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Creamy Lemon Chicken – Keto Low Carb Recipe

Creamy Keto Lemon Chicken

Even though lemon is a fruit, using it sparingly in keto recipes doesn’t add much to the carb count and makes the dish feel lighter and more summery! I love the brightness in flavor that lemon brings to any dish and this Creamy Keto Lemon Chicken is no exception.

Best Meats for Keto

Most people following a keto diet prefer to use meats that are higher in fat content. For chicken, the popular keto choice is chicken thighs. You could easily use thighs in place of the breasts in this recipe.

Although a lot of people following keto scoff at chicken breasts since they’re so lean, I still enjoy using them. For all the years we thought fat was the enemy, chicken breast recipes became a staple and I personally still just like the flavor. Plus the leanness of the meat allows us to add whatever type of fat we enjoy. Or more of a monounsaturated fat rather than saturated fat.

For this keto creamy lemon chicken, I chose butter and olive oil. These two fat flavors are an awesome compliment to lemon and cream.

Other Flavor Considerations

Shallots were used in this recipe rather than onions so as not to overpower the lemon flavor, but if you have regular onions on hand feel free to substitute with two tablespoons rather than three. Additionally, If you love garlic like I do, you may want to go with two or three cloves instead! Just be sure your dinner partner likes garlic too.

Be sure to reserve three to four tablespoons of the parsley for the end. The fresh parsley really adds a brightness to the dish in both flavor and color that both your eyes and stomach will appreciate. We hear a lot that people eat with their eyes first, so it’s important to impart a little flourish here and there, even if it’s for a quick weeknight meal. It’s simple and really adds so much the experience, my little tip for #gourmeteveryday.

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The Creamy Keto Lemon Chicken Breasts were paired this time with Simple Bacon Brussels Sprouts and some delicious Dry Farms wine. Not only are the brussels sprouts delicious this way, but it’s a ridiculously easy preparation that nearly everyone enjoys. If you’d like to stay with the creamy theme, this dish would also be a great preceded by our Creamy Keto Raw Zucchini and Avocado Cold Soup as a first course.

Creamy Keto Lemon Chicken Breasts

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Servings: 2 people
This keto recipe for chicken breasts adds butter, olive oil and heavy cream to up the fat content. The lemon adds a brightness to the flavor that balances the fat very well and makes it feel lighter and more summery.

Ingredients 
 

  • 3 tbsp butter
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 12 ounces chicken breasts, 2 medium
  • 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
  • 3 tbsp shallot, chopped
  • ½ cup parsley, chopped
  • 1 medium lemon, zested and juiced
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • 2 tablespoons heavy cream
  • ¼ cup white wine, optional
  • 1 medium lemon, sliced, as garnish if desired

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • In an ovenproof skillet over medium heat, melt a tablespoon each of butter and olive oil. 
  • Add chicken breasts and brown on both sides, about 4 minutes.
  • Transfer skillet to the oven and bake until chicken is cooked through, should have an internal temperature of 165.
  • Remove chicken from skillet.
  • In the same skillet over medium heat, melt the remaining butter and olive oil.
  • Add garlic and shallot, saute for about 2 minutes.  
  • Add lemon juice, lemon zest, thyme, heavy cream and most of the parsley, saute for about 2 minutes.
  • Deglaze pan with white wine, if desired.
  • Add chicken back to pan to coat in sauce and reheat slightly about 2 minutes.
  • Remove chicken from pan and pour sauce over breasts.
  • Garnish with sliced lemon and remaining parsley if desired.

Nutrition

Serving: 6ozCalories: 515kcalCarbohydrates: 5gProtein: 37gFat: 35gSaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 154mgSodium: 361mgPotassium: 783mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gCalcium: 49mgIron: 2.4mg

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Author

  • Cheryl McColgan

    Cheryl McColgan is the Founder and Editor in Chief of Heal Nourish Grow, where she has published evidence-based health and nutrition content since 2018.

    With over 30 years of experience in fitness, nutrition, and healthy living, and nearly 20 years of professional editorial and journalism experience, she brings both subject-matter depth and trained editorial judgment to everything on the site.

    Cheryl holds a degree in Psychology with a minor in Addictions Studies, completed graduate training in Clinical Psychology, and is a NASM Certified Personal Trainer and E-RYT Certified Yoga Instructor and trained in Yoga Therapy.

    She is the author of 21 Day Fat Loss Kickstart, Make Keto Easy, Take Diet Breaks and Still Lose Weight, The Grain Free Cookbook for Beginners, and Easy Weeknight Keto.

    Read more about Cheryl and the journey that created Heal Nourish Grow on the about page.

    Cheryl McColgan is the founder of Heal Nourish Grow, where she writes about protein, body composition, healthy aging, and evidence-based nutrition and wellness along with the everyday habits that actually make those things work in real life.

    With a background in psychology and graduate training in clinical psychology, plus nearly 20 years of experience in editorial and publishing, Cheryl approaches health from both a research and real-world perspective. She’s also been immersed in fitness and nutrition for more than 25 years, which gives her a practical lens most purely academic content tends to miss.

    Her work today focuses heavily on protein intake (especially for women), muscle retention, metabolic health, and sustainable fat loss, along with topics like sleep, wellness, recovery, and wearable health tech. You’ll also find a mix of high-protein, low-carb recipes designed to make hitting those goals easier without overcomplicating things.

    Cheryl’s interest in health and nutrition became more personal after navigating her own health challenges, which pushed her to dig deeper into how lifestyle, diet and daily habits impact long-term health. That experience continues to shape how she approaches everything on this site: practical, realistic, and focused on what actually works over time.

    What Cheryl Covers

    Most of the content here falls into a few core areas:

    Protein & Muscle Health: how much you actually need, especially for women and how to use protein to support strength, body composition, and aging
    Fat Loss & Metabolic Health: sustainable approaches that prioritize muscle retention and long-term results
    Healthy Habits & Lifestyle: sleep, movement, strength training, consistency, and the small things that compound over time
    Wearables & Recovery: real-world testing and comparisons of tools like Oura, Whoop and others
    High-Protein & Low-Carb Recipes: simple, realistic meals that support your goals without feeling restrictive
    Travel & Lifestyle: wellness-focused travel, outdoor experiences, and a slightly more elevated take on healthy living

    If you're new, here are a few good places to begin:

    30 Day Healthy Habits Challenge

    Protein Foundations

    High Protein Recipes

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