Tender, juicy chunks of chicken in a lush garlic-butter sauce and crisp asparagus team up in this 1-skillet keto Garlic Butter Chicken Bites & Lemon Asparagus dish. Easy, delicious, and low in net carbs, this is a dinner winner!
Garlic, butter, lemon – what’s not to love in this tasty 1-skillet dish! I loooove this keto Garlic Butter Chicken Bites recipe. When I first made it, the family went nuts over it, and we’ve all loved it ever since.
This is an easy meal for meal prepping, and much of it can be made ahead of time. I can chop up the chicken, wash the asparagus, and get everything ready. Then, it’s a quick and easy meal to pull together!
What you’ll love about This Keto Recipe
- It’s an easy 1-skillet meal.
- There’s so much flavor in it!
- Low in net carbs!
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What You Need
- Chicken breast – Boneless and skinless for easy prep, or use boneless skinless chicken thighs.
- Butter – I used salted butter. If using unsalted, add a pinch more to taste at the end.
- Olive oil – Or avocado oil.
- Paprika
- Garlic powder
- Oregano
- Garlic – Fresh is best!
- Chicken broth – Use low or no-sodium added chicken broth or make your own.
- Asparagus – At least a pound, a bit more to account for the loss when trimming the ends.
- Lemon pepper – Use your favorite lemon pepper blend.
- Salt and pepper
Recommended
How To Make Keto Garlic Butter Chicken Bites with Lemon Asparagus
For a complete list of ingredients and instructions, please scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom of this page.
- Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces and season with salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, and oregano.
- Melt half the butter and the olive oil in a skillet, and when hot, sautee the chicken until brown. It doesn’t have to be cooked through.
- Scoop out the chicken and set it aside.
- Saute garlic in the remaining oil, then deglaze the pan with the chicken broth.
- Simmer the chicken broth until reduced by half.
- Meanwhile, blanch the asparagus, then drain and set aside.
- Return the chicken (and any juices) to one side of the skillet and add the asparagus to the other side. Simmer until the chicken is cooked through and hot.
- Remove the chicken and asparagus from the skillet, turn off the heat, and swirl in the remaining cold butter to create a velvety sauce.
- Sprinkle the asparagus with lemon pepper and serve.
Chef Jenn’s Tips
- Don’t cut the chicken too small – 1-inch cubes are fine. Too small, and they’ll dry out.
- Use fresh asparagus but clean it well under running tap water to dislodge any sand.
- Reduce the chicken broth but add more if you over-reduce it and there’s too little left. This isn’t a really saucy dish, but there should be enough to coat all the chicken.
- Adding butter at the end to the hot skillet is a chef’s trick for creating velvety sauces. But, the butter has to be cold – keep it in the fridge and whisk it into the chicken broth.
- To blanch the asparagus, bring a pot of salted water to a boil and add the asparagus. Bring the asparagus back to a boil and then drain it.
Make It A Meal
This is a 1-dish keto chicken recipe, so you don’t need a whole lot with it. Cauliflower rice or another simple veg is all you need! Plus, this dish is so low in net carbs that you might have a few carbs left for a dessert like this Blueberry Chia Seed Pudding. And, when paired with a classic vodka martini, you’re all set!
Frequently Asked Questions
There are just 3 net carbs in a hearty serving of this easy chicken recipe.
Yes! There is some chopping and some washing (of the asparagus), but it cooks quickly and easily and all in 1-skillet for easy cleanup.
You could freeze the chicken portion of this dish, but once cooked, asparagus doesn’t like to be frozen. This is a dish best eaten fresh.
Step By Step Process
Keto Garlic Butter Chicken Bites with Lemon Asparagus
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 tablepsoons butter
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 pound asparagus trimmed and washed
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon pepper
- 2 tablespoons butter very cold
Instructions
- Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces and season with salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, and oregano.
- Melt half the butter and the olive oil in a skillet and when hot, saute the seasoned chicken until brown. It doesn't have to be cooked through.
- Scoop out the chicken and set it aside.
- Saute garlic in the remaining oil, then deglaze the pan with the chicken broth. Add a touch more oil if your pan is too try.
- Simmer the chicken broth until reduced by half.
- Meanwhile, blanch the asparagus then drain and set aside.
- Return the chicken (and any juices) to one side of the skillet and add the asparagus to the other side. Simmer until the chicken is cooked through and hot.
- Remove the chicken and asparagus from the skillet, turn off the heat, and swirl in the remaining cold butter to create a velvety sauce.
- Sprinkle the asparagus with lemon pepper and serve.
Notes
Chef Jenn’s Tips
- Don’t cut the chicken too small – 1-inch cubes are fine. Too small and they’ll dry out.
- Use fresh asparagus but clean it well under running tap water to dislodge any sand.
- Reduce the chicken broth but add more if you over-reduce it and there’s too little left. This isn’t a really saucy dish but there should be enough to coat all the chicken.
- Adding butter at the end to the hot skillet is a chef’s trick for creating velvety sauces. But, the butter has to be cold – keep it in the fridge and whisk it into the chicken broth.
- To blanch the asparagus, bring a pot of salted water to a boil and add the asparagus. Bring the asparagus back to a boil and then drain it.
Nutrition
A Note on Nutritional Information
Nutritional information for this recipe is provided as a courtesy and is calculated based on available online ingredient information. It is only an approximate value. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site cannot be guaranteed. Erythritol carbs (sugar substitutes) are not included in the carbohydrate counts as they have been shown not to impact blood sugar, and they have zero calories and zero carbs. Net carbs are the total carbs minus fiber.
WANT EVEN MORE EASY KETO DIET RECIPES?
I’m always in the kitchen creating new recipes, and while some of them are big hits, I get some misses, too. But these are some of my favorite all-time recipes:
- Thick and luscious Salmon Chowder
- Grilled veggies – I love how versatile this recipe is!
- This amazing cauliflower dish
- Meaty sausage Parmigiana
I did NOT miss the carbs in this amazing dinner! It was so good!
What a simple, delicious supper! Thanks for sharing a recipe that will be part of my regular meal plan rotation, now.
Love this clean and fresh meal! Added to the regular meal rotation as it was gobbled up by everyone in the house!
I made you Keto Garlic Butter Chicken Bites and Lemon Asparagus on my Blackstone Griddle and it turned out AMAZING!!! So full of flavor and it was quick and easy to make!