This chicken & cauliflower cacio e pepe recipe is a flavor-packed and keto-friendly dish that can be whipped up quickly. The term “cacio e pepe” is Italian for “cheese and pepper,” which are the two main components/flavors of this dish. When mixed, they produce a rich and lively taste sensation that the whole family will love.
To make this tasty recipe, start by sautéing the cauliflower in a skillet with olive oil to get it nice and crispy, which helps to release some of the sugars to give it a lovely sweet flavor. If you don’t already have some cooked chicken to add to the dish, you will need to cook some chicken breast at this point before making the sauce.
Once the cauliflower is cooked through, you need to make a bechamel-style sauce, which includes the cheese and lots of pepper. In our recipe, we replace dairy milk with almond milk, which is much more keto-friendly—but don’t worry, the sauce still tastes amazing!
Once all of the ingredients are cooked, add all of the components into the pan and give it a good mix. You can then either serve it straight up or give it a nice crispy top by adding some extra cheese and giving it a quick grill before serving.
Yields 6 servings of Keto Chicken & Cauliflower Cacio e Pepe
The Preparation
- 12 ounce cooked chicken, shredded
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 tablespoon unsalted butter, divided
- 1 medium cauliflower, cut into bite-sized florets
- 2 teaspoon fresh garlic, minced
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1 cup pecorino romano
The Execution
1. Measure out and prepare all the ingredients.
2. In a saucepan over medium heat, heat olive oil and half of the butter until the butter is melted.
3. Pour this into a frying pan with the cauliflower. Cook for about 10 minutes until the cauliflower turns soft.
4. Add in the minced garlic, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine well.
5. In a saucepan over medium heat, add the rest of the butter.
6. Whisk together the heavy cream and unsweetened almond milk. Remove from heat then add pecorino romano.
7. Add the milk sauce to the cauliflower and top with the shredded cooked chicken. Stir well to combine.
8. Serve hot and season with more black pepper. Enjoy!
This makes a total of 6 servings of Keto Chicken & Cauliflower Cacio e Pepe. Each serving comes out to be 413 calories, 35.4g fat, 3.4g net carbs, and 19.7g protein.
| NUTRITION | CALORIES | FAT | CARBS | FIBER | NET CARBS | PROTEIN |
| 12.00 ounce cooked chicken | 748 | 44.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 78.2 |
| 2.00 tablespoon olive oil | 239 | 27 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 4.00 tablespoon unsalted butter | 407 | 46 | 0.1 | 0 | 0.1 | 0.5 |
| 1.00 medium cauliflower | 132 | 2.9 | 23.6 | 13.2 | 10.4 | 10.4 |
| 2.00 teaspoon fresh garlic | 8 | 0 | 1.9 | 0.1 | 1.8 | 0.4 |
| 0.00 none salt and pepper | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 0.75 cup heavy cream | 607 | 64.3 | 4.8 | 0 | 4.8 | 5 |
| 0.75 cup unsweetened almond milk | 22 | 2 | 0.9 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 0.9 |
| 1.00 cup pecorino romano | 314 | 25.7 | 2.9 | 0 | 2.9 | 22.9 |
| Totals | 2478 | 212.1 | 34.1 | 13.9 | 20.2 | 118.2 |
| Per Serving (/6) | 413 | 35.4 | 5.7 | 2.3 | 3.4 | 19.7 |
Keto Chicken & Cauliflower Cacio e Pepe
Ingredients
- 12 ounce cooked chicken shredded
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 tablespoon unsalted butter divided
- 1 medium cauliflower cut into bite-sized florets
- 2 teaspoon fresh garlic minced
- Salt and pepper to taste
- ¾ cup heavy cream
- ¾ cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1 cup pecorino romano
Instructions
- Measure out and prepare all the ingredients.
- In a saucepan over medium heat, heat olive oil and half of the butter until the butter is melted.
- Pour this into a frying pan with the cauliflower. Cook for about 10 minutes until the cauliflower turns soft.
- Add in the minced garlic, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine well.
- In a saucepan over medium heat, add the rest of the butter.
- Whisk together the heavy cream and unsweetened almond milk. Remove from heat then add pecorino romano.
- Add the milk sauce to the cauliflower and top with the shredded cooked chicken. Stir well to combine.
- Serve hot and season with more black pepper. Enjoy!
