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We took our reader-favorite Everything Bagel chicken recipe and made it Whole30, paleo, and dairy free! Tender chicken breasts are coated in Everything But the Bagel seasoning, baked to perfection, and then smothered in a Whole30-compatible scallion “cream cheese” sauce that’s unbelievably delicious.
🥯 What Makes This Recipe So Good
- This incredible recipe takes everything you love about an Everything bagel and turns it into a delicious, creamy chicken dish, hold the bagel. And, because this is a Whole30 Everything bagel chicken recipe, it’s not only low carb and keto (like our original) but also paleo and dairy free.
- The Everything But the Bagel seasoning adds an amazing, garlicky, oniony flavor to the tender chicken breasts and acts as a sort-of breading, giving them a really beautiful crunch you generally don’t get with baked chicken. Pair that with the creaminess of the sauce, flavored with herby scallions and tangy “cream cheese”? Your tastebuds won’t know what hit them.
- It looks involved, but this whole recipe is SO simple. Season the chicken and pop it in the oven. Whisk together the “cream” sauce. Bring them together and plate them with your favorite sides (maybe some asparagus or broccoli?) and BAM, dinner is served!
👩🏼🍳 Chef’s Tips
- To guarantee your chicken cooks evenly, make sure the chicken breasts are roughly the same size and the same thickness. If you’re working with particularly thick chicken breasts, you may want to halve them into cutlets or use a meat tenderizer or rolling pin to pound the really thick areas down a little. Smaller and thinner pieces of chicken will cook faster, so if your chicken varies wildly, you’ll end up with tough, over-cooked sections and dense, under-cooked sections.
- Whether you’re using store-bought Kite Hill cream cheese or your favorite homemade Whole30 “cream cheese”, make sure it’s softened before you start making the sauce. If you forget to take it out of the fridge early enough, no worries. Just microwave it at 50% power in 15-second intervals until it’s soft. Don’t overdo it, though. You don’t want the cream cheese hot or runny.
- Take the chicken out of the oven just before it reaches 165°F internally – around 160°F or so is ideal. I know that’s below the food-safe temperature, but taking it out early ensures the chicken won’t be overcooked and dry by the time you eat it! The chicken will continue cooking a little as it rests in the baking dish, coming to temperature while locking in those natural juices to keep the chicken tender and moist.
Even More Whole30 Recipes We Love
- Whole30 Gyro Meatballs
- Whole30 Meatloaf
- Egg Roll in a Bowl Meal Prep (Whole30, Paleo, Keto)
- Whole30 Fish Taco Bowl with Mango Salsa and Chipotle Aioli (Paleo, Low Carb)
- Whole30 Burgers – Burger Joint Style (Paleo, Low Carb)
Whole30 Everything Bagel Chicken and Scallion “Cream Cheese” Sauce
Everything you love about Everything bagels, sans the bagel. Whole30, paleo, dairy free, low carb, and keto.
servings
Equipment
- Baking dish 9×9 or 9×13
- Basting Brush
- Tongs
- internal meat thermometer
- Medium microwave-safe bowl
- whisk or mixing spoon
Ingredients
For the Everything Bagel Chicken
- 2 tablespoons ghee melted
- 4 medium boneless, skinless chicken breasts approximately 6-8 ounces each, see Notes
- salt to taste
- ¼ cup Everything But the Bagel seasoning divided
For the Scallion "Cream Cheese" Sauce
- 1 tablespoon ghee at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon Everything But the Bagel seasoning
- 4 ounces Whole30-compliant cream cheese at room temperature, see Notes
- 6 tablespoons chopped green onions
- ¼ cup unsweetened almond milk or cashew milk, at room temperature
Suggested Garnishes (All Optional)
- thinly sliced green onions
- additional Everything But the Bagel seasoning
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400° Fahrenheit. Place chicken breasts side-by-side in baking dish, top-side down, making sure chicken doesn't overlap if possible.
- Use basting brush to brush tops of chicken breasts with melted ghee. Lightly season tops of chicken with salt, then generously coat chicken breasts with half (⅛ cup) Everything But the Bagel seasoning.
- Flip chicken breasts over and repeat process with melted ghee, salt, and Everything But the Bagel seasoning on other side.
- Place baking dish in preheated oven. Bake chicken breasts 25 minutes, then begin checking doneness with internal meat thermometer, adding time as needed until thermometer reads 160° Fahrenheit. See Notes for cook time estimates.
- Toward end of bake time, place 1 tablespoon ghee in medium microwave-safe bowl. Microwave ghee in 15 second increments, stirring well between each, until ghee is melted but not boiling or bubbling.
- Add Everything But the Bagel seasoning, softened "cream cheese", green onions, and almond milk to boil with melted ghee. Whisk well until ingredients are fully incorporated and thick "cream" sauce forms. Taste and add salt as needed to achieve desired flavor. Set sauce aside.
- Once chicken reaches 160°F internally, carefully remove baking dish from oven. Set dish aside and let chicken rest 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, divide chicken into desired portion sizes, top with plenty of scallion "cream cheese" sauce, and serve warm with desired sides.
- Chicken Breasts: To ensure even cooking, make sure the chicken breasts are roughly the same size and thickness. Slice chicken into cutlets if needed, or thin any thick spots with a meat tenderizer or rolling pin.
- Cream Cheese: As of February 2022, Kite Hill cream cheese is Whole30 approved. Read the official announcement here. You’re also welcome to make your own Whole30-compatible cream cheese alternative at home.
- Chicken Temperature: To avoid over-cooking the chicken, take it out of the oven when it reaches 160°F internally. The food-safe temperature is 165°F, but the chicken will continue cooking a little as it rests in the baking dish. If you take it out at 165°F, it will overcook during that rest time.
- Make it Dairy Free: Use your favorite dairy-free butter in place of the ghee.
Regarding Cook Times
Exact cooking times will vary based on a number of factors, including size and thickness of chicken breasts, type of baking dish, age of oven, elevation of kitchen, etc. Below are suggested cook times depending on the size of chicken breasts you use, but I strongly recommend you go by internal temperature rather than time, to be sure the chicken is fully cooked.- Small Chicken Breasts (approximately 4 to 6 ounces each) = roughly 25 minutes
- Medium Chicken Breasts (approximately 6 to 8 ounces each) = roughly 30 minutes
- Large Chicken Breasts (approximately 8 to 10 ounces each) = roughly 35 minutes
Approximate Information for One Serving
Serving Size: 1servingCalories: 358calProtein: 38gFat: 21gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0.02gCholesterol: 138mgSodium: 1658mgPotassium: 717mgTotal Carbs: 2gFiber: 1gSugar: 1gNet Carbs: 1gVitamin A: 141IUVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 58mgIron: 1mg
Nutrition Disclaimers
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.
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