, 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
If you can find a pesto without added sugar, soybean/canola oil or starches, you can use storebought. Brand availability will vary by location.
I used Barilla red pesto with 5 net carbs per serving.
It is incredibly rich though so eating it with a salad of spinach or some green vegetables like stated in the directions will help.
Next time I’ll make it with kalamata olives. I used green olives this first time.
You can grill or saute it first too to give it a crust, doesn't melt.
Quorn is not going to behave the same way in recipes. It may be better to stick with our vegetarian recipes.
https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/recipes?s=&search=&st=r...
Most green pestos have basil, but no cilantro.
Yes! Make sure the brand you buy does not have added sugars or starches. It's also recommended to avoid vegetable oils like canola or soybean, but not all brands have those.
I am glad that you found a serving method that works well for you.
Yes, those should work fine, but parmesan may not be "soft" enough to melt well.
We have not tested this dish with NutPods, but it may end up being too watery. NutPods are also much lower fat and we want the higher fat! If you have a dairy sensitivity, coconut cream may be a better option.
Our listed nutrition information is always per serving.
Our recipes list the number of servings that they make rather than quantity per serving because that can vary based on how much a dish reduces or not. This recipe, as written, makes 4 servings.
All of the nutrition information is listed in the Nutrition+ tab under the list of ingredients.
Great ideas thanks for the inspiration!
Frying in the butter will help add taste and texture to the chicken compared to just baking it.
The grams listed for the ingredients are for the entire recipe. The grams listed for the nutrition are for each serving. I hope that helps!