This keto cheesy chicken breast made in the air fryer is delicious dinner for busy weeknights. The juicy pieces of chicken is topped with a luscious cream cheese topping and with bits of broccoli and is full of flavor. This is a deliciously easy dinner and each piece has just 3.2 grams net carbs and 30.7 grams protein.ย
You might also like this keto baked tilapia recipe!
Sometimes I have trouble cooking chicken breast and keeping it juicy and tender. However this keto cheesy chicken that I made in the air fryer has solved that problem.
I took 2 large pieces of chicken and topped them with a lusious combination of cheese and broccoli and just set them in the air fryer. The result was a very flavorful and juicy chicken breast and it was super easy!
With just a few basic ingredients this was perfect for a quick low carb dinner for us. Iโve been trying to increase our protein intake lately (after tracking for a week I realized we donโt get nearly enough). This is the kind of weeknight meal we love and itโs a high protein main dish with amazing flavor. Plus this made 4 servings for us so I ate the leftovers for a low carb high protein lunch the next day.
Recipe ingredients I used and substitutions.
The simple ingredients I used for this recipe were boneless skinless chicken breasts, mayonnaise, cream cheese, cheddar cheese, fresh broccoli, fresh garlic cloves, onion powder, salt and ground black pepper.
Chicken
I used skinless, boneless chicken breast for this recipe but if you prefer bone-in you could use that too however I would just make sure there is no skin. The topping will just cook and the skin will be yucky so pull that off it that what you have. You could also use boneless, skinless thighs if you prefer but cooking time may differ.
Mayonnaise, Cream Cheese & Cheddar
This is the basis of the cheesy topping. The mayo is necessary and cream cheese thickens the mixture. I would high recommend using it however it would probably still work if you didnโt. I used cheddar cheese because it goes well with the broccoli but if you wanted to use other types of cheese parmesan cheese would go great too as would grated asiago cheese. You could really use any kind of cheese you wanted but I was going for flavor.ย
Fresh Broccoli
I used fresh broccoli for this dish but you could use frozen if you wanted. Just make sure it is thawed and use paper towels to absorb as much excess water as you can so it won’t make the topping mixture runny.
Garlic and Spices
I just used onion powder, fresh garlic, salt and pepper. If you don’t have fresh garlic you can use garlic powder. As a rule of thumb 1 clove of garlic equal ยผ teaspoon of garlic powder so you would use ยฝ teaspoon of garlic powder.
Other options for your topping are hot pepper flakes for some spice and heat. You could also try some chopped sun dried tomatoes, bacon bits, fresh spinach instead of broccoli, etc.
How to make keto cheesy chicken in the air fryer.
Step 1: First you want to make the broccoli and cream cheese topping. Add softened cream cheese, cheddar shredded cheese, crushed garlic, spices and mayonnaise to a mixing bowl and blend together.
Step 2: Then chop up the broccoli into very tiny pieces and mix with the other ingredients. I just used the broccoli tops not the stalks for this recipe but you can use whatever you want.
Step 3: Get out a cutting board and place the chicken breasts on it. With a sharp knife, cut a cross-hatch diamond pattern on the tops so you can nestle the broccoli cream cheese mixture in the cracks. Make sure not to cut all the way through. Then spoon the mixture on top of both pieces in an even layer. See below how I cut them.
Step 4: Spray the basket of the air fryer with nonstick cooking spray. Gently lay the raw chicken pieces inside the air fryer basket and bake for 15 minutes at 370ยฐF. Cook time may vary.
Step 5: When the topping is golden brown and the chicken is cooked through they are done. The internal temp should be 165ยฐF when using a meat thermometer. Take them out and let them rest for a few minutes before serving.
Store leftovers in an airtight container. Please scroll down to view the printable recipe card. We just ate these with a big green salad. But you can also add a veggie, soup or keto side dish. See below for some recipe ideas.
I’m not kidding about how juicy these were for me. I was really happy with how they came out. Also these were huge pieces of chicken and it made 4 servings for us. As mentioned above I ate it for a keto lunch the next day.
Keto side dishes to serve with this air fryer chicken.
In some ways this keto cheesy chicken already has a vegetable with it because of the broccoli but if you want to add a low carb side dish try one of these favorite recipes.
- low carb air fryer zucchini fries or asparagus fries
- keto peppers and cauliflower rice pilaf
- low carb cauliflower Mac and cheese
- low carb Asian green beans almandine or spicy green beans
- keto Mediterranean cauliflower rice
And if you don’t care about carbs this would be the perfect air fryer meal to eat with potatoes, pasta or rice. If you are in the mood for potatoes, tow options are these steak fries recipe or these German style potatoes with bacon.
Also here are 18 air fryer chicken recipes if you are looking for more!
Well the quest for a juicy chicken recipe has been fulfilled. These keto cheesy chicken breasts that I made in the air fryer were both easy and delicious. I hope you like them as much as we did. They will definitely go into our meal rotation. Enjoy!
This recipe made 2 very large pieces of chicken so I would say there are 4 servings total and each serving has 276 calories / 15.5g fat / 3.9g carbs / 0.7g fiber / 30.7g protein = 3.2g net carbs
Keto Cheesy Chicken in the Air Fryer Recipe
These keto cheesy chicken recipe made in the air fryer creates juicy and flavorful chicken dinner that is sure to satisfy. Great for busy weeknight dinners. This dish is both low carb and high protein and sure to be a family favorite.
Ingredients
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (mine where over 8 oz each)
- 2 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 2 tablespoon mayonnaise
- ยผ cup shredded cheddar cheese
- ยฝ cup raw broccoli, finely chopped
- ยฝ teaspoon onion powder
- ยฝ teaspoon salt
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- ยผ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Get out a mixing bowl and add softened cream cheese, cheddar cheese, mayonnaise, crushed garlic, onion powder, salt and black pepper. Mix together to combine.
- Chop the broccoli into very small pieces. Then mix into the cream cheese mixture.
- Place the raw chicken breast on a cutting board. With a sharp knife cut the top of the chicken in a crosshatch or diamond pattern. Make sure the slices don't go all the way through. Divide the cheese mixture and spread evenly on the pieces of chicken. Make sure some of the cream cheese mixture gets into the crevices.
- Spray the basket of the air fryer with nonstick cooking spray. Gently lay the chicken inside and then set the air fryer to 370°F and bake for 15 minutes. Once the cheese topping are golden brown and the internal temperature is 165°F it's done. Let it rest for 5 minutes before serving.
- I had two huge pieces of chicken and this recipe made 4 servings for us. Store leftovers in an airtight container.
Notes
This recipe made 2 very large pieces of chicken so I would say there are 4 servings total and each serving has 276 calories / 15.5g fat / 3.9g carbs / 0.7g fiber / 30.7g protein = 3.2g net carbs
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 276
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