Whole30 Everything Bagel Chicken and Scallion "Cream Cheese" Sauce

Whole30 Everything Bagel chicken with a dairy-free scallion "cream cheese" sauce on a white oval platter.

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.

Prep: 15

Cook: 40

Total: 55

Yield:4 servings

Equipment

Baking dish 9x9 or 9x13
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.

Notes

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

Nutrition

Recipe By:Cheryl Malik