High-Protein Creamy Chicken Broccoli Bake
Low carb, sugar-free and ready in 35 minutes — seared golden chicken and bright broccoli under a garlicky cream-cheese sauce
This creamy chicken broccoli bake keeps every promise on the cover: low carb, sugar-free, ready in 35 minutes — with 32g protein, 6g net carbs and 310 calories per serving. Chicken chunks are seared hard until golden, broccoli is blanched just 2 minutes so it stays bright green, and everything bakes together in one tray under a garlic-herb cream sauce, exactly like the pan in the photo.
Per serving: 310 calories, 32g protein and 6g net carbs. Ready in 35 minutes.
Why you’ll love this chicken broccoli bake
- 32g protein per serving for just 310 calories
- Low carb and sugar-free — exactly as promised on the cover
- On the table in a genuine 35 minutes
- Properly golden chicken — seared first, never pale and boiled-looking
- A thick, clinging cream sauce with no flour and no starch
- One big tray: family dinner or a week of meal prep
Health notes
- Cream-cheese sauce: Thickens itself as it bakes — no flour roux and no cornflour, so the carbs stay where the cover says.
- Broccoli blanched separately: A quick 2-minute blanch locks in the bright green colour from the photo and stops it flooding the sauce with water.
- Chicken breast chunks: Lean protein that stays juicy under the sauce blanket.
- Garlic and herbs do the work: Big flavour without a sugary sauce in sight.
- Locked from the cover: The photo supplied the title, claims, time and macros, so they are kept consistent throughout the block.
Key element — sear the chicken, blanch the broccoli
Raw chicken baked in sauce comes out pale and the sauce turns watery — this bake avoids both traps before the tray ever meets the oven. Sear the chicken in two uncrowded batches until deeply golden (that colour is all over the photo, and the oven alone will not give it to you), and blanch the broccoli for just 2 minutes, then drain it well. With the water already dealt with, the cream sauce bakes up thick and clinging instead of soupy, and the broccoli stays green instead of going army-khaki.
Ingredients
Bake
- 2 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in large chunks
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 5 cups broccoli florets
Creamy garlic sauce
- 6 oz cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ½ cup grated Parmesan
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella, divided
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- ½ tsp Dijon mustard
- 2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley, plus more to finish
Swaps
- Thighs: Boneless chicken thighs — richer and extra forgiving.
- Lighter sauce: Half cream cheese and half Greek yogurt (stir the yogurt in off the boil).
- Cauliflower: Half broccoli, half cauliflower florets.
- Extra richness: Crisp bacon crumbles scattered over the top with the parsley.
Instructions
| 1 | Heat the oven; blanch the broccoli. Preheat to 400°F. Blanch the broccoli in boiling salted water for just 2 minutes, then drain really well — it should be bright green and nearly dry. |
| 2 | Season and sear, batch one. Toss the chicken with the paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Sear half in the hot oil for 3–4 minutes, undisturbed at first, until deeply golden. Remove. |
| 3 | Sear batch two. Repeat with the rest of the chicken. It does not need to be cooked through — the oven finishes it — but it does need the colour. |
| 4 | Stir the sauce. Whisk the cream cheese, cream, Parmesan, half the mozzarella, garlic, Italian seasoning and mustard until smooth. Fold in the parsley. |
| 5 | Assemble the tray. Spread the broccoli in a large baking tray (a foil catering tray like the photo is perfect), pile the seared chicken over it, then spoon the sauce over everything and top with the rest of the mozzarella. |
| 6 | Bake and rest. Bake for 18–20 minutes until bubbling with golden-brown spots like the photo and the chicken reads 165°F. Rest for 5 minutes, scatter with parsley and serve. |
Pro tips
- Shake the blanched broccoli in the colander twice — hidden water is the enemy of this sauce.
- Soften the cream cheese fully or the sauce will whisk up lumpy.
- For extra browning, give it 2 minutes under the broiler at the end.
- Frozen broccoli works if thawed and squeezed dry first.
- Serve over cauliflower rice to soak up every drop of sauce.
Nutrition
| Nutrient | Per serving |
|---|---|
| Calories | 310 |
| Protein | 32g |
| Net carbohydrates | 6g |
| Total carbohydrates | 8g |
| Fiber | 2g |
| Total fat | 16g |
| Sodium | 590mg |
Per serving (6 servings), locked from the cover: 32g protein, 6g net carbs, 310 calories. Exact macros vary slightly with cheese and cream brands.
Variations
Cajun bake
Cajun seasoning on the chicken and pepper jack in the sauce.
Ranch bake
Sugar-free ranch seasoning through the sauce, bacon on top.
Sun-dried tomato
Chopped sun-dried tomatoes and basil in the sauce.
Buffalo bake
Sugar-free hot sauce in the sauce, blue cheese crumbled over.
Storage
| Method | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Refrigerator | Up to 4 days | Airtight portions — a meal-prep favourite |
| Freezer | Up to 2 months | The sauce may separate slightly; stir as it reheats |
| Reheat | — | Oven at 350°F for 12–15 minutes until bubbling again |
