I’m not kidding when I say that this is the best chicken bolognese recipe everrr! It’s a truly comforting dish that’s super easy to prep — heck, the actual cooking part is almost completely hands-free.
If you’re looking for low carb recipes that don’t taste even remotely low carb, this chicken bolognese will definitely make it to the top of your list of faves. Easy to throw together and your house will smell ah-mazzz-ing!
I love this chicken bolognese recipe because it’s so juicy and jam packed with flavor, you won’t even know it’s made with ground chicken! The chicken in this recipe is SO crazy moist from cooking at a slow and steady simmer, and it makes any low carb pasta or low carb pasta alternative taste even better!
Are you ready for a chicken bolognese recipe Jamie Oliver himself would be proud of? I thought so! Let’s dive in…
How to make Chicken Bolognese:
Chicken bolognese is easy to throw together, making it ideal for weeknight low carb dinners or even quick weekend low carb lunches! Here’s what you need to know:
The first step in this super easy low carb meal prep is to process the low carb vegetables in a food processor, using 1 second intervals until finely chopped.
Cook the ground chicken in olive oil until browned, breaking up as you cook. I like to use a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan for this chicken bolognese recipe, as this is the best kitchen tool for cooking anything that’ll be on the stove for long periods of time — it helps to distribute heat more evenly and prevents burning.
Set browned chicken aside and wipe the pan with a paper towel.
Add the pancetta (yumm-o!) to the pan and cook until crispy, about 6-8 minutes. Then, add the chopped veggies and cook until softened.
Add your dry white wine (Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, Pinot Gris are all great wines for this job) to the saucepan — and don’t worry, you don’t need to splurge on a fancy bottle for this chicken bolognese — the nuances that differentiate a good and bad bottle are often lost during the cooking process.
Using the back of your wooden spoon, scrape up the brown bits (known as fond) from the bottom of the pan. The wine will help to dislodge these flavor enhancers and incorporate them into the sauce. Stir everything together until your wine has evaporated, and the pan is almost dry — should take about 10 minutes.
Add tomato paste to the pan, stirring until tomato paste begins to brown, about 5 minutes.
Add chicken back to the saucepan, along with the chicken broth, cream, salt and bay leaf.
Reduce the heat to a GENTLE, slow simmer. This means low heat and very little activity in the pot. You’ll see wisps of steam and a stray bubble or two, but that’s it.
Simmer the chicken bolognese for about 1 ½ hours. Once done, remove the bay leaf before serving.
Meanwhile, cook your low carb pasta or traditional pasta per package directions (see below for delicious low carb noodles alternatives that utilize other low carb foods!)
Serve bolognese over your noodles with freshly grated parmesan, chopped basil, and enjoy our family favorite chicken bolognese!
Bolognese Sauce Serving Suggestions:
What you serve under this amazing chicken bolognese sauce will depend on your eating plan…
Non-Low-Carb-ers:
Whatever kind of pasta you’re craving!
For my fellow low-carb-ers:
This is the most fun part of low carb recipes: discovering that there are far more options available than most people think are possible with a low carb meal plan! Low carb meals are not about restrictions folks — they’re about new and exciting possibilities for tastiness, and for an expansion of your low carb food list!
My favorite alternatives to noodles (for this chicken bolognese recipe, as well as any other traditional pasta dishes):
- Spiralized keto vegetables: My grocery store sells pre-spiralized low carb vegetables in the refrigerated area of their produce section, so when time is limited, I’ll add these to my low carb shopping list.
- Shirataki noodles: These are thin, translucent noodles, made from the konjac yam. These noodles are often zero-calorie and very low carb, making them a great option to top with this low carb bolognese sauce! Plus, they come prepared right out of the package for very low maintenance, low carb meal prep. THESE ARE AN ACQUIRED TASTE! Test out these noodles to be sure you enjoy their flavor.
- Black bean spaghetti: These may be higher in carbs than many of you would like, but I REALLY enjoy their flavor!
- Spaghetti Squash: You can halve the squash lengthwise, drizzle each side with a little olive oil, and bake for 30 to 45 minutes (depending on the size of your keto spaghetti squash). Then, scrape out the “noodles” with a fork.
- Steamed Veggies: When making any low carb sauce, I think it’s good to keep steamed veggies in mind as an alternative to pasta for low carb lunch ideas or low carb dinner ideas. You can really mix it up with vibrant colors and interesting textures.
Reheating Bolognese:
No worries here! This keto chicken bolognese can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for a few days, and reheated for quick keto lunches at work, or for the whole family on a leisurely weekend. I like to do this in a covered saucepan over the stove at a very low heat.
Can You Turn This Into Beef Bolognese?
Absolutely! To turn this chicken bolognese into a more traditional beef bolognese recipe, just replace the ground chicken with ground beef. Remember, however, that you’ll need to drain the fat, unless you use very lean beef.
Or Turkey Bolognese?
Yep! Using ground turkey instead of ground chicken to make turkey bolognese is a great idea! The two are similar in taste and texture, but they do vary slightly nutrition-wise, depending on how lean they are.
Looking For More Ground Chicken Recipes?
If you’re on the hunt for more tasty ground chicken recipes to include in your keto dinners, look no further than this comprehensive list of downright delicious low carb chicken recipes!
- Ground Chicken Burgers: Ground chicken burgers served on toasted, soft, and fluffy low carb hamburger buns are a perfect way to ensure that you still get a tasty burger experience, with fewer carbs and calories.
- Ground Chicken Meatloaf: Choosing low carb ground chicken meatloaf, served with a low carb substitute for mashed potatoes, such as mashed cauliflower, is a way to never have to part with the warm and fuzzy comfort that meatloaf brings.
- Ground Chicken Casserole: A real crowd pleaser, ground chicken casserole serves the whole gang, and you won’t even notice the low carb veggies amidst the cream cheese, sauce, and protein!
- Ground Chicken Meatballs: Mmm! Mmm! Ground chicken meatballs are a wonderful variation on a classic Italian favorite, and you can serve them between a couple of slices of low carb bread with some melted mozzarella, and you’ll never miss a meatball sub on a regular hoagie bun again!
- Ground Chicken Tacos: Use all your favorite low carb taco toppings for ground chicken tacos, and try folding them into a lettuce leaf, or make walking tacos using cheese chips!
Chicken Bolognese Recipe
I just know you’re gonna love this chicken bolognese recipe as much as I do! Please let me know in the comments below, especially if you came up with some creative variations! Enjoy!
More Veggie Based Pasta Recipes
Chicken Bolognese
Print Recipe Pin RecipeIngredients
- 1 Yellow Onions medium, quartered
- 1 Carrots peeled and cut into 4 pieces
- 1 Celery Stalk cut into 4 pieces
- 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- 1 Lb Ground Chicken
- 4 Oz Pancetta
- 1 Cup Dry White Wine
- 1/3 Cup Tomato Paste
- 2 Cups Chicken Broth
- 1/2 Cup Heavy Cream
- 1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1 Bay Leaf
Instructions
- Add quartered yellow onion (1 medium), carrot (1 cut into 4 pieces) and celery (1 cut into 4 pieces) to a food processor.
- Pulse using 1 second intervals until finely chopped (see photo above).
- Add olive oil (2 tablespoons) to a large saucepan along with ground chicken (1 Lb).
- Cook over medium heat until browned, breaking up with the back of a wooden spoon as you cook.
- Set browned chicken aside on a paper towel lined plate, and carefully wipe the saucepan with a paper towel.
- Add pancetta (4 Oz) to your saucepan and cook until crispy, about 6-8 minutes.
- Add finely chopped veggies to saucepan with the pancetta, and cook until softened, about 8 minutes.
- Add dry white wine (1 cup) to your saucepan.
- Use your wooden spoon to scrape up any brown bits that have accumulated on the bottom of the saucepan while cooking.
- Stir until wine has evaporated, and the pan is almost dry — should take about 10 minutes.
- Add tomato paste (1/3 cup) to the saucepan, and stir around until the tomato paste begins to brown — about 5 minutes.
- Add ground chicken back to the saucepan, along with the chicken broth (2 cups), heavy cream (1/2 cup), salt (1/2 teaspoon) and bay leaf (1).
- Reduce the heat to a GENTLE simmer. You want to cook the bolognese low and slow — it should release gentle bubbles. Cook this way for about 1 ½ hours. You’ll know it’s done when it has the texture of a sloppy joe mixture. At this point the meat should be tender and a lot of the liquid should have evaporated.**
- Remove the bay leaf.
- Meanwhile, cook your noodles*** per the package instructions.
- Serve bolognese over your noodles with freshly grated parmesan, chopped basil, and enjoy!
Fans Also Made These Low Carb Recipes:
Lindsey's Tips
- Recipe inspired from Epicurious Best Bolognese recipe.
- If the liquid evaporates before the 1 ½ hour mark, the heat was too high. You can add additional chicken broth, but keep in mind, the meat may not be as tender. If after 1 ½ hours, the bolognese is still liquidy, the heat was too low — you can continue to cook until it reaches your desired consistency.
- I served this dish over spiralized carrot noodles to save carbs. You can serve it over your pasta of choice, or veggies if you’re on a low carb eating plan.
- Nutritional information is for the sauce only. The serving sizes will vary with the amount of liquid you cook out of the sauce — the most accurate way to calculate the nutritional information is by dividing the bolognese into 6 servings. This nutritional information is based on 1 serving if you divide it into 6 servings:
Another amazing creation 🙂
Yay! Thank you so much! 🙂