Spicy Baked Chicken For  A Quick And Easy Dinner!

If you’re familiar with me and this blog, you know by now that I love food prep, freezer meals, and easy recipes.

I know many of you are the same, so I wanted to share another one of my go-to dinners for those busy days when you need dinner done quickly.

The great thing about this recipe is that there are no special ingredients, and it will be ready to eat in under an hour. How’s that quick and easy?

This recipe has two parts: your chicken and a spicy sauce for coating the chicken. The sauce doubles as a dipping sauce also.

I like to use boneless, skinless chicken breast for this recipe, but it would work well with dark meat also.

Side dish ideas for this meal are a nice salad,  steamed broccoli, or my Bacon Ranch Cauliflower Salad. My choice of side usually depends on how much time I have to get the food on the table.

Since this chicken dish is super fast to throw together, you can prepare your side dish as the chicken bakes and have dinner ready quickly.

That is a definite “winner, winner, chicken dinner”!  I couldn’t help myself, I had to say it. You guys know I did!!

Is This Spicy Baked Chicken Keto Friendly?

This dish works well for any low-carb lifestyle and  Keto diet. The chicken breast option is a lean protein but when paired with the real mayo in the spicy topping that takes the fats up to a higher level that works well for those trying to hit higher fat macros on their Keto Diet.

You can also serve this Spicy Baked Chicken with half of an avocado for even more healthy fats if you are looking for more ways to fit this recipe into your Keto diet.

A great way to up the fat in this recipe is to swap the chicken breasts out for some boneless and skinless chicken thighs. Before you ask, yes you can use skin-on-thighs, I prefer not to.

 How to Adapt This Recipe: Low Fat “E” Meal or a Low Carb “S” Meal on THM Diet

This recipe would fit perfectly into the Trim Healthy Mama diet plan as a satisfying “S” meal when you make the recipe with the real full-fat mayo in the spicy sauce.

Depending on how much fat you are wanting you could also substitute part sour cream for the mayo and still be in an “S” meal. This still has a nice amount of fat but less than using all mayo.

You can also use chicken thighs instead of chicken breast if you are planning on using this as a higher-fat “S” meal. This is my husband’s preference as he prefers them over white meat.

If you would like to cut the fat grams in this recipe down much lower and keep your meal in the THM “E” category, all you have to do is swap out the real mayo in the spicy sauce for a fat-free plain Greek yogurt.

What Temperature Should Chicken Breast Be Cooked To For Safe Eating?

It’s very important to cook proteins, like this chicken breast, to a safe enteral temperature.

Consuming raw chicken can make one very sick if it is ingested so I always recommend purchasing a proper meat thermometer for the best and safest results when cooking any protein.

Are you unsure of what temperature your chicken should be so that it is safe to eat without being dry and overdone? I have the answer for you or actually, the USDA website does lol. Here’s what they say.

“All poultry should reach a safe minimum internal temperature of 165 °F (73.9 °C) as measured with a food thermometer. A whole chicken must reach this temperature throughout the bird. Check the internal temperature in the innermost part of the thigh and wing and the thickest part of the breast. For reasons of personal preference, consumers may choose to cook poultry to higher temperatures.”

I always consult this website if I have any doubts or questions about cooking temperatures. It is always better to be safe than sorry when it comes to cooking and the possibility of making someone sick with undercooked foods.

If you would like to read more about safe cooking temperatures on the USDA’s website then you can check out after you finish looking over this recipe. You can find their website and info on chicken Here.

Can This Spicy Baked Chicken Be Prepared In Advance?

I’ve made this mean in advance many times in the past. There are a couple of ways that you can do that starting with mixing up the sauce and spreading it onto the chicken pieces.

Then you can wrap it tightly and place it in the fridge until you are ready to bake it. I use this method when I know that I will be cooking the chicken within a day or two.

I wouldn’t use this prep method on this recipe if you were going to leave it for longer than two days. So in that case I would recommend placing the chicken in a freezer-safe bag and pouring the sauce over the chicken.

Then massage the sauce onto the chicken and seal the bag, making sure to get all the air out. Lastly, label your bag and place it in the freezer until you are ready to thaw and cook.

What Side Dishes Would Go Well With This Chicken Recipe?

Chicken is an easy protein when it comes to pairing it up with side dishes. It will just about pair well with anything you make. If you need some inspiration on what types of sides to make then check out these delicious options below.

Here are a few low-carb & keto friendly sides:

Bacon Ranch Coleslaw

Creamy Baked Eggplant

Slow Cooker Bacon Parmesan Green Beans

For a lower fat and higher carb side dish, you can choose from one of these options. They would be a THM “E” option.

Low Fat Mushroom Brown Rice

Cilantro Lime Sweet Potatoes

Parmesan Herb Roasted Potatoes

Lemon Roasted Butternut Squash

No matter what side dish you serve, or whether you choose to make this dish low carb or low fat I assure you that you and your family (or friends) will enjoy this recipe.

Continue to Content

Yield: 6 Servings

Spicy Baked Chicken ( Keto, THM)

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

Tender baked chicken breast topped with a delicious spicy mayo topping that takes a plain chicken breast to a flavorful meal.

Print

Ingredients

• 2 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breast
• 1 1/2 cups of real Mayo (*or fat free Greek Yogurt for THM "E")
• 3 Tablespoons of Buffalo or hot sauce
• 3 Tablespoons of Parmesan Cheese (grated)
• 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Make sure your chicken has been patted dry before adding your salt and pepper to taste. Set it aside.
3. Mix your sauce ingredients together and then divide the mixture in half. Reserve half for dipping later.
4. Brush the other half of the mixture all over the tops of the chicken breasts. Making sure to get a nice coating on all of them.
5. If you want, you can sprinkle a little more Parmesan over the tops, but this is optional.
6. Bake the chicken for about 35 minutes or until it reaches a 165 degrees.
7. To brown the tops of your chicken broil on high for a few minutes, but watch it carefully to avoid burning it.

Keri Bucci

I am a southern girl through and through that loves to laugh, cook, read and spend time with family. My passions outside of home schooling my son are ministering to those in need and creating art in the kitchen! Every day is an adventure in our little house and I wouldn’t trade it or the chance to share here with you for anything!