My best friend swears this tastes better than pub food. Only 4 ingredients for a melted, comforting bite.

These low carb 4-ingredient blue cheese chicken bombs are my weeknight answer to a pub-style comfort craving without the basket of fries. Think tender shredded chicken rolled in a tangy blue cheese mixture, tucked under a golden, bubbling crust that you can pull apart with a fork. Dishes like this trace their inspiration to classic bar food—buffalo chicken, cheesy dips, melty sandwiches—but here we strip it down to four ingredients and a single baking dish. It’s the kind of recipe my friends request after work: minimal effort, familiar flavors, and just enough decadence to feel like a treat.

Serve these chicken bombs hot, straight from the oven, with a crisp green salad dressed in a simple vinaigrette to cut through the richness. Steamed or roasted broccoli, green beans, or asparagus also pair nicely while keeping the meal low carb. If you’re cooking for folks who aren’t watching carbs, a side of crusty bread or a small baked potato lets them swipe up the extra sauce. A chilled, lightly hoppy beer or a dry white wine (like Sauvignon Blanc) plays well with the blue cheese and makes the whole plate feel like upgraded pub fare at home.

Servings: 4

3 cups cooked shredded chicken breast (well packed)

Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C). Lightly grease a small baking dish (about 8x8 inches or equivalent) with a bit of oil or nonstick spray so the cheesy sauce doesn’t stick.

In a medium saucepan over low to medium-low heat, combine the heavy cream, crumbled blue cheese, and 1/4 cup of the grated Parmesan. Stir constantly as the cheese melts, 3 to 5 minutes, until you have a smooth, thick, creamy sauce. Do not let it boil hard; gentle heat keeps the sauce from breaking.

Taste the sauce and, if you like, add a small pinch of salt and black pepper, keeping in mind the cheese is already salty. Remove the pan from the heat once the sauce is smooth and slightly thickened—it should coat the back of a spoon.

Place the shredded chicken in a mixing bowl. Pour about two-thirds of the warm blue cheese sauce over the chicken, reserving the rest in the saucepan. Toss gently with a fork or tongs until every strand of chicken is well coated and creamy.

Spoon the sauced chicken into the prepared baking dish, forming 4 small mounds or “bombs” rather than spreading it flat. Pack each mound lightly with your hands or the back of a spoon so they hold their shape and create a thicker center that will stay gooey.

Drizzle the remaining blue cheese sauce evenly over and around the chicken mounds, letting it run slightly into the spaces between them. This extra sauce will bubble up and help form that pub-style, melty edge.

Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup grated Parmesan over the tops of the chicken bombs, aiming for an even, thin layer so it can brown and crisp in the oven.

Bake in the preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the tops are bubbling and the Parmesan has turned a deep golden brown in spots. If your chicken and sauce started very cold, you may need a few extra minutes; the center should be hot and steamy.

For an extra golden crust, place the dish under the broiler for 1 to 2 minutes at the end of baking, watching closely so the cheese doesn’t burn. Pull the dish when the tops are a rich, toasted color and the edges are sizzling.

Let the chicken bombs rest for 5 minutes before serving. This short rest helps the sauce thicken slightly so each portion holds together while still staying gooey inside. Serve hot, spooning some of the pooled sauce from the pan over each portion.

To dial the flavor up or down, you can choose a milder or stronger blue cheese; Danish blue tends to be milder, while Roquefort is more assertive. If blue cheese is a hard sell at your table, swap half of it for a soft cheese like cream cheese or mascarpone (still keeping to the 4-ingredient limit by counting it as part of the cheese component) to soften the flavor and create an even creamier interior. For a bit of heat reminiscent of pub buffalo chicken, whisk a spoonful of hot sauce into the cream as it warms with the cheese—just keep in mind that hot sauce can thin the mixture slightly, so let it simmer gently until it re-thickens enough to coat a spoon. You can also play with texture: instead of forming 4 larger mounds, make 6 to 8 smaller bombs for more browned surface area and appetizer-style portions. If you’d like a slightly firmer top, use finely shredded hard cheese (like a drier Parmesan or a similar aged cheese) for the crust, as it crisps more readily. Food safety notes: Always start with fully cooked chicken; this recipe is designed to reheat and enrich cooked meat, not cook it from raw. If you’re cooking chicken specifically for this dish, make sure it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C) before shredding. Cool the chicken just enough to handle safely, then proceed with the recipe. When baking the assembled bombs, you’re mainly reheating and melting cheese, but the center should still reach at least 165°F (74°C) if the chicken was refrigerated beforehand. Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours of baking, and reheat in a 350°F (175°C) oven until hot and bubbling throughout rather than relying solely on the microwave, which can heat unevenly and cause the sauce to separate.