Keto Butterflied Chicken with Garlic Spinach

This easy butterflied chicken is the perfect low-carb dinner for busy weeknights. It only takes 20 minutes to prepare with a few common ingredients.

There’s nothing as nourishing and comforting as crisp chicken served with creamy garlic spinach and capers. It's high in protein to keep hunger at bay, and it's ultra low in carbs which is ideal for those who are following a very low-carb keto diet.

And if you like fish, make sure to try my Keto Tuscan Sea Bass with Creamy Spinach. It's just as easy, quick and delicious!

We all have different dietary needs so it's only natural that you may need to adjust the macros in this recipe. You can make any adjustments directly in the KetoDiet App by cloning any of the recipes from my blog and customizing them to fit your macros and preferences.

Save

Step-by-step

1. To butterfly the chicken breast, place it on a chopping board. Placing your hand flat on top of the chicken breast, use a sharp knife to slice into one side, starting at the thicker end and ending at the thinner point. Be careful not to cut all the way through to the other side. Open the breast so that it resembles a butterfly, about ¹/₂ inch (1 cm) thick. Season with salt and pepper.

   

2. Heat a large skillet greased with ghee over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the butterflied chicken. Cook undisturbed for 5 to 7 minutes. Rotate the pan halfway through to ensure even cooking. Then flip the chicken over and cook for 1 minute. Transfer the chicken to a plate and keep warm.

   

3. Wash the spinach and place in a salad spinner to drain well.
   Note: You can use frozen & thawed spinach instead of fresh. Once thawed, squeeze out any excess water before adding to the pan.

   

4. To the pan where you cooked the chicken, add the butter and minced garlic. Cook until fragrant for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the spinach and cook over medium-high heat until just wilted, about 1 to 2 minutes, stirring often.
   Note: If the spinach releases excess liquid, cook for another 30–60 seconds to help it evaporate, or transfer the spinach to a sieve and gently press out the moisture before continuing.

5. Stir in the cream cheese, parmesan and capers and cook for another minute.

   

6. Add back the chicken breasts and gently heat through.

   

7. Serve while still warm or let it cool down and refrigerate for up to 4 days.

   

Recipe

Keto Butterflied Chicken with Garlic Spinach

★★★★★4.7 (67 ratings)

There’s nothing as nourishing and comforting as crisp skillet served with creamy, electrolyte-rich garlic ...

Hands on

15m

Overall

20m

Servings

2

4.4 g

Net carbs

43.2 g

Protein

27.4 g

Fat

434

kcal

1 serving2 servings3 servings4 servings5 servings6 servings7 servings8 servings9 servings10 servings11 servings12 servings

US + metricMetricUS

PrintPinRate

Ingredients makes 2 servings

• 2 skinless chicken breasts (300 g/ 10.6 oz)
• sea salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil or ghee (15 ml)
• 1 tbsp butter or ghee
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• ¹/₄ cup cream cheese or goat's cheese (60 g/ 2.1 oz)
• 3 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese (15 g/ 0.5 oz)
• 1 tbsp capers (9 g/ 0.3 oz)
• 300 g fresh spinach or frozen spinach, thawed and drained (10.6 oz)
• Optional: fresh parsley, basil, chillies and/or lemon to serve

Instructions

1. To butterfly the chicken breast, place it on a chopping board. Placing your hand flat on top of the chicken breast, use a sharp knife to slice into one side, starting at the thicker end and ending at the thinner point. Be careful not to cut all the way through to the other side. Open the breast so that it resembles a butterfly, about ¹/₂ inch (1 cm) thick. Season with salt and pepper.

2. Heat a large skillet greased with ghee over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the butterflied chicken. Cook undisturbed for 5 to 7 minutes. Rotate the pan halfway through to ensure even cooking. Then flip the chicken over and cook for 1 minute. Transfer the chicken to a plate and keep warm.

3. Wash the spinach and place in a salad spinner to drain well.
   Note: You can use frozen & thawed spinach instead of fresh. Once thawed, squeeze out any excess water before adding to the pan.

4. To the pan where you cooked the chicken, add the butter and minced garlic. Cook until fragrant for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the spinach and cook over medium-high heat until just wilted, about 1 to 2 minutes, stirring often.
   Note: If the spinach releases excess liquid, cook for another 30–60 seconds to help it evaporate, or transfer the spinach to a sieve and gently press out the moisture before continuing.

5. Stir in the cream cheese, parmesan and capers and cook for another minute.

6. Add back the chicken breasts and gently heat through.

7. Serve while still warm or let it cool down and refrigerate for up to 4 days.

Nutrition per serving, 1 chicken breast + about 115 g/ 4 oz spinach

Carbs 4%Protein 40%Fat 56% of calories

Net carbs

4.4 g

Total carbs

8 g

Fiber

3.6 g

Sugars

1.7 g

Protein

43.2 g

Fat

27.4 g

Saturated fat

12.1 g

Calories

434 kcal

Sodium

788 mg · 34.3% RDA

Magnesium

168 mg · 42% RDA

Potassium

1,396 mg · 69.8% EMR

Nutrition by ingredient

Per 1 chicken breast + about 115 g/ 4 oz spinach	Net carbs	Protein	Fat	kcal
Chicken, breast (without skin, raw)	0 g	33.8 g	3.9 g	180
Salt, sea salt	0 g	0 g	0 g	0
Pepper, black, spices	0.1 g	0 g	0 g	0
Olive oil, extra virgin	0 g	0 g	6.8 g	60
Butter, unsalted, grass-fed	0 g	0.1 g	5.8 g	51
Garlic, fresh	0.9 g	0.2 g	0 g	4
Cream cheese, soft (full-fat)	1 g	2.1 g	8.4 g	74
Parmesan cheese	0.2 g	2.7 g	1.9 g	29
Capers, canned	0.1 g	0.1 g	0 g	1
Spinach, fresh	2.1 g	4.3 g	0.6 g	35
Total	4.4 g	43.2 g	27.4 g	434

Serving size 1 chicken breast + about 115 g/ 4 oz spinach

• Gluten free
• Egg free
• Nut free
• Nightshade free
• Pork free
• Avocado free
• Coconut free
• Fish free
• Shellfish free
• Beef free