This Keto Hasselback Chicken is stuffed with sliced capicola and provolone cheese, then doused with a tangy pepperoncini cream sauce. Absolutely as delicious as it sounds, you’re going to want to put this tasty keto chicken dinner in your regular rotation!
This keto Hasselback chicken recipe has a brief video showing the steps which will play below – be sure to give it a quick watch to see how easy this recipe really is!
I’m a little late posting this keto hasselback chicken recipe because we’ve been in an endless loop of power outages and internet outages this week. Such is life on an island in Central America. Usually I can roll with it, but it was getting to me this week because 1) it’s HOT and no power means no air conditioning, and 2) I need to shoot 15 recipes a week from now until the first week of July to meet my deadline for the new Squeaky Clean Keto cookbook that I’m working on. No power and no A/C means no cooking in my kitchen, which also doesn’t have an exhaust fan to vent any heat created by the stove.
I’m dreaming of a kitchen remodel, but work just started on our NEW POOL which is extremely exciting, but wiped out our renovation budget until next year – so kitchen updates will have to wait, and I’ll have to make do for now. I know, cry me a river right? Just keeping it real – it’s not all beaches and cocktails here in Roatan. Sometimes it’s stressful and the lack of efficiency when I’m on a deadline is maddening. Especially for a type A planner like myself. But anyway, I digress…
Let’s get back to real reason you’re here – this truly sublime Keto Hasselback Chicken! Hasselback is usually a term that refers to the popular way of preparing potatoes – slicing them almost all the way through and then baking them – sometimes with a tasty and cheesy filling inside.
I ditched the potato and used chicken instead, but it’s still tasty and cheesy! Super easy, this Keto Hasselback Chicken recipe is baked on a sheet pan, and the sauce is made in the microwave in just a minute or two. Don’t be intimidated by the slicing and stuffing – it’s literally as easy as a few passes with a sharp knife and 2 minutes of tucking your meat and cheese into the cuts. Then bake and serve.
As flavorful as this delicious Keto Hasselback Chicken is on its own, the pepperoncini cream sauce is the real star of the show in my opinion! So easy to make, the briny and slightly spicy pepperoncini brightens the creamy sauce and perfectly complements the tangy saltiness of the capicola and provolone.
If you can’t get or don’t love this meat and cheese combo, you can absolutely substitute prosciutto, salami, or even sliced deli ham in a pinch. Same with the cheese, feel free to mix and match based on your mood and flavor preferences!
The pepperoncini cream sauce will go well with pretty much any meat and cheese combo in this Keto Hasselback Chicken recipe.
To finish this Keto Hasselback Chicken off, I garnished it with some fresh chopped basil. You can omit it or replace it with Italian parsley instead, but as a fan of fresh herbs to enhance pretty much any recipe, I recommend one or the other for best results, and to cut through the richness. Some additional chopped pepperoncini is also a great idea if you’re feeling extra.
Keto Hasselback Chicken Recipe Notes:
If your chicken breasts are really thick, you may have to cook them a few minutes longer to get them done – it’s always best to use a meat thermometer to check for doneness when in doubt. 165 degrees is what you’re aiming for, or until the meat in the center is no longer pink.
You can substitute cream cheese for the mascarpone if you must, but be aware that it will change the flavor profile because cream cheese isn’t as neutral in flavor as the mascarpone cheese. The mascarpone is my hand’s down preference if you have both options available to you.
It takes a minute or two to get the mascarpone and butter to blend – it may seem like it never will… and then suddenly – creamy perfection. You’ll need an actual whisk to get the best consistency and be sure to whisk it in a large enough bowl to be able to really whip it. It’s not hard, but a lot of people seem to have trouble with this step in my other sauces – it just takes persistence for a minute or two – and it’s worth it I promise!
As mentioned above, you can substitute almost any cured meat and cheese in this keto Hasselback chicken.
Some tasty alternative combo suggestions could be:
Ham & Cheddar
Bacon & Brie (start with raw bacon)
Proscuitto & Parmesan
Pepperoni & Mozzarella
Salami & Asiago
Let us know in the comments if you’ve got more suggestions!
PrintKeto Hasselback Chicken – Low Carb
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
This Keto Hasselback Chicken is stuffed with sliced capicola and provolone cheese, then doused with a tangy pepperoncini cream sauce. Absolutely as delicious as it sounds, you’re going to want to put this tasty keto chicken dinner in your regular rotation!
Ingredients
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 8 ounces each)
- 3 ounces capicola (hot or sweet) (can also use salami or proscuitto)
- 3 ounces sharp provolone cheese (or asiago or mozzarella)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
For the pepperoncini cream sauce:
- 4 ounces mascarpone cheese
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons chopped pepperoncini, plus more for garnish
- 2 tablespoons chopped basil (or parsley,) for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Trim the chicken breasts of any fat or gristle, then make slices 3/4 of the way through the top of each breast, about 1 inch apart. Number of slices will vary depending on the size of each chicken breast.
- Pour the olive oil onto a medium sized sheet pan and add the salt, pepper and garlic powder.
- Drag each chicken breast through the olive oil and seasoning mixture on both sides until fully coated, and then place on the sheet pan with the slices facing up.
- Cut the capicola slices in half, and slice the provolone cheese into thin strips.
- Place one piece of cappicolla and a strip of provolone into each of the slices you made in the chicken breasts (see photo in the post above.)
- Once all of the breasts are stuffed, bake for 25 minutes, or until the chicken is fully cooked through (no longer pink inside and/or shows 165 degrees on a meat thermometer.).
- Remove chicken from the oven and transfer to plates or a serving platter.
For the pepperoncini cream sauce:
- Combine the mascarpone cheese and butter in a medium sized bowl and microwave for 30 seconds.
- Whisk vigorously together until smooth – this may take a minute or two, keep at it.
- Stir in the pepperoncini and salt.
- Serve warm over the chicken and garnish with basil and more pepperoncini if desired.
Notes
Approximate net carbs per serving = 1g
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Keto Dinner Recipes
- Method: Sheet Pan Meal
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 chicken breast (6 ounces)
- Calories: 418
- Fat: 34g
- Carbohydrates: 1g
- Fiber: 0g
- Protein: 24g
Keywords: chicken, dinner, Italian, Hasselback, keto, Atkins, low carb, gluten free, nut free, egg free, sheet pan meal
Karyn Harding says
I made this tonight and it is amazingly yummy 😋.
Hubby is a picky non-keto eater and he loved it. I put some leftover marinara sauce on his as he doesn’t like marscapone, cream cheese or pepperocinis…
I used the pepperocini sauce on mine and it was heavenly.
I cut and filled the chicken in inside the baking dish and it made it a one dish recipe…2 dishes I guess. I used a small bowl for the pepperocini sauce.
This is going into my regular rotation of dinners. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe with us ❤️
.
★★★★★
Mary Cronin says
Easy to make and delicious to eat! I made the cream sauce with chopped up sun dried tomatoes since I didn’t find all the other ingredients for the sauce but it was delicious! Making this again soon.
★★★★★
Marie says
Hi Mellissa – I’m kind of allergic to capsaicin so can’t eat any of the peppers or other hot-spicy things. Is there something I can substitute, as a rule-of-thumb, for these items in your recipes? You seem to use a lot of those.
Thanks. I love your recipes otherwise!
Ruth says
I did bacon and Asiago cheese . Then on the sauce I used cream cheese for the sauce and left out the basil but added paprika. %&(&^^ that is good.
★★★★★
Marcela says
Huge hit. Easy to make
★★★★★
Janine ohnson says
I am currently in Venice , Italy. Because all of the ingredients are available here, I made this for my Venezian boyfriend. He loved it!
★★★★★
Mellissa Sevigny says
That’s fantastic to hear Janine, thanks for letting me know!
Genevieve Eisan says
This was sooo good! My 18 year old hockey player said he loved it so much that he liked it almost as much as my lasagna. As an Italian mom, this is HIGH praise!
★★★★★
Mellissa Sevigny says
WOW! That IS high praise! Tell him thank you so much and I’m thrilled that it was a hit with everyone!
Jessica says
I made this with prosciutto because I LOVE prosciutto And it was sooo delicious!! Big winner in my house!
★★★★★
Christina says
Oh my, thank you. This made a fantastic dinner. Even Mr. Picky Teen went back for seconds. This is a must on rotation. Wonderful, and I highly recommend!
★★★★★
Mellissa Sevigny says
Thanks Christina, always thrilled when it gets by picky kids and teens!
Martha says
Just made this and it was SO GOOD! So easy (don’t worry about the cutting and the whisking– so easy and quick!)– I only wish I had company to show it off too! I served it with some easy wilted greens with a little garlic. Easy, yummy and looks/tastes so impressive. Highly recommend. Side note…I used Vermont Creamery marscapone (readily available here in New England) and it melts so well with the butter. I’ve used it for other quick cream sauces and it requires almost no whisking.
★★★★★
LoriMc says
Just made this tonight. That sauce really sets it off. The peppers are perfect. It is a bit of work, but so worth it.
★★★★★
Deborah says
Yummmmm! This looks like a company worthy dish that can be whipped together in a snap. What a beauty and such a great flavor combination.
Melissa, I assume that in a pinch you could sub cream cheese for the mascarpone (might need the addition of a Tbs of heavy cream as cream cheese is a bit thicker) ?
Can’t wait to try this.
★★★★★
Mellissa Sevigny says
As mentioned in the notes, you can sub cream cheese but I prefer the mascarpone for its neutral flavor. If you find it too thick you can definitely thin it out with heavy whipping cream or more melted butter.