Tender chicken sautéed in a flavorful creamy pink sauce made in one pan in just 20 minutes. This Low Carb Italian skillet is perfect for a busy weeknight dinner!
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Who says you can’t enjoy delicious Italian food on a Keto diet? There are so many different Italian inspired recipes that you can make, that won’t kick you out of Ketosis! Zucchini Lasagna, Italian Beef Braciole, Shrimp all Vodka, Baked Italian Meatballs, Chicken Parmesan and Chicken Marsala are just a few of the Low Carb Italian recipes you can make!
This Low Carb skillet recipe has such great flavor and is incredibly easy to make! Serve over zucchini noodles or spaghetti squash to make it a complete filling and satisfying meal.
This is a perfect easy weeknight Keto dinner to make, that will taste like you’ve been cooking it for hours!
How to Make Keto Tuscan Chicken
Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds chicken breast, cut into large chunks
2 ounces fresh baby spinach leaves
8 ounces baby bella mushrooms, sliced
1/2 of a 15 ounce can diced tomatoes, liquid included
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup mascarpone cheese
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
olive oil or other Keto friendly oil
salt and pepper to taste
Preparation
Heat a large skillet over medium, add in half the butter and oil. Add in the chicken, salt and pepper and sauté for a few minutes on each side or until lightly golden. Remove and set side.
Add in the remaining butter and sauté the mushrooms for a few minutes, or until they have some good color. Sauté the garlic for 20 seconds, careful not to burn it!
Add in the diced tomatoes with their liquid/sauce and the spinach and stir until the spinach has wilted.
Stir in the heavy cream, mascarpone and parmesan cheese.
Once combined, add the chicken back in and simmer on medium low for 8-10 minutes (partially covered) or until the chicken is cooked through.
Add the fresh basil and serve!
Store leftovers in the fridge for a few days or freeze.
If you’re looking for another great Italian dish using zucchini noodles, try this Low Carb Zucchini Noodles Carbonara!
Tips for Making Keto Tuscan Chicken Skillet
Is Chicken Good for a Keto Diet?
Definitely! Chicken is a great protein to eat on Keto! There are so many Keto recipes using chicken that we get to enjoy. Chicken is not only a great source of protein for a Low Carb diet, but it also has many vitamins and minerals. You can read more about the health benefits of chicken in this article.
Chicken breasts are used in this skillet, but you can use thighs if you’d like.
How Many Carbs in Chicken?
None whatsoever! The carbs in this skillet come from everything else that you add in, rather than the chicken.
How to Make a Flavorful Low Carb Tuscan Sauce?
Be sure to use diced tomatoes (and the liquid included) that are the lowest in carbs and sugar that you can find. Also, baby portobello mushrooms or “baby bella” has such great flavor, but if you can’t find them, you can use white mushrooms instead. Mushrooms are loaded with potassium and are low in carbs, so they’re prefect for Keto.
Also loaded with potassium, fresh baby spinach is used. If you can only find regular spinach, you can use it instead and just chop it up a bit. You can even use frozen spinach, just be sure to thaw and squeeze all the excess water out before adding it to the skillet, otherwise your sauce will be watery.
Fresh garlic and basil are also used. If you can’t find fresh basil, you can use dried basil and fresh parsley instead.
Mascarpone cheese is used in this Low Carb skillet to add extra creaminess and also help thicken the sauce. Mascarpone has the same consistency as cream cheese, but is lower in carbs and has a milder flavor.
It’s loaded with healthy fats and is so low in carbs, it makes it a perfect Keto ingredients to use! You can use it in so many recipes, both sweet and savory, including fat bombs, mousse, cupcake frosting and more!
Is Zucchini Keto Friendly?
Most definitely! It fairly low in carbs and are loaded with several vitamins and minerals. Read more about the health benefits of zucchini in this article!
There are also so many different ways you can prepare zucchini for a Keto diet, making them very versatile. You can slice them in half, scoop out the center and use them as “boats” to carry all different kinds of fillings, like in this Lasagna Stuffed Zucchini Boats. You can slice them very thin and use them as a substitute for lasagna, adding Italian Meat Sauce and cheese between the layers in this Zucchini Lasagna.
You can also cut them into sticks and make Zucchini Fries with a zesty dipping sauce. Or spiralize them into “zoodles” and make a Zucchini Noodle “Pasta” Salad, which is a great low carb substitute for pasta salad! And you can use zucchini in sweet recipes too, grate them finely and add to these Chocolate Zucchini Muffins. It’s a perfect way to hide veggies in your meals, especially for children!
How Many Carbs in Zucchini?
There are about 4 net carbs in a medium zucchini and you typically wouldn’t use an entire medium sized zucchini for one meal.
How to Make Zucchini Noodles or “Zoodles”
Zucchini noodles are such a great low carb substitute for pasta and are really easy to make! All you need is a Spiralizer to make them with and it literally takes about a minute to make them.
If you’ve never made them before, give it a shot! Of course it’s not exactly like traditional pasta, but you can make them the way you prefer your pasta- al dente (more firm) or cooked a little longer so they’re softer.
To make them more al dente, cook them in the microwave for 40 seconds, then pat dry with a paper towel, and toss in the sauce and chicken. Super quick and easy!
More Keto and Low Carb chicken recipes…
Shop my favorite products on Amazon and check out my Keto Pantry List!
Creamy Tuscan Chicken Skillet – Keto and Low Carb
INGREDIENTS
- 1 1/2 pounds chicken breast cut into large chunks
- 2 ounces fresh baby spinach leaves
- 8 ounces baby bella mushrooms sliced
- 1/2 of a 15 ounce can diced tomatoes liquid included
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 cup mascarpone cheese
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons fresh basil chopped
- olive oil or other Keto friendly oil
- salt and pepper to taste
PREPARATION
- Heat a large skillet over medium, add in half the butter and oil. Add in the chicken, salt and pepper and sauté for a few minutes on each side or until lightly golden. Remove and set side.
- Add in the remaining butter and sauté the mushrooms for a few minutes, or until they have some good color. Sauté the garlic for 20 seconds, careful not to burn it! Add in the diced tomatoes with their liquid/sauce and the spinach and stir until the spinach has wilted.
- Stir in the heavy cream, mascarpone and parmesan cheese. Once combined, add the chicken back in and simmer on medium low for 8-10 minutes (partially covered) or until the chicken is cooked through.
- Add the fresh basil and serve! Store leftovers in the fridge for a few days or freeze.
If I can’t find marscapone, can I use cream cheese? Would it still be half a cup?
Yes, you sure can! If you like the flavor of cream cheese, then use the same amount. If you want a milder flavor, use 1/4 cup cream cheese and 1/4 cup heavy cream to replace the mascarpone. I hope that helps!
How many servings in all?
Hi Wanda,
There are 6 servings total.
If you don’t like mushrooms could you use a full can of diced tomatoes to replace them?
Sure you can! Just be sure to adjust the macros accordingly.