Creamy Poblano Chicken

Chunks of tender and juicy chicken perfectly pan seared then smothered in a creamy low carb poblano pepper and mushroom sauce!

closeup of creamy poblano chicken over cauliflower rice in white plate

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Roasted poblano peppers adds to a wonderful creamy low carb sauce with tender sautéed mushrooms make this a healthy and hearty dinner that can be ready in under 30 minutes!

poblano chicken in large black spoon

The smoked paprika reinforces that smoky flavor from the roasted poblano pepper.

creamy poblano chicken over cauliflower rice in white plate

This low carb one pot dinner is super easy to make any night of the week. It’s absolutely sure to please even your pickiest eaters. Even those not on Keto will enjoy the depth of flavors in this poblano chicken recipe.

What’s in Keto Chicken Poblano

*Exact measurements are listed in the recipe card below.

How to Make Creamy Keto Chicken Poblano

Preheat your oven to 400F.

Creamy Poblano Chicken - Keto and Low Carb

Brush the poblano peppers with olive oil or you can use avocado oil, and roast them in the oven on a sheet pan for a 5-7 minutes, to char the skins. You may need to flip them after a few minutes to ensure even roasting. 

Creamy Poblano Chicken - Keto and Low Carb

Remove the peppers from the oven and add to a bowl. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap. This will cause steam to build up will loosen the skin and make it much easier to peel them.

Creamy Poblano Chicken - Keto and Low Carb

This is the same method used in this Chorizo & Cauliflower Stuffed Poblano Peppers and it works perfectly!

Creamy Poblano Chicken - Keto and Low Carb

Set aside for a few minutes and allow the peppers to finishing steaming. Then remove the plastic wrap from the bowl, gently scrape off the skin of the poblano, and dice.

You can use a paper towel to help remove the skin, but it should come off easily. If it isn’t let them steam a little longer.

Creamy Poblano Chicken - Keto and Low Carb

Heat a large pot to medium and add in the olive oil, chicken, salt and pepper. Sear the chicken breast for a few minutes, until slightly browned, then remove it and set aside.

Creamy Poblano Chicken - Keto and Low Carb

Add in the butter and sauté the mushrooms and get some good color on them.

Creamy Poblano Chicken - Keto and Low Carb

Remove and set aside, then add in the garlic and sauté for about 20 seconds, careful not to burn it.

Creamy Poblano Chicken - Keto and Low Carb

Toast the smoked paprika for 10 seconds, then deglaze the pan with the white wine. Make sure you scrape up all those little brown bits of flavor.

Creamy Poblano Chicken - Keto and Low Carb

Stir in the cream cheese and heavy cream and continue stirring until the cheese has completely melted.

Creamy Poblano Chicken - Keto and Low Carb

Once the cream cheese has melted, add back in the chicken, mushrooms, cilantro, chicken stock and poblano peppers.

Creamy Poblano Chicken - Keto and Low Carb

Simmer on low, stirring occasionally, for 8-10 minutes or until thickened nicely and the chicken is cooked through. Give it a taste to check and see if it needs more salt or pepper.

Creamy Poblano Chicken - Keto and Low Carb

Serve Creamy Poblano Chicken over cauliflower rice or zucchini noodles. Or for something extra special, serve it over Palmini noodles. Palmini Pasta, or hearts of palm pasta, has a really nice al dente texture and goes really well with this dish.

Or if you really don’t have room for the extra carbs, you can literally eat this poblano chicken dish all by itself.

Just garnish with fresh cilantro and enjoy!

poblano chicken in large black spoon

Store the leftover creamy chicken in the fridge for a few days in an air tight container.

closeup of creamy poblano chicken over cauliflower rice in white plate

Can I Freeze Creamy Poblano Chicken?

This Keto chicken recipe can be frozen if you have leftovers or if you choose to make it ahead of time. To do so, allow the casserole to cool completely in an air tight, freezer safe container for up to a couple of months.

To reheat it, you can do so straight from the freezer by cooking on 300F for 30 minutes, take it out of the oven and give it a stir to reincorporate the cream with the other ingredients, then bump up the heat to 375F until heated through.

But, for best results, allow the casserole to thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating.

creamy poblano chicken over cauliflower rice in white plate

Are Poblano Peppers Hot?

Poblano peppers have mild to medium in heat. They’re slightly more spicy than bell peppers but considerably less hot than jalapeno peppers. If they’re left to ripen until they’re red, they are much hotter.

Roasted poblanos are mild enough to use for added flavor in most any Keto Mexican recipe or you can use them in your scrambled eggs or breakfast omelet.

You can also add them raw to taco meat, make a mild homemade salsa with them or add them to your chili.

How Many Carbs in Poblano Peppers?

Poblano peppers are very low carb. There’s only a little over 1 net carb per pepper. And not only are they low carb, they are rich in fiber, vitamins A and C.

Be sure to also check out these Chorizo & Cauliflower Rice Stuffed Poblano Peppers, Chorizo & Poblano Pepper Cauliflower Rice and Poblano and Cheese Stuffed Meatloaf recipes!

fork holding up creamy poblano chicken over plate

Substitutions for Creamy Poblano Keto Chicken

  • Bell peppers taste differently than poblano but they’ll work fine as an alternative. Roast them the same way as directed for the poblano.
  • If you prefer chicken thighs over chicken breasts, you can easily use them instead.
  • This creamy Keto Chicken dish uses cream cheese. If you would like a milder flavor, you can swap out the cream cheese for Mascarpone cheese. It will save you a few carbs too.
  • White button mushrooms are an acceptable substitute for baby bellas in the recipe.
  • If you’re in a hurry and happened to have a gas stove, you can roast the poblano peppers right over the open flame, using heat proof tongs to turn them as they begin to char.
  • If you prefer to omit the wine, just use the equivalent in additional chicken stock.
  • This recipes calls for Homemade Chicken Stock; however, if you’re short on time, chicken bone broth is a very nutritious substitution,

More Keto Chicken Recipes

Creamy Poblano Chicken over cauliflower rice on white plate closeup

More Keto Mexican Recipes

If you enjoyed this recipe and find it helpful for meal prepping, check out these 25 Meal Prep Ideas!

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closeup of creamy poblano chicken over cauliflower rice in white plate

Creamy Poblano Chicken

Chunks of chicken smothered in a creamy poblano pepper and mushroom sauce!
5 from 13 votes
Author: Julianne
Servings 6
PREP 5 minutes
COOK 20 minutes
TOTAL 25 minutes

Ingredients
 

  • 1 1/2 pounds chicken breasts, cut into small bites
  • 1 large poblano pepper, or two small
  • 6 ounces baby bella mushrooms, sliced
  • 5 ounces cream cheese
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1/3 cup white wine, I use Pinot Grigio
  • 2/3 cup heavy cream
  • 1/3 cup chicken stock
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped
  • olive oil
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 400F. Brush the poblano peppers with olive oil and roast them in the oven on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil for a 5-7 minutes, to char the skins. Alternatively, you can grill them instead.
  •  Remove and add to a bowl covered with plastic wrap (this will loosen the skin and make it much easier to peel).
  • Set aside for a few minutes and allow the peppers to steam.  Then remove the plastic wrap from the bowl, gently scrape off the skin of the poblano, and dice.
  • Heat a large pot to medium and add in the olive oil, chicken, salt and pepper, then sear for a few minutes, remove and set aside.  Add in the butter and sauté the mushrooms and get some good color on them.  Remove and set aside, then add in the garlic and sauté for about 20 seconds, careful not to burn it.
  • Toast the smoked paprika for 10 seconds, then deglaze the pan with the white wine, scraping up the little brown bits of flavor.  Stir in the cream cheese and heavy cream.  Once melted, add back in the chicken, mushrooms, cilantro, chicken stock and poblano peppers.  Simmer on low, covered for 8-10 minutes or until thickened nicely and the chicken is cooked through.
  • Serve over cauliflower rice or zucchini noodles, garnish with fresh cilantro and enjoy!  Store leftovers in the fridge for a few days or freeze.

Recipe Notes

**Macros do not include cauliflower rice, so be sure to adjust them according to what you decide to serve the chicken with.

*Make sure to scroll up and read the post for substitutions, additions and helpful tips for making this recipe.

Course Main Course
Cuisine Mexican
Calories 343kcal
Nutrition Facts
Creamy Poblano Chicken
Amount per Serving
Calories
343
% Daily Value*
Fat
 
25
g
38
%
Saturated Fat
 
14
g
88
%
Carbohydrates
 
4
g
1
%
Sugar
 
2
g
2
%
Protein
 
25
g
50
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

*Nutritional data is provided as a courtesy and is accurate to the best of my knowledge. You can verify it using the nutrition calculator of your choice. All data is based on net carbs, without sugar alcohol: Swerve, Erythritol, Monk Fruit or Allulose.

© Copyright for Keto Cooking Christian LLC. Please use the share buttons to share on social media, but please do not copy/paste the recipe.

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5 from 13 votes (6 ratings without comment)

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Recipe Rating




26 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Used jalapeños in place of poblanos, and it was delicious with just the right amount of spice

  2. 5 stars
    This was absolutely delicious! My husband said he felt like we were at a restaurant😁 I was glad I had everything cut up and ready to add in when called for. I will definitely make this again. Thank you for such a great recipe!

  3. Looks like another amazing recipe! I have all the ingredients except poblano peppers. I do have bell pepper miniatures and also jalapeno. Do you have any idea what portion might be if I use bell and jalapeno peppers to come out equivalent to the poblano pepper?

    Thank you very much!

    1. Hmm, I couldn’t say for sure because I’ve only ever made it using poblanos. If I had to guess, I’d say maybe 1/2 cup after they are roasted.

      1. You’re so welcome and please let me know how it turns out, I’d love to know!

    1. There is no measured or weighed amount of the finished dish. A serving would be 1/6th of the entire recipe.

    1. You could certainly try it. I use leftover chicken for a lot of recipes, so I am sure it would be fine.

  4. Hi there! What would be a good substitute for the mushrooms? We’re not a fan of them. This really sounds delish and I wanna make it.

    1. You could add more poblano pepper and just omit the mushrooms. I am not sure what another substitute would be.

  5. 5 stars
    Made this tonight for dinner. It was delicious!
    Modifications I made: doubled the garlic, used 8 oz mushrooms and doubled the poblanos and cilantro. The juice from the cooked chicken and poblanos were enough, so I never added the chicken broth. I’d add more salt next time using this method. I’d also add a bit more wine. Overall, it’s a tasty recipe. We had it over riced cauliflower, and it was fantastic.
    Thanks for sharing this recipe with me.
    Bambi

  6. 5 stars
    Made this tonight with our poblano peppers from our garden. This was probably one of the best meals I have had in a long time. This was amazing!! Thank you for sharing!!