Monterey BBQ Chicken and Macaroni

About

Lunch or dinner will be delicious with this loaded chicken breast and mac and cheese duo. Perfectly portioned chicken breasts are charred in a pan and topped with bacon bits and green onion. The toppings are sealed in place with a hefty layer of melted colby jack cheese. Served on the side of the chicken is a scoop of barbecue macaroni. Shirataki elbow noodles are cooked in a thick, gloopy cheese sauce mixed with just a little barbecue sauce for a tangy twist. If you happen to have homemade Keto barbecue sauce, you can safely use more than what is suggested! Check out one of Carb Manager’s BBQ Sauce recipes to find one you like.

Meal Prep This Recipe

This is a great recipe to use for your Keto meal prep since it’s high in fat and is easy to make in larger batches without increasing your time in the kitchen. Increase the recipe yield to as many servings as you wish to make. Simply choose a larger pan to cook more chicken breasts at once, and choose a large enough pot to make as much macaroni as needed. Each meal prep container should have a cooked chicken breast weighing approximately 3 ¼ ounces and macaroni weighing about 5 ounces.

How Many Carbs Does Barbecue Sauce Have?

There are approximately 7 grams of carbohydrates in 1 tablespoon of barbecue sauce. Avoid consuming an entire tablespoon to yourself, but using a teaspoon in your cooking is a clever way to add flavor without getting all those carbs. Mix barbecue sauce into cheese sauce, tomato sauce, or other sauces and stews that could use the smokey and tangy flavors barbecue sauce adds. Check the nutritional label on any bottles you purchase – make sure it has the same amount of carbs per serving as suggested.

Ingredients

8 oz chicken breast boneless skinless raw
½ teaspoon olive or extra virgin olive oil
⅛ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon black pepper
⅛ teaspoon onion powder
⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
⅛ teaspoon chili powder
½ tsp, chopped scallions
1 tsp, crumbled real bacon bits
2 tbsp, shredded colby jack cheese
1 tablespoon butter, unsalted
1 oz cream cheese
⅓ cup almond milk
1 teaspoon barbeque sauce
¼ teaspoon garlic
1 cup, shredded cheddar cheese, natural
4 oz shirataki noodle
¼ cup, shredded cheddar cheese

Instructions

Prepare 4-ounce chicken breasts by rubbing ¼ teaspoon of olive oil into each one. Season the breasts with salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and chili powder. Heat a pan over high heat on the stove. When the pan is hot, place the chicken in, seasoned side down. Cook the chicken undisturbed on one side until the spices char.
Flip the chicken over, and top the cooked breasts with minced green onion, bacon bits, and shredded colby jack cheese. You can now reduce the stove heat to medium, and place a lid over the pan. Let the chicken finish cooking for about 3 more minutes while the cheese melts. Once the chicken is finished, set it aside to rest temporarily while you pull the macaroni together in about 10 minutes.
Melt butter in a small pot over low heat on the stove. Add the cream cheese to the butter, and stir the ingredients until the cream cheese is soft and lump-free. Next, pour almond milk, barbecue sauce, and minced garlic into the pot. Stir the ingredients as you bring the almond milk to a simmer. Once the milk is hot, reduce the heat again to very low. Add the first amount of cheddar cheese to the pot, and stir until melted.
Leave the pot over the lowest heat possible, and prepare your shirataki noodles. Drain and rinse the noodles, then drain them again. Gently fold the shirataki noodles into the cheese sauce along with the final amount of shredded cheddar. Take the pot off the heat and continue folding until all the cheese is melted and thickened. Let the macaroni cool for just a few minutes before serving with the monterey chicken.