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keto italian baked chicken thighs with cream sauce

Keto Italian Baked Chicken Thighs Recipe

www.melissaraecarr.com
This recipe gives you the most juicy chicken thighs you can imagine and nothing will be left on the bone!
Turn it into a one skillet meal with these simple ingredients when you use a cast iron skillet.
Bone-in chicken thighs are recommended for this Italian Baked Chicken Thighs recipe as it helps the meat to stay tender as it bakes in the oven.
5 from 1 vote
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Course chicken thigh, dinners, gluten free chicken, keto chicken, keto dinners
Cuisine Italian
Servings 6 people
Calories 137 kcal

Equipment

  • Large skillet
  • baking sheet
  • Whisk
  • Spoon

Ingredients
  

Chicken Ingredients

  • 6 bone in, skin on chicken thighs
  • 1 tbsp Italian Seasoning, or equivalent herbs
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
  • 3 tbsp butter or bacon grease

For Skillet Cream Sauce

  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 6 cloves garlic; minced fine
  • 1/2 cup onion; chopped fine
  • 1/4 tsp dried parsley
  • 1 cup chicken broth or warm water
  • 3/4 cup heavy cream
  • 1/4 tsp dried oregano
  • 1/4 tsp dried basil
  • 2 oz cream cheese; softened
  • 1/2 cup shredded parmesan
  • 1 small fresh lemon optional if you want to add in

Instructions
 

For the Chicken

  • Preheat oven to 400F. Get your large skillet preheated by putting over medium-high heat.
  • I prefer a cast iron skillet so I can go right from the searing step, to sauce to oven.
    If you do not have a cast iron skillet, a regular skillet will work for the searing and sauce then transfer to a baking dish for the last step.
  • Lay your chicken thighs on a baking sheet in a single layer so you can seasoning them properly. Cover them with salt and pepper and finish off with the Italian Seasoning mix or your own blend of Italian herbs.
    6 bone in, skin on chicken thighs, 1 tbsp Italian Seasoning, or equivalent herbs, 1/2 tsp sea salt, 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
  • If you want to use fresh herbs, keep them till the end when we make the sauce.
    You do not want them to cook in the skillet on the high heat, they will not give the best flavor.
  • Dried herbs are what I recommend that work out the best for the searing step. Swirl some oil in the pan, or what I used was a tablespoon of bacon grease!
    3 tbsp butter or bacon grease
  • Now lay the seasoned chicken into the preheated skillet skin side down. Let the chicken cook 4 minutes on each side until they are golden brown.
  • Now transfer to the baking sheet or baking pan if you are not baking in the skillet. Squeeze fresh lemon juice over the chicken thighs to let it soak in as you make the cream sauce.
    1 small fresh lemon

For the Skillet Cream Sauce

  • Swirl butter around and then add in the chopped onion, parsley, oregano and basil. Cook it for a few minutes until it starts to soften and become aromatic.
    2 tbsp butter, 1/2 cup onion; chopped fine, 1/4 tsp dried parsley, 1/4 tsp dried oregano, 1/4 tsp dried basil
  • Now add the garlic and sauté for a minute. Follow with heavy cream and water, or chicken broth if you want to add a ton of flavor to this easy recipe.
    6 cloves garlic; minced fine, 3/4 cup heavy cream, 1 cup chicken broth or warm water
  • Bring it to a simmer then add in the cream cheese and parmesan cheese.
    2 oz cream cheese; softened, 1/2 cup shredded parmesan
  • Use the lemon from earlier, if you used the lemon juice, to add some lemon zest to the sauce. It adds a nice bright addition to the heaviness of the cream sauce. Whisk over medium heat until it starts to thicken.
  • Once it will coat the back of a spoon, remove it from the heat and nestle the zesty italian chicken thighs into the sauce.
  • If you are not using an oven safe skillet, then simply pour the sauce over the chicken pieces in the baking dish. Place your cast iron skillet or baking dish into your preheated oven for 30 minutes.
  • You know the chicken is done when an instant-read thermometer reads the internal temperature of the thickest part at least 165 degrees F. I let the chicken sit in the skillet for 5 minutes minimum before removing from the skillet and serving it up!

Nutrition

Calories: 137kcalCarbohydrates: 1gProtein: 1gFat: 15gSaturated Fat: 9gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 45mgSodium: 233mgPotassium: 34mgFiber: 0.04gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 556IUVitamin C: 0.2mgCalcium: 22mgIron: 0.1mg
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