Keto Chicken Noodle Skillet
Published March 16, 2025 • Updated March 13, 2026
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I make this keto chicken noodle skillet with a whole rotisserie chicken and lupini noodles for a creamy, high-protein dinner that's ready in about 20 minutes.
Think of this as a cozy bowl of chicken and rice soup, but creamy instead of brothy. I wanted something that tasted like it had simmered for hours, and a whole rotisserie chicken gets you there in about 20 minutes. The roasted flavor carries straight into the sauce, and raw chicken just doesn’t hit the same way. One of my readers brought this to a dinner party, and a scratch soup cook said it tasted like something that had been going all day. That’s the rotisserie doing its thing.
What makes this recipe stand out
- Rotisserie chicken shortcut Shred it while it’s still warm. I learned this the hard way: warm rotisserie pulls apart loose and juicy, but cold rotisserie fights you and shreds into dry, stringy pieces. I get 4-6 cups from one bird, which loads this keto chicken noodle skillet with protein.
- Lupini noodles that actually hold up I’ve tested every low-carb noodle out there, and lupini is the only one that keeps its shape in a hot, brothy sauce the way regular pasta does. Lupini beans are packed with protein and fiber, so the noodles add real substance without spiking the carb count.
- Arrowroot-thickened sauce Instead of flour, I use arrowroot powder for that silky, creamy body without the extra carbs. One thing I figured out after a lumpy batch: let the arrowroot cook a full 2-3 minutes before you add any liquid. Rush it and the whole sauce clumps.
I’ve been making this since I first found lupini noodles, and I went through probably a dozen variations before landing here. The arrowroot was the breakthrough. Before that I tried xanthan gum, which worked but gave the sauce a slightly gummy pull that bugged me. Arrowroot gets you a cleaner thickness. The sauce coats everything without feeling heavy, which is exactly what I want from a weeknight skillet dinner.
The smell when the broth goes in is what gets people. One reader said it reminded her of her mom’s winter dinners growing up, and I get that. There’s something about chicken, celery, carrots, and a creamy sauce together that hits a very specific place. My family requests this by name, not because it’s keto (they don’t care about that), but because to them it’s just a good dinner.
If you love one-pot dinners like I do, my Tuscan chicken pasta and skillet lasagna are two more I keep in heavy rotation. For a similar comfort food feel, try my chicken casserole.
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Ingredients
1 rotisserie chicken (about 4 cups shredded, cooked chicken) -
1/4 cup unsalted butter
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1 cup sliced celery
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1/2 cup sliced carrots
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1/4 cup finely diced onions
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2 cloves garlic, minced
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1 tablespoon arrowroot powder or cornstarch
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1/2 cup heavy cream
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3 cups chicken broth
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6 oz lupini pasta
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1/2 teaspoon salt
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1/2 teaspoon pepper
Step by Step Instructions
Step by Step Instructions
Shred the chicken
Remove all the chicken (dark & white meat) from the rotisserie chicken. Shred or chop into bite-sized chunks. Set aside. Should end up with 4-6 cups of shredded chicken.
- 1 rotisserie chicken (about 4 cups shredded, cooked chicken)
Cook the veggies
In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Stir in the celery, carrot and onion. Cook until vegetables have softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook for 30-60 seconds or until fragrant.
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup sliced celery
- 1/2 cup sliced carrot
- 1/4 cup finely diced yellow onion
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
Add the broth and noodles
Stir in the arrowroot powder or cornstarch and let cook for about 2-3 minutes or until mixture has thickened. Slowly whisk in heavy cream, followed by chicken broth. Increase the heat to medium-high. Stir in the lupini noodles and cook for 4-6 minutes or until the pasta is just al dente. Overcooking the noodles can make them break when you stir in the chicken.
- 1 tablespoon arrowroot powder or cornstarch
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 6 oz lupini pasta
Add the chicken
Add the chicken and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper.
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
Nutrition disclaimer
The nutrition information provided is an estimate and is for informational purposes only. I am a Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.); however, this content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your physician or other qualified health provider before making any lifestyle changes or beginning a new nutrition program.
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Get My Macros + Recipes →Frequently Asked Questions
What can I use as a substitute for arrowroot powder?
I've tested a few options here. Cornstarch works as a 1:1 swap and thickens about the same way. If you want to skip starches entirely, 1/2 teaspoon of xanthan gum does the job, but whisk it in slowly or you'll get clumps. My preference is arrowroot because it gives the cleanest texture, but cornstarch is the easiest backup.
How can I lower the carbs even more?
I'd start by cutting the carrots in half or leaving them out entirely. I think they add a lot of flavor to the dish, so I keep them in mine, but the onion and celery carry enough on their own if carbs are your priority. You could also swap the lupini noodles for shirataki or cauliflower rice, both of which are essentially zero-carb.
How do I make this skillet dish with raw chicken?
I use raw chicken thighs or breasts when I don't have a rotisserie on hand. Cube them into bite-sized pieces, season with salt and pepper, and sear them in the skillet with the butter first. Once they're golden on all sides, add the vegetables and keep going with the recipe as written. The chicken finishes cooking while the noodles simmer.
Can I replace the heavy cream?
I've made this with full-fat coconut milk instead of heavy cream and it works well, especially if you're dairy-free. The coconut flavor is subtle once it cooks down with the broth and aromatics. Half and half is another option if you just want something lighter, though the sauce won't be quite as rich. I'd skip nut milks for this one since they tend to thin out and separate in a hot pan.
What brand of lupini noodles do you recommend?
I stick with Carba-Nada or Lupii brand. Carba-Nada has a slightly firmer bite that I prefer for this recipe because it holds up better as the broth cooks down. Lupii is a little softer but still solid. Both are better than shirataki or hearts of palm in a broth-based dish. I order mine from Amazon or Thrive Market since I haven't found either stocked consistently at my local store.
Can I make this in a slow cooker or Instant Pot?
I haven't done a full slow cooker version of this yet, but the challenge is the noodles. Lupini would overcook and turn to mush if they sat in liquid for hours. If you wanted to try it, I'd do everything except the noodles on low for 3-4 hours, then stir them in for the last 10-15 minutes. For the Instant Pot, my hamburger helper uses a similar one-pot approach if you want another quick dinner in that style.
Can I add cheese on top for a baked version?
I've done this and it's good. Shred some mozzarella or a mix of mozzarella and parmesan over the top, then slide the skillet under the broiler for 2-3 minutes until the cheese is bubbly and golden. My chicken alfredo lasagna uses a similar broiler finish if you want to see how that looks. Just keep an eye on it because broilers vary and it can go from golden to burnt fast.
Can I add mushrooms to this?
I've thrown in sliced cremini mushrooms a few times and they work well. Saute them with the celery and carrots so they have time to brown and release their liquid before the broth goes in. They add a nice savory depth to the sauce that I really like. I use about a cup, sliced thin.
Over 40 grams of protein in a skillet dinner done in under 25 minutes. Four containers portioned before noon, lunches handled. I cannot be normal about this one.
Lupini noodles were my sticking point. I'd heard mixed things and thought they'd go rubbery in a cream sauce. Made this on a night when it was still 94 degrees outside and figured if it was going to let me down, at least it'd be fast. The sauce came together thicker than I expected and those noodles held up completely fine (better than fine, actually). Docking a star because my broth ran a little thin, but that's probably on me for not measuring the arrowroot carefully enough.
Third time making this in the last few weeks and I finally feel like I have it down. The rotisserie chicken shortcut caught me off guard (I kept expecting it to feel like a cheat somehow) but it actually makes the whole thing come together faster than I thought possible on a weeknight. Still adjusting to the lupini noodles texture but they hold up in the broth way better than I expected. Four stars for now because I'm still figuring out my seasoning ratio, but this one's not going anywhere.
Extra salt at the end, after the noodles have been in the broth a few minutes. Lupini absorbs differently from regular pasta and what tastes balanced before they go in shifts once they cook through.
Made this for a casual spring dinner with neighbors last weekend, a few of whom have been cutting carbs but were skeptical about pasta substitutes. I didn't say anything about the lupini noodles until after, and one friend who has completely written off noodles stopped mid-bite to ask what kind they were. The broth thickens up so nicely with the cream and arrowroot, it really does eat like the real thing. Four stars for now only because I think I'd double the garlic next time, but as a low-effort hosting meal this more than held up.
Stopping mid-bite to ask what kind they are - that's it. And yeah, double the garlic. I usually do 4 cloves.
Made this again last night, probably the fifth or sixth time now. What keeps me coming back is how well the leftovers hold up. The lupini noodles don't get mushy by the next day, which I wasn't expecting at all. 20 minutes and dinner is done.
The lupini really does hold. Regular pasta would've absorbed all that cream sauce overnight and turned to mush. I've eaten it cold straight from the container the next day and it's still good.
My son took one bite, looked up and went 'wait, these are the noodles?' Then just kept eating. Found him at the fridge the next morning finishing the leftovers cold. That tells you everything.
Made this on a Sunday when I had a rotisserie chicken sitting in the fridge and wasn't sure what to do with it. My son has been loudly skeptical of every keto pasta swap I've tried, so I was bracing myself. He ate the whole bowl before I even sat down, then asked what kind of noodles those were. When I told him lupini, he just shrugged and grabbed more, which I'm calling a win. The sauce is the thing. It's creamy in a way that makes the whole skillet feel like an actual meal, not a workaround, and it coats the noodles really well. Keeping a rotisserie chicken on hand specifically for this from now on.
Shrug and grab more is the highest rating from a skeptic. The sauce is why, it coats everything and you stop thinking about what kind of noodles they are.
This skillet is freaking good and I say that as someone who usually wrecks anything that isn't a microwave situation. The lupini noodles were a total surprise, way more like real pasta than I expected. My one note: the carrots need more time than the recipe suggests, mine were still pretty firm when everything else was done and the broth was ready to go. Would bump this to 5 stars if I just cook the veggies a little longer next round, but I'm already planning the next batch.
Carrot thickness makes a big difference here. Slice them under 1/4 inch and they finish right with the broth. Mine run firm too if I cut them any thicker.
Shred the rotisserie chicken while it's still warm and freeze it in 4-cup bags ahead of time. Pulled one out and this was on the table in under 12 minutes. Lupini noodles are the only low-carb pasta I've tried that don't turn to mush in a brothy dish, and this one settled it for me.
Frozen bags work here because the broth absorbs everything once it's simmering anyway. I do the same portioning after Costco runs. And lupini holds where rice pasta would've given up 5 minutes in.
I had one bad experience with lupini noodles before this. Different recipe, they smelled fermented the whole way through and I pretty much wrote them off. Made this anyway because I had a rotisserie chicken that needed to go and I was out of better ideas. Somewhere in the first few minutes of simmering with the broth and butter, it actually started to smell good. By the time the chicken went in, it smelled like actual chicken noodle soup. Not a keto version of it, just the thing itself. The noodles picked up the broth in a way that pasta in a skillet dish actually doesn't do as cleanly. This is the recipe that changed my mind.
Broth fixes it every time. That smell doesn't survive the first few minutes of simmering.
My son asked what kind of noodles I used because they tasted 'different but good.' I said regular noodles. He's 9. First time a keto dinner didn't turn into a whole thing.
9 year old 'different but good' is a real win. Mine say the same thing about lupini and I just smile and keep quiet.
I was skeptical about lupini noodles. Figured they'd be rubbery or fall apart in the broth. Grabbed a rotisserie chicken on the way home and went for it anyway. Held up great. Creamy, filling, done in under 20 minutes. Going in my weeknight rotation.
Lupini surprised me too when I first tried them in broth. Most noodles fall apart, these actually firm up a little as they sit. Weeknight rotation is the goal.
Rinse the lupini pasta twice, not once (skipped the second rinse my first time and spent ten minutes trying to figure out why the broth tasted off). Did it right the second time and the whole thing came together the way it's supposed to. I also bumped the arrowroot to about a tablespoon and a half and the sauce got thick enough to coat every piece of chicken instead of just sitting at the bottom. Making this on repeat this spring.
The double rinse is non-negotiable with lupini and I should have been clearer about that in the recipe. And a tablespoon and a half of arrowroot is going in the notes , that extra half tablespoon is exactly what this sauce needs.
I've made probably six different keto 'chicken noodle' recipes over the last two years and every single one felt like a compromise. Either too watery or the noodles turned to mush. This one's different. The lupini pasta actually holds up, and the rotisserie chicken with heavy cream broth gives it a depth the others were missing. Finally feel like I got my weeknight comfort meal back.
Six recipes over two years to get here. Lupini is the only keto noodle I've found that doesn't disintegrate when the broth cooks down.
I've tried every low-carb noodle substitute and lupini pasta was the one I kept skipping (the smell out of the bag, you know). Made this anyway because I had a rotisserie chicken sitting there and figured worst case I'd just eat around the noodles. Yeah, no, I completely get it now. They hold up in the broth in a way shirataki never does, no slimy collapse halfway through the bowl. The whole skillet tastes like actual chicken noodle soup, not the 'close enough' version.
The smell gets everyone. I almost pulled it from the recipe because of it. Shirataki in hot broth is just a wet sponge.