to this, and where you suggest pork rinds on top, I actually use those fried onions that you use in a green bean casserole. Gives a nice crunch and taste. Can't wait to try this.
Lisa
Unfortunately, the fried onions in a can are too carby for me. But if they don't bother you, it's a great replacement.
Shiela Lally
This recipe was soooo good! After letting it sit the sauce thickened! I’ll be making it often!
Lisa
Thanks for sharing your feedback Shiela!
Brandon
Just made this, had no issues with the 'sauce' being watery. I just cooked off enough liquid before transferring to their baking pan. Great recipe.
Lisa
Thanks for sharing that tip!
Leann
Helping a cousin go low carb and have relayed heavily on your good recipes. Always like what you do! Only difference was I added shredded cheese on top to melt. I'd add a picture but don't know how. Thanks for all you do.
Lisa
I really wish there was an easy way to add photos, but I'm not sure how to do that. You can add a link to the photo if you have a place to host the photo on the web.
Bonnie
This is awesome! I'm new to low carb/keto and have been looking for recipes without canned or jarred sauces. My sauce came out creamy and thick. I made a couple substitutions to lower the fat. I used the full cup of broth. I subbed neufchatel cheese and Fage 0% fat yogurt for cream cheese and sour cream. I used cooking spray and 1 Tbls of butter.
Sauce was a bit thin going into the oven but came out great! Thanks so much! This recipe is perfect for me. ?
Lisa
You're welcome Bonnie!
Mrs. Sunshine
I was wondering how I could make this in advance. Would it be better to completely bake and freeze it or prepare it and just not bake it until I was ready? I'd prefer to have it frozen to store a little longer and because I have more room in my freezer since my fridge is still packed full of other fresh ingredients I need to prepare in advance. I'm trying to prepare a weeks worth of meals that are low carb to make it easier on my family. How long should I bake if it's frozen?
Lisa
I'd freeze it unbaked and just add more time for baking.
Maraviar McCoy
It was very flavorful and a great recipe ;because I'm on a low carb diet but it was so liquidy. Any suggestions to thickening of up?
Lisa
You can add in a little glucomannan or xanthan gum. Or, add in some grated cheese.
Lynn
I cooked it down some in the skillet and in the baking dish I added a combination of mozarella, romano and parmesean that I had left over from another recipe. Yum. Oh, and used dehydrated mushrooms. It all worked.
Jennifer Baral
Just made it and while delicious it is very runny so will be halving the broth next time. Thanks for a great recipe.
T
Really good recipe! I added bacon with the chicken and then added chicken stock when the chicken was mostly cooked and released the juices. I also cooked up some spinach (2 cups) to help bring up my magnesium intake. I didn't have canned mushrooms so I used fresh button mushrooms. Was nice and soupy and so delicious!
Mary Jean
This was EXCELLENT! It was very quick to put together. I will definitely make this dish many times again. Mine was very liquid also; the next time I will cut the chicken stock in half as I can't have xanthan gum or cornstarch due to an allergy. It did, however, thicken up some as the dish cooled.
My question is about the nutrition values... are the values shown considered to be 1/8 of the recipe? How do you determine them?
When I imported this recipe into MyFitnessPal, it calculated the info very differently! 1/6 (note, not 1/8) of the recipe was calculated as follows: 426 cal, 13 carbs, 29 fat, 31 protein, 664 sodium, 4 sugar. Any thoughts on the discrepancy? Thanks!
Lisa
The recipe is calculated for 1/8 and it was a little off so I redid the calculation using a more accurate program.
Howard
I used fresh mushrooms and onions (although frozen broccoli), cur way back to no more that 1/4 chicken stock (kept the wine the same) and doubled or tripled the parmasean, fresh shredded.
I have to watch my carbs and my wife has to watch her gluten. This recipe is good for both concerns.
The Tarte
Great recipe! I made a few changes. Some reviewers thought the sauce was too liquid, so I cut the liquid in half. Instead of sour cream I used plain yogurt and substituted the tarragon for thyme, because I am not a fan of tarragon. When frying the chicken I added one chopped onion and later on when adding the other ingredients I added some dried onion as well. Instead of canned mushrooms I added some leftover fried creminis. I could easily see this recipe as a vegetarian version. Instead of chicken just use more mushrooms. Anyway this will be definitely a great addition to my favourite recipe list. Very happy to have come across this site!
Lisa
Thanks for the tips!
Deb
What is the last ingredient? It says 1/2 cup parmesan cheese 1 3/4 ounces. What does that mean? Is there an ingredient after the cheese? Thanks
Lisa
That's just the weight of the cheese as an alternative measurement.
Bekka
Second time I've made this my son loves it. It can be a little runny so I decreased the chicken broth added the mushrooms this time around. It's a great heart dish especially now that it's getting colder. This is my go to site for a lot of low carb recipes, absolutely love it.
Lisa
Sometimes, I add a little glucomannan to thicken it up.
Amy
This is excellent! I'm pretty picky about my casseroles and it's hard to find them with flavor and textures that appeal to me (without using rice, potatoes, etc.) I'm over the moon about this one and it will be a regular in my rotation. I did have to add about a teaspoon of xanthan gum in the saucepan (prior to baking). Thank you, Lisa!
Lisa
Thanks! If you like a thick sauce, it's always a good idea to add a little xanthan gum.
Michelle
The flavor was great, but mine did not turn out anything like yours. The consistency was VERY watery so we added some corn starch to thicken it up some. Still it was more like a stew than a casserole. Not sure if it was error on my end, just thought I'd leave some feedback. Thank you for sharing!
Lisa
Not sure where the liquid would be coming from. Maybe not enough liquid was cooked off before baking?
Mitch
This came out like soup. Any tips?
Lisa
The casserole should have a creamy sauce to it. You may want to add in a thickener like glucomannan or xanthan gum.
CurlySarah
This is baking in the oven as I type. I snuck a bite while preparing it. HOLY COW. Your website is fantastic. Keep up the great work!!
Lisa
Thanks for writing in. I do hope you enjoy the casserole as much as we do!