This low carb sour cream chicken is one of those easy, comfort-food dinners that feels like a cozy Sunday meal but comes together on a busy weeknight. You simply stir together one rich mixture with sour cream, sliced mushrooms, Parmesan cheese, and garlic powder, then smother it over raw chicken breasts in a glass casserole dish. It bakes up bubbly and golden, with tender chicken and a creamy, savory sauce that’s surprisingly filling without any heavy breading or pasta. It’s the kind of simple, Midwest-style casserole that feeds a hungry family with minimal fuss and dishes.
Serve this rich, creamy chicken with something that soaks up a bit of the sauce. For a low carb plate, try steamed green beans, roasted broccoli, or a simple side salad with a tangy vinaigrette to balance the richness. Cauliflower rice or mashed cauliflower are great if you miss that ‘potatoes and gravy’ feel. If you’ve got kids or carb-lovers at the table, spoon the chicken and sauce over buttered egg noodles or white rice. A side of warm dinner rolls or garlic bread is also nice for anyone who isn’t watching carbs.
Low Carb Sour Cream Smothered ChickenServings: 4
Ingredients
4 small to medium boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 to 2 pounds total)
1 cup full-fat sour cream
1 1/2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder (optional but tasty)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil or melted butter (for greasing the glass dish)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley or green onions for garnish (optional)
Directions
Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Lightly grease a glass casserole dish (about 9x13 inches) with olive oil or melted butter so the chicken doesn’t stick.
Pat the raw chicken breasts dry with paper towels and lay them in a single layer in the bottom of the greased glass casserole dish. If any pieces are very thick on one end, you can gently pound them so they cook more evenly.
In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the sour cream, sliced mushrooms, grated Parmesan cheese, garlic powder, onion powder (if using), salt, and black pepper until everything is well combined into one rich mixture.
Using a spoon or your hands, smother this 1 rich mixture made with sour cream, sliced mushrooms, Parmesan cheese, and garlic powder over the raw chicken breasts in the glass casserole dish. Make sure each piece is completely covered, spreading the mixture all around and between the chicken so it bakes into a creamy sauce.
Place the glass casserole dish on the middle rack of the preheated oven and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through (the internal temperature should reach 165°F/74°C and the juices run clear). The sauce should be bubbly and the top lightly golden around the edges.
If you’d like a slightly more browned top, you can turn the oven to broil for 2 to 3 minutes at the end, watching closely so it doesn’t burn.
Remove the casserole from the oven and let it rest for about 5 minutes. This helps the sauce thicken slightly and keeps the chicken juicy.
Sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley or green onions, if using, and serve the smothered chicken hot, spooning extra creamy mushroom-Parmesan sauce from the glass dish over each piece.
Variations & Tips
For picky eaters who don’t love mushrooms, you can finely chop the mushrooms instead of slicing them so they blend into the sauce, or leave them out of half the mixture and mark one side of the dish as the ‘no mushroom’ side. If someone isn’t a fan of Parmesan, try using half Parmesan and half shredded mozzarella or mild cheddar for a creamier, less sharp flavor. To add more veggies while keeping it low carb, stir in a handful of fresh spinach or a few tablespoons of finely chopped bell pepper to the sour cream mixture before smothering it over the chicken. For extra flavor, sprinkle a little smoked paprika or Italian seasoning over the top before baking. If your chicken breasts are very large, you can slice them in half horizontally to create thinner cutlets; they’ll cook faster and more evenly, and it stretches the meal a bit further. Leftovers reheat well in the microwave or oven—just cover the dish so the sauce doesn’t dry out. If you need to prep ahead, you can assemble the raw chicken and rich sour cream-mushroom mixture in the glass casserole dish, cover tightly, and refrigerate up to 24 hours before baking; add 5 to 10 minutes to the bake time if going straight from the fridge to the oven.
