, photo by Naomi Sherman
, nutritional review by Franziska Spritzler, RD, CDE
in Recipes, Dinner, Meal Keto pesto chicken casserole with feta cheese and olives
Ingredients
- 1½ lbs 650 g boneless chicken thighs
- salt and pepper
- 2 tbsp 2 tbsp butter or coconut oil
- 1⁄3 cup (2¾ oz.) 80 ml (80 g) red pesto or green pesto
- 1¼ cups 300 ml heavy whipping cream
- 3 oz. (2⁄3 cup) 85 g (150 ml) pitted olives
- 5 oz. (1 cup) 140 g (220 ml) feta cheese, diced
- 1 1 garlic clove, finely choppedgarlic cloves, finely chopped
- 5 oz. (2½ cups) 140 g (600 ml) leafy greens
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
- Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Season with salt and pepper.
- Add butter or oil to a large skillet and fry the chicken pieces in batches over medium-high heat until golden brown.
- Combine pesto and heavy cream in a bowl.
- Place the fried chicken pieces in a baking dish together with olives, feta cheese and garlic. Add the pesto/cream mixture.
- Bake in oven for 20-30 minutes, until the dish turns bubbly and light brown around the edges.
Tips
A number of low carb, store-bought varieties of pesto are available in most grocery stores.
Red pesto is typically made with basil leaves, tomatoes or sun-dried tomatoes, Parmesan cheese, olive oil, pine nuts, and garlic. Green pesto is typically made with basil leaves, Parmesan cheese, olive oil, pine nuts, and garlic. Look for ones with real olive oil, not soybean oil or canola oil, no sugar, and less than 5 net carbs per serving.
A simple side dish of field greens or crunchy romaine lettuce complements the rich flavors. Lightly sautéed asparagus or green beans work, too.
If you feel like making this dish even heartier you can pair it with cauliflower rice, roasted cauliflower or fried broccoli.
Meal prep
This dish can be prepared by frying the chicken ahead of time. You can assemble the entire casserole and keep in the fridge for a day before baking it. Just make sure you let it come to room temperature before placing in the oven. It's also good to give it a stir since the pesto can sink to the bottom.
If you have chicken or turkey leftovers, they are perfect for this dish. Just skip the first 3 steps of the instructions and take it from there. If you're short on time you can also use a rotisserie chicken. Take the meat off the bones and divide it into bite-sized pieces. Follow the instructions from step 3.
Storing and reheating
If you intend to eat the casserole within 2-3 days you can store it in the fridge. Otherwise it's better to place the casserole in the freezer where it will last up to 3 months. Make sure your casserole dish is suitable for freezing.
If freezing, let thaw in the refrigerator the day before you plan on serving it. Don’t place a cold baking dish straight from the fridge into a hot oven as this can cause your dish to crack. Reheat the casserole in the oven at 300°F (150°C) until thoroughly warm.
457 comments
I have tried this recipe just yesterday and used (although embarrassed to admit) rotisserie chicken to have a quick meal the prep was done in literally minutes and recommended cook time.
I did not have enough olives on hand so I also added pickled jalapenos I think they tasted even better than olives in this dish. I will try next time to add tablespoon of capers as well.
During the lunchtime today, the left over portion, I think, were even more delicious.
Click the Nutrition + tab underneath the list of ingredients.
You could try mushrooms, but they don't have the same kind of "tang" that good olives do, which helps cut through an otherwise pretty rich dish.
If you try that, you would want to use coconut cream as it has the higher fat content. It's naturally sweeter than heavy cream so it may affect the taste of the final dish as well.
Changes we did to the original recipe for 4 servings:
Red pesto instead of green pesto
Three crushed cloves of garlic instead of the suggested one chopped clove (adds some garlic punch to go with that feta and olives)
Cauliflower rice (one whole cauliflower) instead of leafy greens
Since we made 4 servings for the two of us, there was leftovers for the next day, where there wasn't enough cauliflower left, so I threw 3 eggs on the pan with the cauliflower and mixed it all when it was done. Cauliflower rice + eggs make a good mix, which I will definitely remember in the future for low-carb meal planning.
Usually 4 servings are gone pretty fast with a 'regular' diet, so that just goes to prove how satiating this kind of meal and diet is.
We have not tested this on the stove.
https://www.dietdoctor.com/recipes/vegetarian-meatballs-with-red-pest...
Then when stirring through the feta, olives, red pesto and cream I added some freshly chopped parsley.
So good!
The green one I bought has 2g carbs per 1/4 cup so the 3 tablespoons have minimal carbs. Score! So if anyone goes buys pesto make sure to look at the nutrition facts!
You do not need to whip the cream first.
Are you counting the net carbs? Also, pesto may vary by brand. It's always a smart idea to calculate using the brands you use.
The pesto is only 2 g, I believe the majority I'm seeing is coming from the heavy whipping cream?