Skillet Creamy Lemon Chicken with Cauliflower is a delicious low carb, one pan meal! Seared chicken in a creamy sauce flavored with lemon and fresh thyme make this a main dish the whole family will love!
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The best part of the keto diet, for me, besides all the weight loss, increased energy, and a general feeling of happiness almost all the time now (yay for balanced hormones!) is Cream Cheese Pancakes with natural peanut butter and anything made with heavy whipping cream.
Not only does this recipe for Skillet Creamy Lemon Chicken with Cauliflower use heavy whipping cream, but I absolutely love it in a cup or two of chai tea almost every single day and in casseroles like my Jalapeno Popper Chicken Casserole!
This low carb skillet dinner helps make keto even easier since it’s a very family friendly meal. My oldest son cleans his plate without a single complaint – and he typically loves to complain about having to eat cauliflower.
I owe it all to the sauce. Seriously, a good sauce has some kind of magic in it and this is one of those sauces. It’s simple, creamy, and zesty! It’s perfect with the seared chicken breasts and of course we all know how versatile cauliflower is. In this recipe, the cauliflower takes on all of the flavor of the sauce.
This is a quick, easy recipe that’s great for any night of the week!
How to Make Skillet Creamy Lemon Chicken with Cauliflower
Prep!
Chop the cauliflower into small pieces. The easiest way to do this is to put it in a food processor fitted with a blade and pulse a few times. Most grocery stores now sell already chopped or riced cauliflower in the produce section. I do not recommend using frozen cauliflower.
Mince the garlic, strip the leaves off of the stems of thyme, and juice half of a lemon.
Create!
Season the chicken with salt and pepper.
Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the butter, and then cook the chicken until golden brown, about 3-5 minutes. Flip the chicken oven and cook the other side about 2-4 minutes, or until cooked through and no longer pink in the middle. Remove the chicken to a plate and tent with foil to keep warm.
Add the chicken stock, garlic, thyme, and cauliflower to the skillet and stir, scraping up any bits from the bottom of the pan. Continue to simmer until the liquid is reduced by half, and the cauliflower is just tender about 4-5 minutes.
Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the heavy cream and lemon juice.
Present!
Add chicken back to the pan, garnish with additional fresh thyme, and serve hot.
Tips and Techniques for the Best Skillet Creamy Lemon Chicken with Cauliflower
- Use a food processor to finely chop the cauliflower or buy already chopped cauliflower from the produce section of the grocery store. Frozen riced cauliflower can be used, but often results in a watery, mushier texture.
- If you can’t find thin cut chicken breasts, you can pound out regular chicken breasts to about 1/2-inch thickness before cooking.
- If you need to substitute dried thyme for fresh thyme, use only 1/2 tablespoon.
- Store any leftover Skillet Creamy Lemon Chicken with Cauliflower in an air-tight container in the refrigerator. Use within 3-4 days.
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- 1 pound thin cut chicken breasts
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 cup chicken bone broth * or stock
- 4 cloves garlic * minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
- 4 cups cauliflower * chopped small
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- fresh thyme * garnish, optional
-
Season the chicken with salt and pepper.
-
Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the butter, and then cook the chicken until golden brown, about 3-5 minutes. Flip the chicken and cook about 2-4 minutes, or until cooked through. Remove the chicken to a plate and tent with foil to keep warm.
-
Add the chicken stock, garlic, thyme, and cauliflower to the skillet and stir, scraping up any bits from the bottom of the pan. Continue to simmer until the liquid is reduced by half, and the cauliflower is just tender about 4-5 minutes.
-
Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the heavy cream and lemon juice.
-
Add chicken back to the pan, garnish with additional fresh thyme, and serve hot.
Tips and Techniques for the Best Skillet Creamy Lemon Chicken with Cauliflower
- Use a food processor to finely chop the cauliflower or buy already chopped cauliflower from the produce section of the grocery store. Frozen riced cauliflower can be used, but often results in a watery, mushier texture.
- If you can't find thin cut chicken breasts, you can pound out regular chicken breasts to about 1/2-inch thickness before cooking.
- If you need to substitute dried thyme for fresh thyme, use only 1/2 tablespoon.
- Store any leftover Skillet Creamy Lemon Chicken with Cauliflower in an air-tight container in the refrigerator. Use within 3-4 days.
** Nutritional information is an estimate and may vary.
Edyta says
I love everything about this dish. Cauliflower with lemon chicken is absolutely the best. Wonderful recipe!
Jennifer says
We are all about the cauliflower these days! And this lemon chicken was delish! We will be making this again!
Vicky says
I like that this dish looks fancy but in actuality is pretty prepare. Riced cauliflower is one of my favorite add ons to a recipe. It is simple to make, especially if you buy the pre-made stuff. Plus, you can’t go wrong with a lemon chicken flavor!
Tara says
A good sauce is a miracle worker, isn’t it? So delicious!
Cheese Curd In Paradise says
I love the herbs and fresh citrus in this dish! I also love the creamy and delicious cauliflower under the chicken. I can’t wait to give this recipe a try- pinning for later!