This low-carb recipe for Creamy Garlic Parmesan Chicken makes a whole meal in one skillet! This easy recipe boasts tender chicken thighs and riced cauliflower in a creamy garlic sauce. It makes a perfect dinner for those on low-carb, keto, Atkins, diabetic, or Banting diets.
Disclaimer: Some of the links on this site are affiliate links which means we make a small commission from any sales to help keep the recipes coming! You do not pay any more. Thank you for your support!
The recipe for One Skillet Creamy Garlic Parmesan Chicken
This recipe starts with browning both sides of the chicken pieces to add flavor to the dish. The creamy sauce starts by cooking a bit of garlic, then deglazing the pan with a touch of vinegar followed by some white wine (or chicken broth).
The riced cauliflower is cooked right in the sauce, so it soaks in all of that good flavor. This makes it seem much less like cauliflower, and more like real rice.
Heavy cream and parmesan cheese make the sauce creamy. If you want an even thicker sauce, you can add a bit more cheese, or a tablespoon or two of cream cheese.
A touch of thyme adds an herbaceous appeal to the dish. Finally, a blanket of parmesan cheese is melted into glorious golden goodness.
The inspiration
This inspiration from this dish came from the desire to create a simple, easy dish that didn’t require a lot of clean-up.
The ingredients were determined be what I had in the fridge. The sauce is made using methods from classical French cooking.
The best pan to use for one pan chicken
This meal requires a pan that can be used on the stovetop and can go in the oven. I sometimes use cast iron pans for this type of meal. However, in this case, I felt that stainless steel made a better option.
The reason I prefer stainless steel for this recipe is the high acid content of the recipe. The sauce in this recipe contains both vinegar and white wine. Both of these ingredients are acidic–especially the vinegar.
This acid in the recipe can react with cast iron, but stainless steel is non-reactive. Therefore, I prefer using stainless steal in recipes that use ingredients such as tomatoes, wine, vinegars or lemon juice.
Of course, not every stainless steel pan can go in the oven. I used this frying pan from Mealthy and it worked perfectly for this recipe. If you already have a pan that works well for this purpose, great! If not, you can get 20% off your order from Mealthy if you use my special coupon code, SIMPLYSOHEALTHY to save $10.00 off a total purchase of $59.95.
Dark meat vs white meat
I have made this recipe with both chicken thighs and breasts. Both work well in this recipe, so the choice is yours!
Which one should you choose? It depends on what works best for you. Chicken thighs are less expensive, dark meat and a bit more fat. They also have a bit more flavor.
Chicken breasts have a higher price per pound, white meat, and less fat. Their flavor is milder. If you use chicken breasts in this recipe, I recommend using two breasts and cutting them in half. This allows them to cook more evenly.
Alternatively, you could use chicken tenders, which are also white meat, but would not need to be cut.
Best side dishes for chicken
One thing I love about this dish is that it really is a whole meal on its own. Since the riced cauliflower reads as a starch (even though it’s a veggie), you may want to add a second vegetable.
A salad of spinach or other greens would work well and give good textural and color contrast to the meal. A few slices of tomato would bring color to the plate as would some simply steamed green beans with a dab of butter.
You could also add my sweet and sour red cabbage to the plate to round out the meal. Seriously, though, this recipe does make a meal by itself.
Final words
This recipe for One Skillet Creamy Garlic Parmesan Chicken makes an easy and delicious meal. Clean-up is a snap! Enjoy!
-Annissa
This Easy One Skillet Garlic Parmesan Chicken Recipe makes a delicious meal with less clean-up. Even the kids will love this one!
Low-Carb One Skillet Creamy Garlic Parmesan Chicken
This low-carb recipe for Creamy Garlic Parmesan Chicken makes a whole meal in one skillet! This easy recipe boasts tender chicken thighs and riced cauliflower in a creamy garlic sauce. It makes a perfect dinner for those on low-carb, keto, Atkins, diabetic, or Banting diets.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- 4 chicken thighs* (about 1.5 lbs) boneless skinless
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- 1/2 cup dry white wine (may substitute chicken broth)
- 1 clove garlic crushed
- sea salt (optional)
- freshly ground black pepper
- 12 ounces riced cauliflower frozen
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 cup parmesan cheese (about 4 ounces) finely shredded
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375º Fahrenheit. Heat a non-reactive 10" to 12" oven-proof skillet over medium high heat. Add avocado oil.
Sprinkle chicken pieces lightly on both sides with salt (if desired) and pepper. Add chicken to the pan, being careful not to crowd the pan.
Brown chicken on the first side, then turn to brown the other side. Remove chicken to a plate and set aside.
Add garlic to pan and cook briefly, about 30 seconds, to release fragrance.
Add vinegar to skillet and deglaze the pan, scraping up browned bits. When vinegar has almost completely evaporated, add the wine to the pan and continue deglazing.
When the wine is reduced by half, add the heavy cream, frozen cauliflower (I do not defrost first), dried thyme, and any drippings that have collected under the chicken pieces. Bring mixture to a simmer. Simmer until mixture is thick enough to coat a spoon. Stir in 1/2 cup of the parmesan cheese. (If you want to sauce to be even thicker, you may add a little extra cheese to the sauce or a tablespoon or two of cream cheese.)
Remove the skillet from heat. Taste and adjust seasoning, stirring in salt and pepper, if desired. (I added 1/2 teaspoon of salt, but add the amount that works for you) Place the browned chicken pieces on top of the riced cauliflower and sauce. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup of parmesan.
Bake chicken in the preheated oven for 20-30 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through and cheese has melted and started to brown. Be sure to use an oven mitt when removing it from the oven.
This looks really good! I’m not eating low carb (most days anyway), but I do enjoy cauliflower rice, and cheese is one of my favorites (right up there with cream and bacon!) One pot seals the deal for me. I love to cook but hate doing the dishes 😉 Easy and delicious – gotta try it soon!
I love cauliflower rice and I love skillet meals. This is a easy, delicious option for a busy night.
Can I double the recipe?
Sure! Just be sure to use a bigger skillet or French oven.
Annissa
I love the flavors in this garlic parmesan chicken recipe- so perfect for a weeknight meal!
This has my name written all over it! Always need more quick and easy chicken recipes for weeknight dinners.
Wow this looks absolutely delicious…great weeknight meal.
This was delicious and my family gobbled it down. I used boneless chicken thighs and the flavors all come together perfectly. Definitely a keeper!
Woohoo! I’ll take that as a win!
Annissa
Has anyone used this in a crockpot?
Made this tonight and was pleasantly surprised. My teenaged son liked it so that’s saying something and my husband, who doesn’t like chicken, said it was tasty. We’ve never had riced cauliflower before & now it’ll be the perfect substitute for rice. Thank you for the recipe!
I love it when everyone in the family likes one of my recipes! It makes staying low-carb so much easier!
-Annissa
This looks wonderful, but can I substitute chopped fresh cauliflower for the frozen riced cauliflower?
Sure! That shouldn’t be a problem. It may release a bit of water as it cooks, but it will still taste delicious.
Annissa
Oh goodness I can’t describe how delicious this was!!! I added a can of chopped artichokes hearts because I had them and they added a nice touch. I will be making this again. The one pan preparation was a wonderful bonus. I’m new to keto and can’t wait to try some of your other recipes. Thank you.
Yay! Chopped artichoke hearts sound like a wonderful addition. Yum!
-Annissa
We really enjoyed this, even though because of quarantine we had to make due with substitutions. I had a head of fresh cauliflower (my last of the fresh veggies) I was already prepping for a casserole and wanted a skillet chicken dish to go with. Poked around in my chest freezer and pulled out two 10 oz bags of chopped frozen spinach. Added those at the same time as you indicated to add the cauliflower, and used a mix of asiago and havarti because also what I had on hand. Followed the recipe the rest of the way, used chicken breasts, and we loved it!!! It was so good with the spinach I intend to make it again that way, and of course I’ll try it as written one day, too, as I love cauliflower rice.
Forgot to give it my stars!
These are times that we just have to use what we have. Spinach sounds like a great alternative!
-Annissa
Is there a way to cook this without an oven? Mine is currently broken
Sydney,
After you add the cheese on the top, just simmer it a bit more to melt the cheese. You won’t get the browned areas on top, but it should still be good.
Another idea is to use a torch like people use for creme brûlée.
Annissa
We had this tonight. It was delicious! Will definitely make again!