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This easy high-protein chicken recipe is a great low-carb dinner option in under 30 minutes! It's a recipe adapted from the Creamy Tarragon Chicken with Cabbage & Crispy Bacon from my latest cookbook, The New Mediterranean Diet.
We've got juicy and tender chicken thighs cooked with mushrooms, onions, garlic, lemon and tarragon, and finished with some creme fraiche.
Recipe Tips
We are serving it with some steamed asparagus which won't take more than 3 to 5 minutes to cook. Apart from asparagus, you could use other vegetable sides such as green beans, zucchini noodles or cauliflower rice.
If you're not low-carb, or making this for the whole family, you can serve it with some pasta or even rice.
Xanthan gum in this recipe acts as a thickener. If you're sensitive to xanthan gum, try glucomannan powder or skip the thickener altogether. Reducing the sauce further (cooking without a lid for a few more minutes) will thicken it more.
For a lower fat option, swap the creme fraiche with cream cheese or reduced fat sour cream. You can also use chicken breasts instead of thighs although the difference won't be significant.
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Hands-on Overall
Serving size about 340 g/ 12 oz creamy chicken + asparagus
Nutritional values (per serving, about 340 g/ 12 oz creamy chicken + asparagus)
Net carbs7.9 grams
Protein56.7 grams
Fat38.6 grams
Calories618 kcal
Calories from carbs 5%, protein 37%, fat 58%
Total carbs11.7 gramsFiber3.8 gramsSugars5.9 gramsSaturated fat18 gramsSodium686 mg(30% RDA)Magnesium88 mg(22% RDA)Potassium1,183 mg(59% EMR)
Ingredients (makes 4 servings)
- 2 tbsp virgin avocado oil or olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion (70 g/ 2.5 oz)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 kg skinless and boneless chicken thighs (2.2 lbs)
- 3/4 tsp sea salt, or to taste
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 2 cups brown mushrooms, sliced (144 g/ 5 oz)
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice (30 ml)
- 1 cup chicken stock (240 ml/ 8 fl oz)
- 1 cup creme fraiche or sour cream (240 g/ 8.5 oz)
- Optional: 1/2 tsp xanthan gum or glucomannan powder
- 2 tbsp chopped tarragon
- 600 g trimmed asparagus, to serve (1.3 lbs)
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet greased with avocado oil (or olive oil) over a medium-high heat. Add the chopped onion and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until fragrant and lightly browned. Add the minced garlic and gook for another 30 seconds.
- Meanwhile, cut the chicken thighs into small chunks. Season with salt and pepper. To the skillet with the browned aromatics add the chicken and cook for about 5 minutes, until opaque from all sides.
- Add the sliced mushrooms, lemon juice and chicken stock. Stir to combine and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to medium and cover with a lid. Cook for about 10 minutes, until the chicken is tender and cooked through.
- Add the creme fraiche (or sour cream) and stir to combine. Cook uncovered over a medium-high heat for another 5 minutes, or longer if you wish to reduce the sauce and thicken.
Note: You can optionally thicken the sauce with 1/2 tsp xanthan gum or glucomannan powder. To do that, simply sift over the surface using a fine mesh sieve while stirring to prevent clumps from forming.
- Take off the heat and stir in chopped tarragon.
- Serve while still warm with any low-carb vegetables of choice. Steamed asparagus, green beans, zucchini noodles or cauliflower rice work best.
- To store, let it cool down and refrigerate for up to 4 days. (Sauces with creamy dairy-based sauce don't freeze well as the sauce may split once reheated.)
Ingredient nutritional breakdown (per serving, about 340 g/ 12 oz creamy chicken + asparagus)
| Net carbs | Protein | Fat | Calories |
|---|
| Avocado oil, extra virgin |
| 0 g | 0 g | 7 g | 62 kcal |
| Onion, brown (yellow), raw |
| 1.1 g | 0.2 g | 0 g | 6 kcal |
| Garlic, fresh |
| 0.5 g | 0.1 g | 0 g | 2 kcal |
| Chicken thighs (skinless, boneless, raw) |
| 0 g | 49.2 g | 10.3 g | 303 kcal |
| Salt, sea salt |
| 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | 0 kcal |
| Pepper, black, spices |
| 0.1 g | 0 g | 0 g | 0 kcal |
| Mushrooms (brown), fresh |
| 1.3 g | 0.9 g | 0 g | 8 kcal |
| Lemon juice, fresh |
| 0.4 g | 0 g | 0 g | 1 kcal |
| Chicken stock (broth), chicken only, homemade |
| 0 g | 1.2 g | 1.2 g | 16 kcal |
| Crème fraîche |
| 1.8 g | 1.8 g | 19.8 g | 189 kcal |
| Tarragon, fresh |
| 0.1 g | 0 g | 0 g | 1 kcal |
| Asparagus, fresh |
| 2.7 g | 3.3 g | 0.2 g | 30 kcal |
| Total per serving, about 340 g/ 12 oz creamy chicken + asparagus |
| 7.9 g | 56.7 g | 38.6 g | 618 kcal |
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